biodiesel process analysis for epoca an …...biodiesel, and ending with processes and logistics to...
TRANSCRIPT
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BiodieselProcessAnalysisforEPOCA
AnInteractiveQualifyingProjectReport
SubmittedtotheFaculty
Ofthe
WORCESTERPOLYTECHNICINSTITUTE
Inpartialrequirementsforthe
DegreeofBachelorofScience
By
________________________________________
NikolasAlbergariaDavidAverill
________________________________________
PatrickFraserMichaelSangenario
Submitted:3/5/2009
_________________________________
ProfessorRobertKrueger,MajorAdvisor
_________________________________
ProfessorRichardVaz,Co‐Advisor
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Abstract
Thisreport,commissionedbythenon‐profitcompanyEPOCA,investigatesbiodieselproduction
processesforastart‐upenterprise.Differentprocesseswereanalyzedbasedonoutsideresearch
conducted.TheprocesseswerethenratedusingcriteriagivenbyEPOCA.Basedonthatrating,a
recommendedprocesswasthenselectedforEPOCAtopursueandimplementintheirEmpower
initiativeinordertomeettheirproductionneedsandcreateasuccessfulgreencompany.
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Acknowledgements
WewouldliketothankoursponsorsEPOCAforgivingusetheopportunitytoassistintheir
effortsatbetteringthecityofWorcester.WewouldespeciallyliketothankSarahAssefaandJuanOtero
fortheguidancetheyprovidedusduringthisproject.
WewouldliketothankMr.BruceFieneofWPIforhelpingusgetanunderstandingofthe
collection,transportandfilteringofWVO.WealsowanttothankthemenatSteve’sAutoBodyfor
providinggreatrealworldinformationandexamples,MarkTrianoforgoingaboveandbeyondinthe
helpingofEPOCA,andalltheotherEPOCAmemberswhohavegivenustheirhelp.
WealsowanttoacknowledgetheMarketingteamandtheiradvisorProf.Millerforallthegreat
worktheydidandforhelpingbothusandEPOCA.
Finally,wewanttogivethankstoouradvisorRobKruegerfortheassistance,guidanceand
friendshipthatwereceivedfromhimoverthecourseoftheentireIQPproject.
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TableofContents
Abstract i Acknowledgements iiTableofContents iiiListofFigures ivReferences 34Appendix 37Chapter1:Introduction 1
1.1 ProblemStatement 11.2 GoalsandObjectives 11.3 Summary 2
Chapter2:Background 3 2.1EPOCA 3
2.2EnvironmentalImpacts 3 2.3BiodieselfromWasteVegetableOil:APossiblesolution? 6 2.4Collection 8 2.5Storage 8 2.6Transportation 11 2.7Production 11 2.7.1BatchProcess 11 2.7.2Ultrasonication 15 2.7.3SupercriticalMethanol 17 2.8Safety 17 2.8.1NFPASafetyratingsystem 17 2.8.2RatingoftheChemicalsUsed 19Chapter3:Methodology 21 3.1DeterminingtheImportantCriteria 21 3.2DevelopingtheOptimalProcess 21 3.3PresentingtoEPOCA 22Chapter4:Analysis 23 4.1ExplanationoftheRatingSystem 23 4.2BatchProcess 24 4.2.1Cost 25 4.2.2Upgradability 25 4.2.3Efficiency 25 4.2.4PersonnelRequirements 25 4.3ContinuousBatchProcess 27 4.3.1Cost 27 4.3.2Upgradability 27 4.3.3Efficiency 27 4.3.4PersonnelRequirements 28 4.4Ultrasonication 30 4.4.1Cost 30 4.4.2Upgradability 30
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4.4.3Efficiency 30 4.4.4PersonnelRequirements 31
Chapter5:ConclusionandRecommendations 33
ListofTablesandFiguresFigure1:SmallStoragetanksandpumpstomoveWVO,Hubbardston,MA 10Figure1:BatchProcessComponents,Hubbardston,MASite 12Figure2:Schematicofabatchprocess 13Figure2:Schematicofanultrasonicprocess 16Figure3:ExampleofaNFPAratingsystem 18 Table1:BatchProcessRatingChart 26Table2:ContinuousBatchProcessRatingChart 29Table3:UltrasonicationRatingChart 32
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1.0 Introduction
1.1ProblemStatement
Globalclimatechangehasbecomeamajorprobleminthelast50years.Harmfulchemicalsdamage
theozonelayerandcreateaninsulatinglayerintheatmospherethatcausesariseintemperatureand
moreaggressiveweatherpatterns.Mostoftheseharmfulchemicalsaretheresultofburningfossilfuels.
Therefore,itiscrucialthatwetakeimmediatestepstocontroltheuseoffossilfueluntilabetter,
cleaneralternativeisavailable.
1.2GoalsandObjectives
EPOCAbegantheEMPOWERinitiativetocreatejobsforex‐prisoners,whilehelpingthe
environment.EMPOWERisacooperativebusinessthatwillconvertusedcookingoilintobiodiesel.
EMPOWERwillhelpboththecommunityandtheenvironmentbycreatingmore“greencollar”jobsfor
theWorcestercommunity.Bycreatingnewenvironmentallyfriendlyjobs,EMPOWERcanemploy
regularpeopleandintroducethemtoamorehigh‐techindustry.Greentechnologyisarapidlygrowing
areaandhasmuchpotentialforsteadygrowthinthefuture.Thesejobswillhelpensurethat
Massachusettsremainsanenvironmentallyfriendlytechnologyleaderwhileworkingtocreateacleaner
tomorrowforfuturegenerations.
ThegoalofthisprojectwastodesignandconstructapilotplantforEPOCAcapableofproducing
approximately320gallonsofbiodieselperdayandbeabletosupport2full‐timeemployees.Our
researchshowsthatEPOCAcanmeetthesegoalsandmore.WhileEPOCAhadsomeunderstandingof
thebiodieselconversionprocess,weprovidedthemagreaterknowledgeofthesystemdynamicsthan
theycouldhaveattainedontheirown.AfterourresearchwascompleteditwasuptoEPOCAtodecide
whatsuitedthembest.Though,withlittlealterations,EPOCA’sfinalsystemdesignwillbesimilartothat
whichweanalyzedandsuggested.Intheend,ourprojecthasaccomplishedwhatitwassetouttodo.
Thefinalsystemwillbeabletoproduceinexcessof320gallonsperdayandsustain2full‐time
employees.
