Desmet Ballestra,
a leader in oleochemicals processes
Science behind Technology w w w. d e s m e t b a l l e s t r a . c o m
Desmet Ballestra Oleochemicals today Desmet Ballestra is known as world leader in engineering of oils, fats and oleochemical processes, chemical, detergent and surfactant technologies. Since decades, Desmet Ballestra entered into the Oleochemical processes. Through various technology alliances, like with Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Limited for the fatty alcohols processes, combined with a strong product development: Desmet Ballestra became a major reference in this field.
Experience & Track Record In over 50 years, Desmet & Ballestra and its affiliated companies have installed more than 220 oleochemical processes worldwide. The portfolio of oleochemical processes can be grouped as follows: n
Fatty acids processes
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Fatty alcohol processes
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Glycerine process for sweet water, spent lyes and methylesters
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Methylesters processes
Major Advantages
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Proven process technology for high yields and low operating cost.
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Competitive sourcing of quality equipment using specialized workshops.
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Quality control by experienced project management teams.
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Total in-house expertise for new projects, plant expansions or upgrades.
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Possible sources of financing origination from countries where Desmet Ballestra operates.
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Global coverage to meet any local requirements and conditions.
PFAD / ACID OILS
OILS & FATS
Esterification (Glycerolisis)
Pretreatment & Purification
Hydrogenation
Transesterification
Splitting
Acid Esterification
Oleins Methylester
Hydrogenation
Crude Glycerine
Sweet Water
Total Distillation
Fractional Distillation Hydrogenation*
Spent Lye
Crude Fatty Acids
Purification
Distilled Fatty Acid
Total Distillation
Concentration
Hydrogenation
Fractional Distillation
Acid Esterification*
Dry Fraction (Cristallization)
Dry Fractional (Cristallization)
Distillation and Refining
Refining*
Fractionated Distiller methylester
Biodiesel
Pharamaceutical Glycerine
Fatty Alcohols
Hydrogenated Fatty Acids
Distilled Fractionated Fatty Acids
* JM Davy Technology Process
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Fatty Acids
Fatty Acids and Glycerine Production Oil Pre-Treatment
Raw Materials Palm Oil Palm Kernel Oil Palm Stearine Mustard Oil Tallow Soft Oils PFAD SBAO Acid Oils Rice Bran Oil
Touch Hydrogenation
Oil Hardening by Hydrogenation
Oil Splitting with Preconcentration
Sweet Water Purification
Spent Lye Purification
C6
Fatty Acids Distillation Fractionation
Sweet Water Evaporation
Crude Glycerin
Glycerin Distillation
Pharma Glycerin
C810 C22 C1218
Fractional Distillation
C1214 C8
C12
C14
Commercial FA Cuts C8 Caprylic Acid C10 Capric Acid C12 Lauric Acid C14 Myristic Acid C1214 Blend to Fatty Alcohol C1214 Blend to Soap Making
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C1618
C10
C16 Palmitic Acid C1618 Stearic Acid C1618 Blend to Paint Industry C1618 Blend to Oleic Acid C1618 Blend to Soap Making C22 Erucic Acid
C16
C1618
Fatty Acids Hardening by Hydrogenation
Post Hardening Distillation
Commercial Stearic Acid
Oils & Fats Pretreatment The pretreatment involves removing of impurities. Depending on the properties of the feedstock, different configurations are applicable.
Oils & Fats Splitting The Desmet Ballestra Splitting Process produces crude Fatty Acids with high splitting degree and very low carry over of fatty matter in the sweet water and very low free glycerol in the crude fatty acids. The Desmet Ballestra unique design of top section of the splitter avoids frequent stop over for cleaning.
Fatty Acids Fractional and Total Distillation The single and multi towers plants are based on towers with structured packing to fractionate bulk Fatty Acids in Fatty Acids commercial pure cuts, efficiently removing heavy and light boiling impurities. The Desmet Ballestra technology ensures that the fatty acids are distilled at the lowest possible temperature. Units are equipped with heat recovery systems to generate low pressure steam. Canned pumps with falling film reboilers are provided as standard.
