The production of biodiesel is based on the CD process.
It guarantees a continuos production process and thus a consistent high quality and purity (rapeseed oil methyl ester according to DIN EN 14214).

Oil Production

Rapeseed is heated in conditioners and oil is extracted by using the hot-press-method in two steps. Rapeseed cake, a nutrient-rich animal feed, arises as a valuable byproduct. At the next step the extracted crude oil is cleansed of impurities and fed to the refining process.

Refining

The crude oil contains mucilages, which are swollen by phosphoric acid and washed out with water in centrifuges. These mucilages are in turn used to cool and increase the nutritional value of the rapeseed cake. During the deacidification fatty acids are extracted from the oil.

Transesterification

During the transesterification biodiesel arises from the vegetable oil. Therefor the refined rapeseed oil is heated with the addition of methanol and a catalyst. The chemical reaction of transesterification brings a change in the structure of the oil, so that three free fatty acid methyl ester chains (biodiesel) and one free glycerine molecule (crude glycerine) emerge from one rapeseed oil molecule. The biodiesel is washed and dried in several subsequent stages.

Glycerine Distillation

The crude glycerine has a glycerin content of at least 80%. It still contains undesirable organic substances and is colored yellow. It can be refined into pharmaceutical glycerine by cleaning and bleaching