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1.3Summary
Thefollowingchaptersincludeadetaileddescriptionoftheproject.Thesechaptersincludethe
background,methodology,analysisandconclusion.Firstthebackgroundwilldescribethecompany
EPOCAandresearchdonetowardstheproject,startingwithenvironmentalimpacts,historyon
biodiesel,andendingwithprocessesandlogisticstoproducebiodiesel.Followingthebackgroundisthe
methodologychapter.Inthischapterthestepsforaccomplishingthegoalsofthisprojectareoutlined,
fromdeterminingthecriteriafortheprojecttohowtoselectanoptimalsystemforEPOCA.Thenext
chapteristheanalysisincludestheresultsoftheproject.Intheanalysis,eachprocessforproducing
biodieselisevaluatedaswellastheevaluationmatrix.Thelastchapter,theconclusion,willgiveashort
summaryoftheresultsgatheredandthesuggestionsmadetoEPOCA.
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2.0Background
Inthischapterwewilldiscusshowrecentchangesinourenvironmenthavesparkeda
worldwidesearchforalternativeenergysources.First,wewillintroduceEPOCAandhowtheir
cooperativebiodieselinitiative,Empower,willhelpthemachievetheirlong‐termobjectives.Next,we
willdiscusstheenvironmentalimpactsassociatedwiththeuseoffossilfuelsandhowbiofuelscanhelp
minimizethoseeffects.Finally,wewillexplorethealternativeofbiodiesel;fromthecollectionofWVO,
tothestorageofmaterials,andthentothesafeproductionprocesses.
2.1E.P.O.C.A
EPOCAstandsforEx‐prisonersandPrisonersOrganizingforCommunityAdvancement.Thisisa
groupthatbelievestheycannotwaitaroundfortheworldtochange,sotheyaremobilizingtochangeit
themselves.Theirmissionstatementis:“Workingtogethertocreateresourcesandopportunitiesfor
thosewhohavepaidtheirdebttosociety.”EPOCAisinvolvedinmanythings.Oneoftheirmainprojects
isCORI(CriminalOffenderRecordInformation)reform,tryingtochangestatelawsothataCORIisnot
toorestrictivewhengettingajob.Anotherprogramisthenewleafprogram;theyworkwithjob
councilorsandemployerstohelpex‐prisonersfindemployment.
Empower,EPOCA’snewinitiative,isacooperativebusiness.Inacooperativebusinesseach
employeeholdsashareofthebusinessandhasasayinthedecision‐making.ThegoaloftheEmpower
projectistomakeafullyoperationalbiodieselmanufacturingpilotplantthatisabletoproduce
approximately320gallonsper8‐hourshift.Hopefullytheplantwillbeabletoemployseveralfulltime
employees.Empowerwillbeapilotproject,itwillbeanexperiment.Ifitbecomessuccessful,itwill
standasamoldformorebiodieselplantswithlargeroutputstobebuiltinthefuture.Thelong‐term
goalsofEmpoweraretoincreaseproductiontoacommerciallevelwhileenhancingproductqualityand
tocreateanewmarketofgreenjobs.
2.2EnvironmentalImpacts
Theearthhasgonethroughmanyclimatechangesthroughoutitshistory.Climatechangeis
definedbytheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyas,“significantchangesinmeasuresofclimate
(suchastemperature,precipitation,orwindlastingforanextendedperiod(decadesorlonger)).”
(http://www.epa.gov)Therecentriseintemperatureandmoreaggressiveweatherpatternshavebeen
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attributedtotheincreasinguseoffossilfuels.In1880,theaveragetemperatureoftheearthwas56.676
°Fwhilein2005thistemperatureincreasedto58.062o.(http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/temperature)
Greenhousegases,gaseousconstituentsoftheatmospherethatabsorbandemitradiationthatare
producedasaresultoftheburningoffossilfuelshavecloggedtheearth’satmosphere,preventingheat
fromescaping.Therehasbeenawidespreadcallforanincreasedawarenessofthisproblem,withthe
hopethatmorepeoplewillconsideralternative,moreenvironmentallyfriendlyfuels.
Therearevaryingargumentsforthecauseofglobalclimatechange.Somebelievethatthe
recentchangesaresolelyattributedtotheearth’snaturalcycles,whileothersbelievethehuman
interferenceistoblame.Itislikelythatthesourceoftheproblemisacombinationofthetwo.The
earth’snaturalclimatechangeiscausedbymanyfactorsincludingsolaractivity,volcanicactivityand
Milankovitchcycles(http://www.skepticalscience.com).Adirectcorrelationbetweensolaractivityand
averageglobaltemperaturehasbeendiscovered.Ironically,thiscorrelationseemstohaveended
around1970,whichsomebelieveisastrongargumentthatshowstheimpactofCO2emissionshadon
ourrecentclimatechanges.Volcaniceruptions,orlackthereof,arealsobelievedtobeamajor
contributortotherecentvariationofclimate.VolcanoesemitCO2,whichleadstowarming,butthey
alsoemitsulfateaerosols,whichcoolstheearth.Becausevolcanoesonlyaccountforlessthan1%ofthe
earth’scarbondioxide,itisoftenconsiderednegligiblewhencomparedtoothersources.Thesulfate
aerosolshaveamoreprofoundinfluenceontheatmospherebecauseithasalongerlastingeffect.
Periodsofhighvolcanicactivitycancauseuptoa1oFdecreaseintemperature.Whentheseeffects
wearoffandtheearthbeginstowarmagain,itcanbemisconstruedaswarmingfromotherfactors.
Lastly,theearthundergoescyclicalperiodsofwarmingandcoolingknownasMilankovitchcycles.These
cyclesconsistofabout120,000yearsoficeages,separatedbyshortcyclesofwarmthknownas
interglacialperiods.Wearecurrentlyinaninterglacialperiod,whichaccountsforthewarmingthatwe
havebeenexperiencing(http://www.koshlandscience.org).
Despitealloftheargumentsfornaturalchanges,thereisoverwhelmingevidencethathuman
activityhasagreataffectontheatmosphere.Eventhoughwearepresentlyinaninterglacialperiod,
andwarmingshouldbeexpected,thepast100yearshaveshownadramaticincreaseintherateof
warming.ThisdramaticincreaseisattributedtoanincreaseofCO2productionfromtheburningoffossil
fuels.“Beginningwiththeindustrialrevolutioninthe1880’s,thehumanconsumptionoffossilfuelshas
elevatedCO2levelsfromaconcentrationofabout280ppmtoabout387ppm”(Adam,2008).Thishas
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causedatemperatureelevationofabout1.3oF,withanexpectedincreaseofanother2‐10oFbytheend
ofthiscentury.