Fatty Acids Fractional Crystallization Controlled cooling/crystallising followed by pressure membrane filtration is used for the production of oleic acid. Dry fractionation process leading to clean and simple operation guaranteeing a lower operating and investment cost.
Fatty Acids Hydrogenation The unit is designed to hydrogenate fatty acids or neutral oil with a semi-continuous process. The hydrogenation is carried out in a loop reactor with an efficent jet mixer. Heat of reaction is recovered to generate low pressure steam.
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Glycerine
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Sweet Water/Spent Lye Treatment Chemical treatment of sweet water/spent lyes is carried out in a continuous, fully automatically controlled unit.
Sweet Water/Spent Lye Concentration The unit can be composed by one to four evaporation effects depending on capacity and available utilities. For spent lyes concentration, the unit differs from the one for sweet water for the salt separation recovery and drying section. This unit can also handle, when required, bio-diesel diluted glycerine.
Glycerine Distillation/ Refining The distillation is based on a packed tower where the glycerine is distilled, to separate both heavy and light boiling impurities. Yellowish glycerine is condensed in a separate scrubber. Deodorisation can be supplied depending on feedstock origin. Refining is continuous on three in line bleachers. In case of spent lyes or biodiesel glycerine a salt removal section is added.
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Fatty Alcohols
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Fatty Acids Esterification The JM Davy Esterification System is a simple continuous process that is used for esterification of natural fatty acids. The process produces an ester product that can be hydrogenated directly without any further processing. The solid resin catalyst is retained on the reaction trays, and so does not contaminate the methyl ester product. The catalyst can also be replaced while the plant is online.
Methylester Hydrogenation Methyl esters are pumped to the hydrogenation reaction pressure of around 40 bar and fed into the hydrogenation vaporiser. The feed liquid is vaporised by a hydrogen rich gas stream which passes up through the vaporiser. The overheads from the hydrogenation vaporiser are fed to the hydrogenation reactor containing a fixed bed of catalyst. The reaction occurs in the vapour phase in a stream with hydrogen excess. The mild operating conditions of the JM Davy hydrogenation process along with uniform temperature and short residence in the reactor results in a very highly selective process. This high process selectivity results in minimal byproduct formation and hence high quality endproducts.
Fatty Alcohol Refining Unconverted esters are separated and recycled back to the hydrogenation section designed by JM Davy. Residual methanol is recovered and recycled, and a light ends purge is taken if necessary to achieve the required product alkane specification. The column is run under vacuum and a falling film vaporiser used for the reboiler to prevent thermal degradation of the product. Heavy boiling bottom stream is recycled back to the hydrogenation section.
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Methylesters / Biodiesel
Biodiesel Production
Raw Materials Palm Oil Tallow Palm Stearine Rapeseed Oil Sunflower Oil Soyabean Oil Palm Kernel Oil Cottonseed Oil
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Oil Pre-Treatment
Soapstock Splitting
FAD Esterification
Trans Esterification
Glycerin Purification
Methanol Rectification
Methyl Esther Washing
Crude Glycerin
Methyl Ester Drying
Glycerine Distillation and Refining
Salt Drying
Biodiesl EN/US Spec
Pharma Glycerin
Industrial Anti Icing Salt
Olein Acid Esterification
Transesterification Transesterification of neutral oils is carried out both for the purpose of producing biodiesel or methylesters for different purposes as MES or Fatty Alcohols. The process is fully continuous and, in the case of biodiesel, can also accept as part of the feed low grade materials as UFO (Used Frying Oils) or greases. The unit includes a glycerine treatment section that gives high quality crude glycerine.
Esterification with Glycerol Reprocessing of high acidity by-products, such as fatty acids distillates and oleins, to obtain, by reaction with distilled glycerine, an esterified oil suitable to be fed to Biodiesel plants or to be burnt in engines.
Methylester Fractional and Total Distillation The single or multi towers plants are based on towers with structured packing to fractionate heavy and light boiling impurities and to ensure that the methylesters are distilled at the lowest possible temperature. Squeezing of the residue is carried out in a separate distiller. Condensation can be carried out inside the tower over packing with cooling through an external pump around or inside the tower on a topmounted shell and tubes condenser. In both cases heat can be recovered generating low pressure steam. Canned pumps with falling film reboilers or centrifugal pumps with suppressed vaporisation reboilers are proposed according to the case.
