One-step separation method for biodiesel, glycerol

In Connecticut, UConn professor Richard Parnas has patented a biodiesel reactor that uses gravity, heat, and natural chemical reactions to make the biodiesel and separate the glycerol in one step rather than the traditional two-step method that requires mechanical removal of the glycerol.

The existing facility produces about 2,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel a year. Parnas and colleagues Yi Li of the plant science department, Steven Suib of the chemistry department, Fred Carstensen of the economics department, and Harrison Yang of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment are preparing to build a larger pilot biodiesel production facility using part of a two-year, $1.8 million grant from the Department of Energy. The reactor will be capable of producing up to 200,000 gallons of biodiesel a year. Parnas says the pilot plant’s production can easily be magnified for larger-scale commercial production.

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