Themaincontributorofgreenhousegasesiscarbondioxide.WhenCO2becomestrappedinthe
atmosphereiscreatessomethingknownasthegreenhouseeffect,theformationofalayerinthe
atmospherepreventingheatfromescaping.Thiscausesasubstantialincreaseinaverageglobal
temperature.Also,theincreaseinaveragetemperaturehasamajoreffectontheearth’sweather
patterns.Thefrequencyandseverityofnaturalweatherdisasters,suchashurricanesandtornadoes,
hasgoneupgreatlybecauseoftheCO2intheatmosphere.
Carbondioxideisproducedfromavarietyofsources.CO2isabyproductthatcomesfromthe
productionofmetals,suchastitaniumandaluminum.Deforestationisalsoahugeconcerniscertain
partsoftheworld.Itisoftenoverlookedasacontributortoglobalwarming,becauseplantsandtrees
absorbCO2,cuttingthemdowngreatlyreducesthecapabilitytoremoveCO2fromtheatmosphere.
Finally,themostrelevantfactoristheCO2thatisproducedwhenfossilfuelsareburned.Fossilfuelsare
verywidelyusedinmodernsociety,frommanufacturingplantstogasolineinourcars.Theburningof
fossilfuelshascontributedthemostofthehumandamagetotheearthwithdeforestationand
urbanizationalsodealingsignificantdamage(http://www.epa.gov).Themostcommonwaythatmost
peopleburnfossilfuelsisthroughdrivingtheircars,whichaccountsforabout20%ofglobalcarbon
dioxideemissions.Thosewholiveinaharshwinterenvironment,likeWorcester,alsousesignificant
amountsofoiltoheattheirhomeinthewinter.
Carbondioxideisthehighestcontributorofgreenhousegases,butothergasessuchaswater
vapor,methaneandnitrousoxidealsocontributeharmtotheatmosphere.Methaneabsorbs25times
moreheatthanCO2,butitispresentinmuchsmalleramounts.Itisproducedfromwetlands,energy
productionandlivestock,whichaccountsformorethan50%oftotalmethaneproduction.Watervapor
accountsfornearly36%‐66%oftotalharmfulproductsinouratmosphere,buthumanactivitydoesnot
contributetotheproductionofwatervapor,soitisusuallyignoredwhenitcomestoprevention.
TheUnitedStates,asawhole,isdependentupontheautomobilemorethananyothercountry.
About48%ofglobalgreenhousegasemissionsfromautomobilescomefromtheUnitedStatesdespite
theUSmakinguponly5%oftheworld’spopulationandonly30%oftheentirevehiclepopulation
(http://www.edf.org).TheUSgovernmenthassetupapolicytotryandslowtheever‐increasingrateof
carbondioxideemissionsby“strengtheningscience,technologyandinstitutionsandenhancing
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internationalcooperation”(http://www.epa.gov).Risinggaspricesarealsoamajorconcernwiththe
currentstateoftheeconomy,andthisismagnifiedbecauseoftherelianceontheautomobile.This
leadstobothfinancialandenvironmentalincentivestodevelopacleanerandeconomicalalternativeto
thefossilfuels.
Whileextensiveresearchiscurrentlybeingconductedtodevelopanalternativetofossilfuels,
thereisstillmuchtimebeforetheyareefficientenoughtobecomeacapablesolutiontoour
environmentalproblem,particularlyinthecaseofautomobiles.TheAmericanSolarEnergySociety
recentlyputtogetherareportthatcovers,“energyefficiencyinbuildings,transportation,andindustry,
aswellassixrenewableenergytechnologies:concentratingsolarpower,photovoltaics,windpower,
biomass,biofuels,andgeothermalpower.Theresultsindicatethatthesetechnologiescandisplace
approximately1.2billiontonsofcarbonemissionsannuallybytheyear2030.”(http://www.ases.org).
Untilthesetechnologiescanbeimplementedefficientlywemustlookforothersourcesofenergythat
havethepotentialtomakeadifferenceimmediately.
2.3BiodieselfromWasteVegetableOil:Apossiblesolution?
Biodieselisaverygoodcompromiseuntilnewtechnologiescanbeimplementedbecauseitcan
beconvertedrelativelyeasilyfromwastevegetableoil.Theresultingfuelcanbeusedinanunmodified
dieselengineinapureform,althoughitisnormallymixedwithpetroleumdiesel.Biodieselcanalsobe
usedinboilerstoheatyourhomeorbusinesswithlittleornomodification.
Becausewastevegetableoilisreadilyavailableitisapossibleverycostfriendlysolution,and
thefactthatitismadefromrenewableresourceslowersourdependenceonforeignoilandhelpsour
owneconomy.Biodieselhasalsobeenshowntohelpreducecarbondioxideemissions,whichcanhelp
theglobalwarmingcrisis.“BiodieselreducesnetCO2emissionsby78percentcomparedtopetroleum
diesel.Thisisduetobiodiesel’sclosedcarboncycle.TheCO2releasedintotheatmospherewhen
biodieselisburnedisrecycledbygrowingplants,whicharelaterprocessedintofuel”
(http://www.biodisel.org).Theeffectsofreplacingpetroleumdieselwithbiodieselcouldhaveadrastic
changeontheenvironmentandisasteptowardsourgoalofreducingglobalwarming.
Therearetwodifferenttypesofwastevegetableoil.Thefirsttypeofwastevegetableoilis
browngrease.Browngreaseisthegreasetrapgreasefromstovetopsanddeepfryers.Itisverythick,
dark,andfilledwithimpurities.Thereareabout4to48lbs/personand3,000to24,000lbs/restaurantof
browngreaseproducedinoneyear.Intermsofthebiodieselmarketandproduction,browngreasehas
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littletonovalue.ThesecondtypeofwastevegetableoilisYellowgrease.Yellowgreaseismadeupof
theoilsandanimalfatsthatareusedandproducedduringcookinganddeep‐frying.(Morea,Sept‐12)Its
productionrangeis3to21lbs/personand2,000to13,000lbs/restaurantinagivenyear.Thisvegetable
oilwastecanbeusedforrenderingandhasbeenestablishedasavaluablecommodityinthebiodiesel
market.(http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels)
Biodieselhasmanyvarioussources.Itcanbemadefromvirginoil,producedmainlyfrom
soybeansandrapeseed,wastevegetableoil,usedinthecookingprocess,animalfats,likelardand
tallow,biodieselcanevenbemadefromalgaegrowntoproducevegetableoils.Wastevegetableoil
(WVO)isagoodsourceasitisreadilyavailableatlowcost(Biodiesel,2008).
