[HoosierRon]

From Chicken Fat to B100 Diesel Fuel: The Pinnacle Biofuels Plant

It takes six days for a blend of chicken fat and soybean oil to emerge from the reactors as B100 biodiesel, but the process is such at Pinnacle Biofuels in Crossett that the company produces 29,000 gallons of diesel per day, or 20 gallons per minute.

The company began production on May 12 and is now operating at 29,000 gallons per day, a little above the projected full output. The biodiesel produced at the plant in the Crossett Industrial Park is sold in Houston, Texas, but, according to Steve Bolin, the company president, Pinnacle is negotiating with blenders to offer the biodiesel locally in the near future.
...
Bolin said that the company initially projected it would take eight weeks of operation to reach their goal of 28,000 gallons per day. Instead, it only took ten days to reach that level, and as of this past week, the daily production is about 1,000 gallons per day over the initial goal.
...
The Biodiesel Board said that as an example, the process involves the addition of ten pounds of a short chain alcohol such as methanol or ethanol to each 100 pounds of fat or soybean or other oils. A catalyst such as sodium or potassium hydroxide is added, often in the alcohol. The mixture is then heated to about 150 degrees under 20 pounds of pressure in the reaction vessel. The end result is the creation of 100 pounds of biodiesel and about 10 pounds of glycerine and fertilizer for each 110 pounds of raw materials and alcohol added. At the end of the process, the alcohol is recovered and evaporated for reuse.