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

Biofuels: Good or Bad?

Against

Expensive

Fairly low yields

A temporary solution

Concentrate on education and changing our lifestyle