Methylester Fractional Crystallization Controlled cooling/crystallising followed by pressure membrane filtration is used for the production of oleic FAME. Dry fractionation process leading to clean and simple operation guaranteeing a lower operating and investment cost.
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Methylesters / Biodiesel
Methylester Pure Cuts Production and Biodiesel Refining
Transesterification/ Biodiesel Plant
FAME from Metathesys Triglycerides
C10 ME M-9
FAME from Palm Oil Palm Kernel Palm Stearine Tallow
FAME from Tallow Low Grade Acid Oils Esterifieds Oils UCO
Biodiesel Refining Advanced Pitch Stripping
FAME Fractional Distillation
FAME Hardening Hydrogenation
EN/US Biodiesel
FAME Fractional Distillation
C1618 ME
C16/18 ME (to MES)
FAME Dry Fractionation Winterizing
C18 Di-esther
C11-15 ME
C810 ME
C19+ ME
C16/18 ME (to MES) C1618 ME
C8 ME
C1218 ME
C10 ME
C6 ME
C1618 ME
C1214 ME
C162 ME
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C16 ME
C14 ME
C18 ME (Oleate)
C18 ME (Stearate)
C1618 ME
Commercial Cuts C6 Methyl Caproate C8 Methyl Caprilate C10 Methyl Caprate C810 to Biolubricant C12 Methyl Laureate C14 Methyl Myristate C1214 to NDAlchohol C1618 to Biodiesel
C1618 to Mes C18 (Oleate) To Unsaturated NDAlcohol C18 (stearate) to MES C10M9 No Disclosure C19+ No Disclosure C18 Di-Esther No Disclosure
Research & Development Continuous improvement of existing processes We keep up with matching the requirements of chemical manufacturers and governmental regulatory agencies in order to ensure that our process technologies respond to changes in the economic, technical and environmental needs of our clients and of the customers.
New technologies We use our R&D resources, capability and experience to continuously develop new applications and new technologies for the production of fatty acids, methylesters, new green chemicals and new green fuels. Through our proprietary research and by licensing agreements with technologically advanced suppliers, Desmet Ballestra opens new profitable business opportunities, such as a full range of chemical processes directly connected with new renewable chemical industries.
Client support and after sale service Desmet Ballestra works together with its clients, on the basis of strict confidentiality to help them with their new ideas, from initial laboratory development through to pilot-scale tests. Desmet Ballestra also supports its clients during plant commercial operation provides special plants and gives to the clients the possibility to improve the technology and increase the capacity following the market development.
Pilot Plants Test of new / specific raw material, Production of semi-industrial samples for application study, Client support and data transfer for industrial operations with new raw materials.
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Plant Automation Desmet Ballestra plants are automated in accordance with the following configurations. CCS PC + PLC with SCADA application, Client/Server architecture
DCS Distributed Control Systems with CPU and I/O redundancy availability All configurations are designed to ensure the following capabilities; depending on CPU size: - Fully redundant Operator Station - Friendy Operator Interface through mimic screen lay out for easy and safe command and control - Password protection - Data entry validation - Interlocking and alarming - Event Logging - Real time trend - Historical trend and alarms - Recipe management - Control loop algorithm - Balance of material - Automatic and on demand report - Possibility to exchange data with host computers for production management
Achievements - Reduce cost of plant management - Reduce the number of skilled operators - Increase productivity and quality - Increase total system availability (high MTBF low MTTR) - Increase the quantity of information for operators - Increase connectivity with ERP - Allows easy future extension - Fast R.O.I.
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Desmet Ballestra Worldwide
Hull Paris Madrid
Atlanta
Brussels Milan Rome
Moscow Istanbul Shanghai
Mexico Bangalore
Kuala Lumpur
Bogota
Singapore Sao Paulo Buenos Aires
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Science behind Technology w w w. d e s m e t b a l l e s t r a . c o m