CynerSorb® for biofuel filtration

Diatomaceous earth adsorbent for biofuel filtration

Oil and animal fat-based feedstocks used for the production of biofuels often contain a variety of contaminants that need to be removed as part of the refining process.

For producers in the transportation market faced with the challenge of turning used cooking oils and waste fats into biodiesel, we’ve developed a surface-engineered diatomite to replace silica gels and magnesium silicates in biofuel refining, simplifying the process, increasing refining capacity and reducing spent filter cake and oil loss.

The increasing use of used cooking oils and waste animal fats as feedstocks pose challenges in terms of higher levels of soaps or phospholipids, glycerol and trace metals that need to be removed as part of the refining process. 

Typically, this is done during a filtration stage via the addition of a synthetic amorphous silica gel or a magnesium silicate. These products have excellent adsorption characteristics but are poor filter aids, causing premature filter blockage and reduced refining capacity. Often, a diatomite filter aid is added to compensate and to keep the filter bed “open”. While this achieves the required increase in filtration capacity, it also adds process complexity and results in additionally spent filter cake and associated oil loss.

With these challenges in mind, Imerys has developed CynerSorb® a range of filterable adsorbents to replace silica gels and magnesium silicates in the refining process. CynerSorb diatomite uses a diatomite filter aid “base”, meaning it has all the filtration characteristics of a diatomite. However, our engineers have successfully surface-engineered the individual diatomite particles so they also provide the necessary adsorption functionality.

As a result, CynerSorb can be used as a two-in-one solution fulfilling both the absorption and filtration functions:

• CynerSorb can also be used to eliminate bleaching earth where no color removal is required, or to significantly reduce dosing rates where some bleaching is necessary.
• CynerSorb has excellent filtration characteristics, allowing the reduction or removal of current filter aids and increasing production capacity. It is more effective at breaking down soaps, phospholipids, trace metals and polar contaminants than current solutions. It works synergistically with bleaching earth, allowing significant reduction of bleaching earth loads. It reduces oil loss and can be used with a number of feedstocks, including used cooking oil, refined vegetable oil and animal fat or tallow.
• CynerSorb diatomite is as versatile as pretreatment in the reduction of impurities and as effective as post treatment to replace your current adsorption solution.

Talk to the team today about switching to CynerSorb diatomite in your biofuel process.