ThefirstinternalcombustionenginetorunonvegetableoilwasdesignedbyRudolfDieselin
1900.Dieselbelievedthatenginesthatrunonabiomassproductwerethefutureofhisinvention,in
1911;hesaid"Thedieselenginecanbefedwithvegetableoilsandwouldhelpconsiderablyinthe
developmentofagricultureofthecountrieswhichuseit".Theactualpatenttotheprocessinwhich
biodieselismadetoday,calledtransesterification,wasgiventoG.Chavannein1937forhisdesignofthe
transesterificationprocess(Biodiesel,2008).
Asafuelbiodieselisveryversatile,itcanbeappliedtoseveraldifferentareas.Anenginethatis
designedtoburndieselfuelcanbemodifiedtoburnpurebiodiesel,knownasB100.Orthatsamediesel
enginecanburnan80%diesel20%biodieselmixturewithnomodificationatall,knownasB20.Thisis
advantageousasitwillhelptokeepemissionsdownandslightlyincreasemileage.PureBiodiesel,B100,
canalsobeusedasareplacementforhomeheatingoil(Biodiesel,2008).
Biodieselhaspropertiesthatareverydifferentthanotherfuelsonthemarkettoday.Oneofthe
majordifferencesbetweenbiodieselanddieselisthatbiodieselcontainslessenergypergallon,butit
burnsmorecompletely,makingupforsomeofthelossduetosmallerenergydensity.Another
advantagetobiodieselisithasamuchgreaterlubricatingpropertythanotherfuels.Thiscanreduce
wearandprolongthelifeforenginepartsthatrequirethefuelasalubricant,suchasfuelinjectors.
Biodieselalsoburnscleaner;testshaveshownareductioninunburnedhydrocarbons,carbonmonoxide
andsulfuremissions,butaveryslightincreaseinnitrogenoxides.Theflashpointofbiodiesel,the
temperatureatwhichthevaporsabovethefuelbecomeflammable,isabout100oChigherthanthatof
dieselfuel.Thehigherflashpointmakesbiodieselsafertohandleandtransport.Anegativeattributeof
biodieselisitshighcloudpoint.Thecloudpointisthetemperaturewhenaliquidstartstothickenand
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gel,thismakesitdifficulttouseinaregularinternalcombustionengine(AdvantagesofusingBiodiesel,
2008).Inaddition,biodieselisalsoaneffectivesolvent(StoringBiodieselFuels,2007).
2.4Collection
IntheUnitedStatesthereisapproximately2.9billiongallonsofwastevegetableoilproducedin
oneyear(epa.gov).Mostofthisoilisproducedbyindustrialdeepfryersownedbypotatochipand
snackfoodcompanies.ThiswasteoilisclassifiedasahazardousmaterialbytheDEPandtherefore
forcesbusinessownerstodealwithnotonlythestorage,butthedisposalofthiswaste.Theaverage
costfordisposalofthiswasteisabout150dollars/tonnewhich,whenfactoredintothegenerationof
wasteperyear,equals16billiondollarsforwastedisposal(http://www.mass.dep.gov/).
2.5Storage
Containersarethemostfundamentalmeansofstoringandtransportingmaterials.Containers
comeinvariousshapesandsizesandcanbemanufacturedoutofavarietyofdifferentmaterials.These
containershaveawiderangeofapplicationsincludingthestorageofmaterialsbothaboveandbelow
ground.Duetothelimitedbudget,itwouldbemorecosteffectivetoconsiderabovegroundstorage,
andtoavoidtheaddedcostsofzoningandexcavationforlargeundergroundtanks.Notonlyare
smallertankscheaper,buttheyarealsoreadilytransportableandeasilycleaned.
BiodieselisregisteredwiththeEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyandisclassifiedasan
alternativefuelorfueladditive(Engleman,2002).Biodieselisnotconsideredahazardousmaterialby
theDepartmentofTransportation,anddoesnotrequirespecialpermitstotransport(Engleman,2002).
BiodieselandDieselitselfpossesssimilarproperties,whichmeaneachmustbestoredinsimilar
conditions.Theymustbestoredawayfromsunlight,moisture,oxygen,aswellasanyextremesin
temperature.Subjectiontoanyoftheabovewillleadtodegradationinthefuelpropertiesandcould
renderthemuseless.Onemightthinkthatinordertostorebiodiesel,specialpermitsmustbeacquired.
Infact,themajorityoftheregulationsforstorageofordinarypetroleumdieselfuelpertaintothoseof
biodieselaswell.Recommendedmaterialsforstorageincludesteel,fluorinatedplastics,andhigh
densitypolyethylene.
Methanol,ontheotherhand,isaClass3FlammableMaterial,andconsideredahazardous
materialbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyandOSHA.Methanolisvolatileandwillreadilyreact,
thusitsClass3rating,andcanonlybetransportedinloadssmallerthan755gallonsatatime.When
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beingstored,thesitemustbeinspectedtoensureprecautionaryfireprotectionandventilationsystems
areinplacetomeetsafetycodes.Theinspectorwillalsosetacapacityastohowmuchmethanolcan
bekeptonsite.Methanolmustbestoredincompletelyenclosedcontainers.Itcannotbeallowedto
oxidizewiththeairorcomeintocontactwithanignitionsource.Stainlesssteel,HighDensity
Polyethylene,andvulcanizednaturalrubberaretherecommendedmaterialsforstorageofmethanolas
theyshowthegreatestresistancetomethanol’scorrosiveproperties.
Metalisanidealmeansofstorageduetoitsabilitytocanceloutsunlight.Metalisalso
non‐permeablesotherewillbenoexchangeofmoistureorairwhenbeingstoredforextendedperiods
oftime.Ifusinganewdrum,adrumwithinteriorliningsmustberesistanttobiodiesel’sandmethanols
solventproperties.Whenusingauseddrum,knowledgeofitspreviousapplicationandcontentsis
importantaswell,asbiodieselmayreactwithanyremnants.Anysubsequentreactionswithinterior
liningsorremnantsfromprevioususagesleadstofueldegradationandmaynegativelyaffectwhichever
systemthefuelisaddedto(Engleman,2008).Metalcontainersarecosteffective,they’recheapto
manufactureandcanbecreatedinlargequantities.Theonlydrawbacktometalcontainersisthatthey
areconsiderablyheavierthanotherstoragedevices.
