biodiesel: a unique approach to oil spill cleanup · biodiesel- an oil spill shoreline cleanup...
Post on 07-Mar-2019
241 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
AUDREY YOUNG B. S . IN C HE M IC A L E N G IN E E R IN G
W A S H IN G T O N U N IV E R S IT Y IN S T . L O U IS 2 0 1 3 U N I C A M P , B R A Z I L
J U N E 6 , 2 0 1 2
Biodiesel: A Unique Approach to Oil Spill Shoreline Cleanup
Introduction
80-90% of oil spill clean up costs are dedicated to shoreline cleanup
Searching for a more efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly method to clean up oil spill shorelines
It has been proven in the last decade that biodiesel can be used to clean up oil spills
Oil spill shoreline clean up provides a potential motivation to produce biodiesel
http://www.environmental-research.com/erc_papers/ERC_paper_4.pdf
Outline
What is Biodiesel? How is Biodiesel Made? Petrobras and Biodiesel Biodiesel- an Oil Spill Shoreline
Cleaning Agent Advantages Disadvantages Summary Biofuels: Yes or No? Personal
Opinion
What is Biodiesel?
Produced from vegetable, animal, and waste cooking oil
Composed of long-chains of fatty acids with an alcohol attached
Lower viscosity and higher buoyancy than crude oil
Strong solvent
http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/biofuels/what_biodiesel.htm
How is Biodiesel Made?
Reaction of oil with methyl alcohol and a catalyst
Transesterification process
http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-3/biofuels/what_biodiesel.htm
Petrobras and Biodiesel
Producing biodiesel from castor bean and sunflower seed oil
3 plants producing biodiesel
Each plant produces ~170,000 mᶟ/year
2 experimental plants
Developed H-Bio process Mixes vegetable oil and petroleum
distillate in hydro-treatment units to make superior quality renewable diesel
http://www.petrobras.com.br/en/about-us/profile/activities/biofuel-production/
Biodiesel- an Oil Spill Shoreline Cleanup Agent
Purpose: to extract heavy petroleum from shorelines
1. Sprayed directly onto oiled shoreline
Single spray
Dissolves oil because the biodiesel (methyl ester) has a strong solvent activity
Releases oil adhering to shoreline
Lowers viscosity of the crude oil
2. Spray contaminated area with sea water
The lower viscosity allows the mixture to be washed away
Repeated
Releases 60-90% of original crude oil
http://www.cytoculture.com/cytosolarticle.htm,
Biodiesel- an Oil Spill Shoreline Cleanup Agent Cont.
3. Deploy booms and skimmers Oil/ biodiesel mixture on top of the
water Manually collect the oil/ biodiesel
mixture The collected oil can be recycled as
burner fuel or be reprocessed
4. Biodegradation of remaining oil/ biodiesel mixture Increased biodegradation rate of oil
due to more surface area exposure Natural properties of biodiesel
allow for it to be easily broken down
http://www.cytoculture.com/cytosolarticle.htm
Advantages
Methyl esters less harmful to environment and wildlife than crude oil
Rapidly degrade in environment Efficient at cleaning fine sand Oil/ biodiesel mixture recyclable Removes twice amount of oil from sand
compared to other cleaners Low cost application Costs less than alternative methods such as
chemical dispersants $7.27/ gallon for chemical dispersants vs.
$4.99/gallon for biodiesel http://osrceat.environmental-research.com/erc_papers/ERC_paper_27.pdf, http://www.iisd.org/gsi/sites/default/files/bf_awc_uk.pdf
Disadvantages
Different biodiesels have different results
Difficulties in cleaning course sands and gravel
Producing biodiesel is expensive
Biodiesel is produced mainly for fuel
Summary
Biodiesel is predominately made of vegetable oil Created by the transesterification process Petrobras promotes the production of biodiesel and developed
the H-Bio Process Lowers the viscosity and adhesion to the shoreline enabling the
biodiesel to lift the crude oil away from the shoreline , to be manually collected
Biodiesel and biofuels can serve many purposes, not just for fuel
Biodiesel is expensive to produce but removes more oil, costs less, and is more environmentally friendly than chemical dispersants
top related