Biofuel purification using a highly porous polymer filter

Biofuels are a renewable and environmentally friendly resource. Biofuels obtained from vegetable raw materials differ from traditional petroleum fuels in their high viscosity, density, hygroscopicity and chemical activity. The technical condition of the fuel equipment is determined by the level of fuel purity. The authors propose to use polymer materials with a globular structure to purify biofuels from contaminants and emulsion water. In order to study their properties, the authors carried out tests using standard methods and equipment of polymer samples obtained by copolymerization of resorcinol with formaldehyde and styrene with divinyl benzene. Strength and permeability tests were carried out on samples of resorcinol and formaldehyde copolymers with 20, 30 and 40% polymer-forming components, and styrene with divinyl benzene with a monomer content of 25, 40 and 60%. The research determined the strength indicators of polymer materials: specific tensile stress for resorcinol copolymers with formaldehyde was 19 MPa, for compression – 6 MPa; for styrene copolymers with divinyl benzene, respectively, 15.5 and 2.5 MPa. The average pore diameter of the copolymers is 0.1 to 10 microns, a large specific surface area and a narrow range of pore size distribution (+/–10%) makes them good filter baffles for various liquids. During the interaction of samples of the resorcinol-formaldehyde polymer material with biodiesel – methyl ester of rapeseed oil, no changes in the polymer composition were detected for 14 days. Spectroscopic studies have not revealed any changes in the composition of biofuels. The authors have developed a resorcinol-formaldehyde filter element for biofuel purification, which can work effectively for a long time without replacement and maintenance.

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