Fluorinatedandotherhighdensityplasticsarealsoeffectivemeansofstoringbiodiesel.Plastics
thathavebeenfluorinatedreducethepermeabilityofthecontainerandalsoserveasabarrieragainst
biodiesel’ssolventnature.Whenitcomestohighdensityplastics,theyactverymuchlikethe
fluorinatedplasticsinthattheyofferincreasedresistancetoanyreactivitywithbiodiesel.Plasticsare
muchlighterthantheirmetalcounterparts,buthaveanincreasedmanufacturingcost.Thehigherprice
ofthesecontainersisattributedtotheirslowproductionrateandrequiredtooling.Despitethe
drawbackoftheirhigherprice,plasticsarerecommendedovermetalcontainersduetotheirresistance
toreactionwiththenumerousformsofBiofuels(StoringBiodieselFuels,2007).
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Figure1:SmallStoragetanksandpumpstomoveWVO,Hubbardston,MA
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2.6Transportation
Transportationisthemeansbywhichyoudeliveryourmaterialstotherequireddestination.
Whenchoosingameansoftransportationwithanintegratedstoragetank,alltheabovementioned
mustbetakenintoconsideration.Materialsaretransportedeverydaybyrail,air,andground.Theonly
meansoftransportationthatthisoperationwillrelyonisthatoftransportationbymeansofground.
Whiletherearefewregulationsonthetransportationofwastevegetableoilandbiodieselthatisnot
thecasewithmethanol.Only755gallonsofmethanolcanbetransportedatatime.Thevehicle
containingmethanolmustdisplayproperflammabletagsandidentificationinaccordancewiththe
DepartmentofTransportation.
Smallpickuptrucksaremoremobileandmorefuelefficient,butdonotoffertheloadcapacity
thatalargeroiltruckcouldoffer.Thus,multipletripswouldhavetobetakentocollectallofyourraw
materialsordisposeofyourwastes.Ontheotherhandlargeoiltankershaveanincreasedpayload
capacity,whichmeansideallyallofyourwastevegetableoilcanbecollectedinonesingletrip.Repairs
forlightdutypickuptrucksarecheaperthanthatforlargertrucks,butunderconstantload,onecan
expectmorefrequentvisitstothelocalmechanic.Largertrucksarebuilttotakepunishmentandwhile
anyrepairwouldcostmorethanusual,onewouldn’texpecttofrequentthemechanictoooften.Each
optionhasitsownadvantagesanddisadvantages.Thebestchoiceforavehiclewouldbeaseptictruck.
Septictrucksdonotsacrificemobilityforcapacity.Theyremainefficientandatthesametimecanhaul
anywherefrom1,000–4,000gallonsofmaterial.Alsothetruckwouldbedieselsoitcanusethe
producedbiodiesel.
2.7ProductionofBiodiesel
2.7.1BatchProcess
ThereareseveralwaystoproducebiodieselfromWVO.Themostwidelyusedwayisthebatch
process.Theincomingoilmustbefilteredtoremoveanysolidswhilethelevelsoffreefattyacidsand
waterarebeingmonitored,toomuchofeithercancauseproblemslaterintheproductionprocess.The
catalyst,lye(NaOH),ismixedwiththealcohol,methanol,thenthealcohol/catalystmixischargedintoa
closedreactionvessel.Thentheoilisadded.Thesystemfromhereonistotallyclosedtothe
atmospheretopreventthelossofalcoholthroughevaporation.Thevesselisthenheatedtobetween
55o–70oCinordertospeedthereactionup.After1‐8hoursofmixing/reactingthereactedliquidis
separated,theheavierglycerinbyproductswillsink,eitherbygravityorbycentrifuge.Afterseparation,
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theexcessalcoholisdistilledawayorflashevaporatedandrecycled.Theunusedcatalystisrecovered
fromtheglycerinbyproductandisrecycled(Blair,2005).Theglycerinisstoredasitisavaluable
commodity.Thenthebiodieseliswashedwithwarmwatertoremoveanyresidualimpurities.(See
figure1.)
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Figure2:BatchProcessComponents,Hubbardston,MASite
Clockwisefromtopright:MethanolRecovoryTank,FilterforWVO,HeatSourceforProcess,MixingandSettlingTanks.
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Figure3:Schematicofabatchprocess.Courtesyofbiofuelsservices.com
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2.7.2Ultrasonication
Ultrasonicationisanewerwaytoproducebiodiesel.Themethanolandcatalystarepre‐mixed
likeinthebatchprocess;thismixtureiscombinedwiththeoil.Themixtureisusuallyheatedto50o–
60oC,whilebeinghitwithultrasonicsoundwaves.Thesoundwavescauseaphenomenoncalled
cavitation,wherebubblesarerandomlycreatedandimplodedwithincrediblefrequency.These
cavitationsprovidebothenoughmixingandtheneededactivationenergyforthetransesterificationto
takeplaceinamuchshortertimethanthebatchprocess.Thenthereactedmixtureisphaseseparated,
washedandstoredasbefore(Hielscher,).Thisprocesshasseveraladvantages:itismuchmoreenergy
efficientthanthebatchprocess,ittakesmuchlesstimetocreateanequivalentamountofbiodiesel,
anditisrunasacontinuousprocess(Gogate,Kelkar,Pandit,2005).(Seefigure2.)
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Figure2:Schematicofanultrasonicprocess.HeilscherTechnologies.
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2.7.3SupercriticalMeOH
Oneofthenewestwaystoproducebiodieselusesmethanolinasupercriticalstate.Asubstance
inasupercriticalstateisneitheraliquidnoragas,butstillretainspropertiesofboth.Inordertoreacha
supercriticalstate,thesubstancemustbeatasuperhightemperatureandpressure.Formethanol,it
mustbeover650oFand5000psi.Oneofthemainadvantagesisthatthisprocessisincrediblyfast.Itis
abletoreactsimilaramountsofoilasthebatchprocessinaslittleas6minutes.Anotheradvantageto
usingsupercriticalmethanolisthatthereactioniscompletelyspontaneous,meaningnocatalystis
needed.Thethirdadvantagemaybethegreatest;thisprocessismuchmoretolerableofexcesswater
andfreefattyacidsinthefeedstock.Thatmeansthatitcanacceptandsuccessfullyreactamuchwider
rangeoffeedstocksasthequalitydoesn’tneedtobeashigh(Hegel,Mabe,Pereda,Brignole,2007).
Therearenegativeattributestothisprocess.Startupcostswouldbehugeastheequipmentneedsto
beabletohandlehugetemperaturesandpressures.
