(46a) Centrifuge or Filter-- Sterol Removal from Biodiesel

Biodiesel produced from soybean and palm olein feedstocks has shown an impurity identified as a Sterol/glycoside which causes plugging of engine filters, especially in colder climates. The paper will discuss the various centrifufge/clarifier and filtration techniques employed in European and North American production facilities to remove the impurity.