With the advancement of modern science and technology, new inventions have worked together to give the world a better future. Diesel is one of the significant sources of non-renewable energy. Hence, the continuous use of diesel for industrial purposes is not only causing heavy pollution but also posing a threat to the future extinction of such sources.
Biodiesel is a hybrid product with a methyl or ethyl group added to the aliphatic chains in vegetable or animal oils. This addition gives the component all the properties equivalent to the properties of diesel. The lipids in vegetable oil or animal fat chemically react with alcohol from the methyl or ethyl group and produce fatty acid esters in a feedstock plant.
Biodiesel can be obtained from canola, sunflower, soybean, rapeseed, and castor oil. But modern research shows that biodiesel can also be obtained from hazelnut oil. In this article, you will learn step-by-step processes of producing hazelnut biodiesel.
Extraction
Crude hazelnut oil is extracted from good-quality hazelnuts. Hazelnuts are first sorted and then roasted. The roasted hazelnuts are then loosened from their shells. In the next step, they are pressed using a screw press or oil press. However, hazelnut oil can also be extracted by employing a hot extraction process using a chemical solvent.
The crude oil is then carried to the refining process as it is not applicable in biodiesel production.
Refining
The crude oil is then refined in the hazelnut refinery. The refining process undergoes the following stages:
Degumming
This is the first stage of the hazelnut oil refining process. As the name suggests, degumming is the process by which excess gum or impurities are removed from the crude oil. The gum in crude oil includes phospholipids, colour pigment and other contaminants. This degumming is performed first to improve the physical properties of the crude oil. This enhances the refining process as well.
Continuous Bleaching
The degummed crude oil is sent for continuous bleaching in the next stage. The oil is heated, filtered through a self cleaning filter and again heated to ensure no impurities are left behind. Impurities like colour pigment, metal traces, aromatic substances, soap materials, dirt and phospholipids are entirely removed from the oil.
Winterization
If the bleaching process fails to remove all the impurities, then winterization is employed. Wax can be easily visible at a lower temperature. Hence, the temperature of the oil is lowered after heating in the bleaching process. Then the rest of the impurities are also removed from the hazelnut oil through a self cleaning filter.
Deacidification
The oil may contain acidic substances. It is essential to remove the acidic components from the oil before it is exposed to alcoholic groups of methyl or ethyl.
Deodourization
It is the final stage of refining in the hazelnut refinery. Volatile impurities like FFA and others are removed by creating a vacuum stripping. The process is carried out by passing stripping agents like steam through the oil at a lower pressure.
The hazelnut oil is thus refined and ready for biodiesel production.
Transesterification Process
Biodiesel can be obtained by several processes based on the production’s raw materials, places and scope. The types of methods include the esterification, transesterification, and supercritical methanol processes.
Expert biodiesel suppliers in India opine on the transesterification process for good quality biodiesel. In this process, the triglycerides in the refined hazelnut oil react with the methanol in a base catalyst in a 1:3 molar ratio. The reaction produces glycerol and low molecular fatty acid methyl esters. This ester is the desired biodiesel obtained from hazelnut oil.
Conclusion
Mectech is the largest manufacturing brand of biodiesel plants in India. The Biodiesel Suppliers in India largely benefitted from them.