Avro Diesel™: Clean Diesel Fuel from Conversion of Waste Fats and Restaurant Residues

Background

North Americans produce 5 to 6 kg/person/year of trap grease, a mixture of soap, bacteria and cooking fat that is removed from the drains of commercial cooking operations. Combined with relatively clean, used cooking oils, these wastes amount to 8 to 10 kg/person/year.

Currently trap grease is sent to landfills at the restaurant owner's expense. Converting recovered waste cooking oils and trap greases to clean AVRO Diesel™ in Canada and the USA could produce 2.475 billion L/year of clean diesel fuel (worth an est. $2 billion Cdn dollars).

What are the issues associated with existing conventional bio-diesel processes?

• Require clean feedstocks that are expensive, normally in the range of $400 to $600/ton.
• Bio-diesel has poor cold flow properties.
• Existing processes don't work well with waste fats and greases with high free fatty acids.

What are the issues associated with waste fats and greases?

• They are often contaminated with bacteria and inorganics such as calcium and phosphorus.
• Some wastes are land-filled at a cost, typically in the range of $30-$60/ton [in 2006 Cdn dollars].

AVRO Diesel™ Process

It converts waste grease to high Cetane diesel fuel with improved cold flow properties. See photos below.

Waste grease (left) AVRO Diesel™ sample (right)

How does AVRO Diesel TM process work?

• The process combines mild thermal cracking with esterification. This process is being patented by the CANMET Energy Technology Centre – Ottawa .
• The integrated process thermally destroys bacteria and removes inorganic contaminants. It treats waste animal fats, cooking greases, and trap grease that are 'too contaminated' for a conventional trans-esterification process, and produces clean diesel fuel.
• The process yields 65 to 75 wt% hydrocarbons/methyl-esters mixtures suitable for diesel fuel blending.

AVRO Diesel TM chromatogram (red) compared with soy
biodiesel and commercial No. 2 diesel

Your Invitation to Work with Us

CANMET Energy Technology Centre is seeking interested parties to commercialize this process. Please contact our Business Development Office to discuss your particular needs:

Roy Prokopuk, Principal Officer Business Development
(613) 996-8693
prokopuk@nrcan.gc.ca

For further information, please contact:

Natural Resources Canada
CANMET Energy Technology Centre
1 Haanel Drive
Nepean, Ontario
Canada K1A 1M1

Michio Ikura, PhD, PEng
Senior Research Scientist
Tel: (613) 996-0505
E-mail: mikura@nrcan.gc.ca