New Solutions for New Feedstocks: Imerys’ Mineral Innovations for Efficient Pretreatment

A scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of CynerSorb shows the surface treatment layered over the internal voids of the diatom, enabling superior absorbency while maintaining high porosity. When added to body feed, CynerSorb opens the filter cake to improve flow rates. (Image: Imerys)

Advanced adsorbent and filter-aid technologies enable lower-quality waste streams to meet stringent feedstock specifications.

As the world shifts toward sustainable energy sources, the biofuel industry requires innovation to meet growing demand while maintaining quality and efficiency. Producers are facing new challenges in feedstock selection and processing. Imerys, a global leader in specialty minerals, is at the forefront of addressing these challenges with its innovative line of filtration solutions designed specifically for the renewable diesel industry.

High market demand and incentive programs supporting the decarbonization of the transportation sector are pushing biofuel producers to use more waste-derived materials as feedstocks, introducing new complexities to production. Lower-quality feedstocks, such as used cooking oils and waste animal fats, contain higher levels of impurities including soaps, phospholipids, glycerol and trace metals. These contaminants can significantly impact production throughput and performance, necessitating more efficient and effective pretreatment processes.

Imerys’ Innovative Approach to Feedstock Pretreatment

Recognizing the industry’s evolving needs, Imerys has engineered a comprehensive range of tailor-made filtration solutions. These products are the result of an in-depth understanding of the biofuel manufacturing process and the business constraints faced by producers.

An extensive portfolio of filter aids, such as diatom-derived Celite and perlite-derived Harborlite, provide flexible solutions for contaminant removal across a wide range of permeability requirements. With over a century of experience, Imerys’ filtration team leverages its expertise to help plant operators optimize filtration-system performance and reduce waste-disposal costs.

CynerSorb is a unique family of filterable adsorbents that addresses the limitations of conventional pretreatment methods and enhances the performance of traditional filter aids and adsorbents. CynerSorb’s effectiveness lies in its multilayered approach to contaminant removal: a diatomaceous earth (DE) substrate with ideal porosity for solid-liquid separation, a silica-gel layer to adsorb soluble contaminants and chelating chemistry to transform contaminants into filterable or absorbable species. By optimizing feedstock pretreatment with high-permeability CynerSorb, filter-aid and adsorbent dosing rates decrease. Reducing total powder dosage by 50 percent or more leads to higher yields, fewer filter cycles and less waste cake.

Proven Results in Real-World Applications

Feedstock-purification requirements differ based on facility design and type of feedstock. Using waste fats and used cooking oil as feedstocks pose challenges in terms of higher levels and variability of contaminants that need to be removed as part of the refining process. Imerys has conducted extensive testing internally and in collaboration with customers to tackle difficult feedstock-purification issues.

A pilot trial conducted by Texas A&M shows the lower pressure rise and faster filtration of distillers corn oil with CynerSorb. (Image: Imerys)

Case studies demonstrate CynerSorb’s effectiveness across various feedstocks. In a study with a customer converting to low-quality beef-tallow feedstock, CynerSorb reduced phosphorus levels to 1.4 parts per million (ppm) and metals to below detectable limits, meeting stringent requirements for hydrotreating. A blend of 0.4 percent bleaching earth and 0.1 percent CynerSorb achieved over 90 percent phosphorus removal, outperforming either adsorbent used individually. Another customer pretreating distillers corn oil (DCO) used CynerSorb to effectively remove metals content to 5 ppm and phosphorus to below 1 ppm. This reduction was achieved without reducing free fatty acid levels, thus preserving yield. In both cases, blending CynerSorb with bleaching earth demonstrated synergistic effects, improving contaminant removal while enhancing filtration performance.

Benefits for Feedstock Pretreaters

Pretreatment of feedstock previously considered too “dirty” to process is vital to the growth of renewable fuel. Imerys’ advanced adsorbent and filter-aid technologies enable lower-quality waste streams to meet stringent feedstock specifications. By eliminating the poor filtration functionality of traditional adsorbents, contaminants can be removed without excessive waste, extended cycle lengths and high powder-dosage requirements. These improvements can lead to substantial annual cost savings, potentially reaching six to seven figures for some facilities, offering a promising financial outlook.

The Imerys filtration team invites you to contact us to explore how Imerys can help enhance your filtration capacity, minimize pretreatment expenses and elevate your product quality. Imerys is ready to provide customized solutions to meet your specific needs and optimize your operations. In a time of uncertainty for regulations and availability, full feedstock flexibility can fuel your growth.

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