2.8Safety
2.8.1NFPASafetyratingsystem
Safetyisalargeconcernwhendealingwithanytypeofprocess,especiallychemical.The
NationalFirePreventionAssociation(NFPA)hasafourcolorcategoryratingsystemforallmaterialsto
beusedintheproductionprocess.(Seefigure3.)Thefourcategoriesarehealth,fire,reactivityand
specifichazards.Eachcategoryhasitsownnumberratingfrom0to4with4beingthegreatestrisk.
Health(blue)definestheriskifexposedtothesubstanceforanyperiodoftime.Flammability(red)deals
withtheflashpointofamaterialorunderwhatcircumstancesthematerialwillignite.Reactivity
(yellow)isthelikelihoodandconditionsthatamaterialwilldetonateorexplode.Finally,theSpecial
Hazard(white)categoryindicatesspecialcharacteristicsthatamaterialmayhave,e.g.oxidizer,acid,
biologicalhazard,etc.
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Figure3:ExampleofaNFPAratingsystem
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2.8.2RatingoftheChemicalsUsed
Theproductionprocessesbywhichbiodieselisproducedrequirescertainchemicalsand
compoundsthatmustbeidentifiedandacknowledged.Thesechemicalsincludemethanol,waste
vegetableoil,lye,phenolphthalein,isopropanol,glycerol,andthefinalproductofbiodiesel.Each
substancehasitsownNFPAratinganditsownhandlingrequirements.
Methanolisahighlyflammablesubstancenecessaryforthetransesterificationprocess.
AccordingtotheNFPA“firediamond”,methanoliscategorizedasHealth:2,Flammability:3and
Reactivity:0.Itistoxicifinhaled,digestedorabsorbedthroughtheskin,aswellasbeinghighly
flammable.Methanolshouldbestoredinacooldryplaceawayfromheatandsparksintightlyclosed
containersnotmadefromaluminumorlead.Whenhandlingmethanolanoperatorshouldwear
chemicalprotectiveclothing(glovesandgoggles)andifinpoorlyventilatedarea,aself‐contained
breathingapparatus(SCBA).
Lye(NaOH)isacorrosivewhitesolidthatisthecatalystinthereaction.ItsNFPAratingisHealth:
3,Flammability:0,andReactivity:1.Lyecancausesevereburnstotheeyes,skin,andrespiratorytract
aswellasbeingharmfulorfatalifinhaledorswallowed.Lyeisnotflammablebutreactswithmost
metalsandwater.Lyeistobestoredinacool,wellventilatedareaintightlyclosednon‐metal
containers.Protectiveclothing,gloves,andgogglesarerequiredwhenhandlinglye.
Therawwastevegetableoilisaclearlightyellowoilyliquidwithafattyodor.IthasaHealth0,
Flammability:1,andReactivity:0ontheNFPAratingscale.Wastevegetableoilisnon‐toxicandhasa
verylowflammability.Itshouldbestoredinacool,dry,wellventilatedplace.Onlyglovesandgoggles
aresuggestedwhenhandlingthismaterial.
Phenolphthaleinisaclear,colorlessliquidusedasanacid/baseindicator.IthasaNFPAratingof
Health:2,Flammability:1,andReactivity:0.Phenolphthaleinmaycausecancerduetooverexposure
andshouldbekeptawayfromheat,sparks,flame,halogensandstrongoxidizers.Itshouldbestoredin
adequatelyventilatedareasandhandledwhilewearingsafetygogglesandgloves.
Isoproanolisacolorlessliquidwithanalcoholodorandisusedasanorganicsolventinthe
titrationprocess.IsopropanolhasaNFPAratingofHealth:2,Flammability:3,andReactivity:0.Itisa
highlyflammableliquidandisasevereeyeirritant.Glovesandgogglesshouldbewornwhenhandling
isopropanol.
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Glycerol,theby‐productofthebiodieselprocess,isaclearandodorlessoilyliquid.Thesafety
ratingofglycerolisHealth:2,Flammability:1,andReactivity:0.Glycerolhasalowflammabilityand
toxicity,itisamildirritanttotheskinandeyes,andifingestedcancausedamagetothekidneys.It
shouldbestoredinacool,wellventilatedplaceandprotectedagainstphysicaldamage.Glovesand
gogglesshouldbewornwhenhandlingGlycerol.
Thefinalproduct,Biodiesel,isalightgreenoryellowliquidwithamildfuelodor.Biodieselisa
flammablematerialthatshouldbekeptawayfromheat,flames,staticelectricity,andstrongoxidizers.
Goggles,glovesand/orfaceshieldshouldbewornwhenhandlingbiodiesel.
Understandingwhatisnecessaryforhandlingthesematerialsisimportantwhensettingupa
successfulprocess.Whenhandlingthesematerialseveryworkerneedstohaveaccesstoprotective
gogglesandgloves.Theareaswherethechemicalsarestoredandtheareainwhichtheprocessoccurs
needtobeproperlyventilatedtopreventfireandrespiratoryhazards.Eyewashstations,emergency
showers,andfireextinguishersneedtobeaccessibletoemployeesatalltimes.
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3.0Methodology
ThegoalofthisprojectwastodesignandbuildafunctioningbiodieselplantforEPOCA.Inorderto
attainthisgoal,weneededtofirstresearchavailabletechnologiesfortransformingwastevegetableoil
intobeneficialbiodiesel.Giventhisknowledge,wethenhadtodetermineavitalsetofcriteriathat
mustbekeptinmindduringtheproject.Giventhesecriteriaandtheavailabletechnologies,wethen
hadtodeterminewhichmethodofbiodieselproductionwouldbenefitEPOCAthebest.Ournexttask
wouldbetocompileallresearchandinformationandpresentthemtoEPOCAsoastomakeour
proposal.Thefollowingpresentsourmethodologyforaccomplishingtheseobjectives.
3.1DetermineCriteria
Todeterminehowtoapproachtheproblemofsettingupamanufacturingprocessforbiodiesel,
weeklymeetingswereheldwithEPOCA.RepresentativesfromEPOCA,specificallythoseinvolvedwith
theprojectgroupEmpower,metonceaweekwithboththemarketingandproductionteamsfromWPI.
TheEmpowergroupconsistedofJuanOtero(Manufacturinghead),SarahAssefa(Treasurer),aswellas
otherassistantsandvolunteers,mostnotablyLonnie.Meetingsraninasemi‐formalfashion,EPOCA
wouldgivestatusreportsonwhattheyhavebeenworkingonthepastweek,budget,andgoalstheyhad
forthefuture;thenthemarketingandproductionteamsgavetheirreports.Afterreports,bothWPI
teamswouldaskEPOCApre‐preparedquestionsthatcameupduringtheirweek’swork,focusingon
criteria,andwhattheywantedeachteamtoaccomplishforthenextmeeting.
