Western Biofuels introduces new process

Biodiesel Magazine
By Susanne Retka Schill
Posted, June 3, 2009

Western Biofuels Inc. released the results of an independent validation test and announced plans to build a 1.4 MMgy demonstration plant for a new biofuel process. Fuel chemist Nicholas Irving, president and founder of Western Biofuels, described the process as combining a chemical reaction using nitrogen compounds and distillation to create a unique biofuel from fats and oils that is not a methyl ester. He’s calling it a High Energy BioFuel (HEBF) because it combines the energy advantage of petro-diesel with the benefits of biofuels.

“HEBF has no restriction as to feedstock, it can be tallow, palm, olive oil or 100 percent FFAs [free fatty acids],” Irving said. “We can even use crude vegetable oils, the water isn’t a problem.” The distillation is done at atmospheric pressure, Irving added, although the HEBF process does require the proper equipment and can’t be done even on a bench scale with glassware.

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