North Carolina
NORTH CAROLINA
Company:
Piedmont Biofuels Industrial
220 Lorax Lane
Pittsboro, NC 27312-0661
Topic:
Water Usage in Electric Power Production and Industrial Processes
Title:
Recovery Act - Utilization of Immobilized Lipase System for Waste Water Reduction in the Bioenergy Industry
Summary:
Biodiesel is one non-traditional alternative fuel that is currently being developed as an alternative to petroleum based fuels. The current biodiesel production methodology utilizes a water washing purification technique as a simple method for removing contaminants. This results in the formation of soaps or salts in both the biodiesel and glycerin phases which are of little or negative value, and is typically discharged via low quality waste water. It is estimated that current biodiesel methods produce 1 gallon of waste water for every 4 gallons of biodiesel produced. Piedmont's system will use an enzymatic biodiesel production method which differs from traditional techniques by eliminating the washing process, and by extension eliminate the production of waste water.