3.2DetermineanOptimalSystem
Inordertodeterminejusthowthebatchprocessworks,thesystemdynamics,vital
components,aswellaslearningmoreaboutbiodiesel,weneededtocontactvariouspeopleand
organizations.Byviewingotherpeople’ssystemsfirsthand,wecanusethemasatemplateandaddor
subtractwhereverweseefit.OneofthefirstpeoplewewereputincontactwithwasSteve,ofSteve’s
AutobodylocatedonChandlerStreetinWorcester.Therewelearnedthecostofconvertingdiesel
vehiclestorunonbiodiesel.StevethenshowedushisFordtruckwhichheconverted,starteditup,and
wasrunningitonfilteredwastevegetableoil.AnotherbeneficialcontactwasBruceFiene.Heshowed
ushowtorefineWVO.HetoldusthatfilteredWVOcanbeblendedwithregulargasolineandberunin
adieselengine.Herunsa95‐5percentmixtureofWVOtogasinthesummerandan85‐15percent
mixtureinthewintertopreventtheoilfromthickening.Unfortunatelywewereunabletomakecontact
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withwhatwouldhaveprovedtobetwoveryimportantsources:“Ready,Willing,andAble,”and
“WachusettBiomass.”Ready,Willing,andAbleisanorganizationverymuchlikeEPOCA.Theyemploy
ex‐prisonersandthehomelesstoruntheirownbiodieselproductionprocess.Theirexperiencewould
haveprovedbeneficialandwouldhavehelpedEPOCAwithanyquestionsorsolvecommonproblems.
WachusettBiomassisalocalcompanythatcollectsoilandproducesbiodiesel.Itwouldhavebeen
helpfultohavebeenabletoseeafullyfunctioningbiodieselplantanddocumenttheirsystemasa
template.AbigbreakcamewhenEPOCAlearnedofabuildingcomplexinHubbardston,Massachusetts
thathadabiodieselsystemonsite.Wemadearrangementsandoneafternoon,membersofourgroup
andEPOCAdroveouttoHubbardstonandviewedthesystem.Wetookpicturesandnotedthesetup
andusedthisasthebasisforthesystemwhichwebuiltforEPOCA.
EPOCA’smainconcerniswhatsystemthey’llbeabletoaffordwiththeirallottedbudget.An
outlineofthevariousbiodieselproductionsystemsavailablewascreated.Theoutlinecategorizedeach
individualprocessinto3differentpriceranges.Thepricerangesweredeterminedbyusingtheaverage
costofthesystemandsustainability,assuppliedbyInternetbiodieselproductionsystem
manufacturers.Internetresearchwasdonetoreverseengineereachprocessinordertomakeadetailed
partslistofeachsystem.Individualpricesofthemaincomponentsofeachsystemwerefoundthrough
InternetbiodieselproductionsystemmanufacturerstopresenttoEPOCAthecostbenefitsofpurchasing
eachcomponentseparatelyandbuildingacustom‐madebiodieselsystem.
3.3MakePresentationtoEPOCA
Afterthecostandbenefitdatawascollected,itwasorganizedandpresentedtoEPOCA.The
datawaspresentedtoEPOCAatoneoftheweeklymeetingswithSarah,JuanandothersfromEPOCAas
wellastheproductionandmarketingteams.Aspreadsheetoutliningtheinformationtoassesand
analyzeourdatawaspresentedtotheEPOCAteam.
Eachofthedifferentprocesseswasdescribedindetail,fromtheactualsciencebehindittowhat
eachpartintheprocessdid.Theprosandconsofthedifferentmethodswereweighedcarefullyagainst
eachother;criterialikeenergyefficiency,personnelneedsandtraining,productquality,finalyield,etc.
Muchtimewasspentonthisdiscussionasitwouldbeamajorfactorwhenselectingthefinalmethodof
production.
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4.0Analysis
4.1Explanationofratingsystemused
Thenexttask,aswellasthemostimportant,wastodeterminetheoptimalsystemforEPOCA.
First,allpossiblecriteriahadtobeconsidered.Thesecriteriaareasfollows:efficiency,upgradability,
personnelrequirements,safety,andcosteffectiveness.Inordertoanalyzethese,a“qualitycube”was
createdtogiveavaluetoeachcriterion,foreachofthethreemethodsofbiodieselproduction.Each
valuewasgiveneitheranumericalvalueonascalefrom1to5.
OneofEPOCA’smainconcernsforitspilotprojectisefficiency.EPOCAneedsasystemthatis
timeefficientandwillproducebiodieselatmaximumcapacity.Tomaximizeproductivity,EPOCAwould
needasystemtominimizethetimeittakestoreact,settle,andwashtheirbiodiesel.Firstletus
considerproductioncapacity.Capacitywasdeterminedbythetotaltimeittakestoproduceasingle
batchofbiodiesel.Avalueof1meansthatittakesgreaterthan8hourstoyieldaproduct,andavalue
of5meansthatittakeslessthanorequalto1hourforayield.AlsocontainedunderefficiencyisYield.
Yieldisthepercentageofmaterialthatcanberecoveredfromtheprocess.Morespecifically,howmuch
productiscreatedandhowmuchoftherawmaterials,suchasmethanol,canberecycled.Yieldwas
rankedfrom80%efficiencyto100%efficiencywithincrementsof5%.Todetermineafinalvaluefor
efficiency,theaverageofthesetwovalueswastaken.
UpgradabilityisimportantsoEPOCA’ssystemcanexpandalongwiththeircustomerbase.Parts
needtobechoseninsuchawaythattheycaneasilybeswappedoutoraddedoninplaceofpartswith
greaterqualitythatcanincreasecapacityandefficiency.Upgradabilitywasgivenaqualitativerank.
Thisrankrangedfrom1,notbeingabletoacceptupgradesatall,to5,whereallpartshavethepotential
tobeupgraded.
Understandingthattrainingisneithercostnortimeeffective,EPOCAwantstheirpilotplantto
beaseasytooperateaspossible.Workload/Stressloadisconsideredwhendesigningaprocessing
plant.Ideally,thesystemstepswouldbelinear;meaningthatthenextstepislocatednexttothe
previous.Workloadwasalsogivenaqualitativesetofvalues.Avalueof5indicatesthatnohuman
interactionisneededfortheprocess,meaningthatthesystemiscompletelyautonomous,andavalue
of1indicatesthatthehumanworkloadisextremelyintenseanddemanding,meaningworkersneedto
bepresentineverystageoftheprocess.Alsounderpersonnelrequirementsiscomplexityofparts.The
systemcannotbeoverlycomplex.Arraysofbuttons,lights,andswitchesarenotwhatEPOCAislooking
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for.Thesamequalitativerankingsystemthatisusedforworkloadisalsousedforcomplexityofparts.
