Biofuels are fuels derived from organic and renewable sources, such as plants, crops, waste, and even microorganisms.
Biofuels play a crucial role in the transition towards clean and renewable energy, representing one of the primary solutions for rapidly and efficiently reducing CO₂ emissions in the transportation sector in the coming years.
These are primarily obtained from agricultural crops like sugar cane, various types of cereals, or vegetable oils.
These use organic waste as raw materials, such as used cooking oils, agricultural waste, livestock waste, or forest biomass, among others.
These are primarily obtained from aquatic cultivation materials, such as algae.
These, still in the experimental phase, use genetically modified microorganisms to enhance carbon dioxide capture.
The raw materials used in the production of these biofuels (used cooking oils/UCO, animal fats, palm oil mill effluents/POME, etc.) contain numerous impurities and high levels of metals and phosphorus, which are detrimental to the biofuel production stage.
Therefore, pretreating these raw materials is a critical step to reduce impurity levels such as phosphorus, metals, polyethylene, nitrogen, sulfur, and chlorinated derivatives, thus protecting the catalysts, preventing corrosion of the industrial installation, avoiding operational problems, and extending its lifespan.
The pre-treatment process is quite similar to the process of refining edible oils and greases, but eliminating some of the steps necessary to make an edible product. In the case of biodiesel, the main goal of pretreatment is to reduce both phosphatides and fatty acids present in the raw material.
The Sepigel® range of adsorbents is designed to remove a wide range of impurities and contaminants present in the different raw materials used in the production of biofuels. Our R&D team designs products adapted to the specific needs of each oil or fat and develops new solutions to meet the new challenges posed by the new raw materials used (such as carinata, camelina, jatropha and many others).
The Sepigel® bleaching earths are obtained from a thorough mineral selection. The mineral is further processed in our plants to obtain products with optimum properties to achieve maximum adsorption and efficient filterability, both in terms of filtration speed and lower oil retention in the cake.
An activated bleaching clay that, due to its versatility, is recommended for bleaching any type of animal oil and fat that presents moderate difficulty.
A chemically activated clay, specially designed for the treatment and purification of the various feedstocks used in the production of renewable diesel or SAF, providing a suitable balance between effective removal of impurities and heavy metals and highly efficient filtrability.
Sepigel®, a wide range of products in constant development offering optimal solutions for different markets and applications related to the purification, refining and bleaching of oils and fats.