Avalueof5meansthatpartsarenotcomplexandareeasytoreplaceandavalueof1meansthatparts
areoverlycomplexandcompleteknowledgeofthesystemiscritical.Toattainafinalvaluefor
PersonnelRequirements,theaverageofthetwocategorieswastaken.
Thisprojectisattemptingtohelpexpandgreenjobs.Ifthesystemwerenotsafeforboththe
environmentanditsworkers,thenitdefeatsthepurpose.Theidealsystemwouldbeonethatproduces
aslittlewasteaspossible,wastethatwouldhurttheenvironment,aswellasbeasafeenvironmentfor
itsworkers,freeoftoxicfumesandcontactwithharshchemicals.Safetywasdeterminedbythe
protectiveequipmentthatmustbeworn.Anumber5denotesthebasicsafetyequipmentlikegoggles
andgloves.Thenumber1denotessafetyequipmentsuchasHAZMATsuitsandself‐contained
breathingapparatus’.
Thefinalcriterion,aswellasthelimitingone,wasthatofcost.Costencompassesthreesub‐
categories:StartupCost,Production/OperatingCost,andMaintenanceCost.Startupcostdenotesthe
moneyexpectedtopayforallcomponentsthatmakeupthesystemaswellasanylegalfees,permits,or
licensingneededtobegintheoperation.Production/Operatingcostistheexpectedcostofraw
materials,energyconsumption,andinsuranceandlegalfeesthatarerequiredtokeepthesystem
runningfromyeartoyear.Maintenancecostistheexpectedcostofallreplacementpartsthatmaybe
neededtomaintainandsustainoperationsthroughouttheyear.Anumericalrankingsystemwasused
forthesethreesystems.Arankof5denotedthattheexpectedcostwouldbelessthan$5,000anda
rankof1meantthattheexpectedcostwouldbegreaterthan$25,000.Todeterminethefinalvalue
placedoncost,theaverageofthesethreecategorieswastaken.
4.2BatchProcess
Thebatchprocessisthemostwidelyknownbiodieselconversionprocessbecausea
rudimentarysystemisrelativelyinexpensive,andeasytooperate.Thismakesthebatchprocessideal
forthepeoplewhoonlywishtoproduceenoughfuelfortheirownuse.However,theversatilityofthe
“batchprocess”easilyallowsforaproductionincrease,makingittheperfectbiodieselconversion
processforsmallcompanieslikeEMPOWER.
4.2.1Cost–Avg.Score:5
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Themainbenefitofthebatchsystemistheextremelylowstart‐upcostcomparedtoother,
morecomplexsystems.Apilotplantconsistingof3tanks,2pumpsandtherespectivehosesandfittings
cancostwellunder$2000.Largertanksandmorepowerfulpumpscanbeusedtoincreasethe
productioncapacitywhilestillkeepingthepricewellunder$5000.
Productioncostsarealsomoreinexpensivethanotherbiodieselsystems.Pricesforlegal
permitsandinsurancearethesameorlowerthanotherprocessesthatrequirehighertemperatures
and/orpressures.Rawmaterialpricesaregenerallyfixed,butcompaniesusuallygiveadiscountwhen
buyinginlargequantities.ThisisbeneficialtoEMPOWERbecausetheproductioncostsassociatedwith
rawmaterialswillactuallydecreaseasmorebiodieselisbeingproduced.
Maintenanceforthebatchsystemisminimal.Itrequiresreplacingpartsthatmalfunction,which
areinexpensivetopurchaseandreplace.
4.2.2Upgradability–Avg.Score:5
Anothermainbenefitofthebatchprocessisthehighupgradabilityofthesystem.Upgradingthe
systemtoincreasetheproductioncapacityisassimpleasincreasingthetanksizeand/oraddingmore
tanks.However,asmoreandmoretanksareadded,spacedoesbecomeaconcern.
4.2.3Efficiency–Avg.Score:3
Adownsideofthebatchprocessisthelowefficiencycomparedtoother,moreexpensive
systems.Onecanexpectefficiencybetween85%and90%forthetypicalbatchprocess.Amethanol
recoverysystemcanalsobeimplementedtorecoveralmost85%ofthemethanolusedintheprocess.
4.2.4PersonnelRequirements–Avg.Score:2
Becauseofthevolatilityofthechemicalsusedandthetemperaturerequiredfor
transesterification,personnelmustbepresentatalltimes.Anemployeeisexpectedtousethepumps
totransfertheWVO/Biodieselbetweentanks,addspecificamountofchemicals,andcontrolthe
temperatureoftheheatingelement.Trainingforpersonnelisrelativelystraightforward,asmostofthe
workbeingdoneissimple.Personalresponsibilityismoreessentialtothejobthananyuniqueskillset.
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Table2:BatchProcessRatingChart
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4.3ContinuousBatchProcess
Thesecondprocessthatweanalyzedwasthecontinuousbatchprocess(CBP).Thisprocessis
verysimilartothebatchprocess,buthasafewmajordifferences.Thesedifferencesincludeamethanol
recoverysystemandmoretanksformixingandsettling.Whenthissystemwasputintothequalityqube
itscoredanaveragevalueof3.5.
4.3.1Cost–Avg.Score:3.5
Thefirstthinganalyzedinthisprocesswasthecost.TheCBPscoreda3forstart‐upcost.
Thoughnosinglepartoftheprocessisoverlyexpensive,purchasingthequantityoftankstoset‐upa
properprocesscangetcostly.Thenextthingstoconsiderinthecostcategoryareproduction/operating
costsaswellasmaintenancecost,onwhichtheCBPscoreda4.Althoughthestart‐upcostsarehigherin
thisprocess,thecostofoperationisratherlow.Themethanolrecoverysystemfeaturedinthisprocess
willsaveonthepurchaseofrawmethanolandthereforelowerproduction.Maintenancecostsarelow
duetothesimplicityofthesystemandwithmostofthepartsavailableatanylocalhardwarestore.
ThenextCriteriontobeconsideredwassafety.Usingthequalitycube,thesafetyofthissystem
wasgivenavalueof3.Avalueof3indicatesthatwhilethisprocessissafe,properventilationandsome
protectiveequipmentisrequired.Theprocessusescorrosivematerials;thereforeprotectiveglovesand
possiblyafaceshieldarerequiredatsomepointduringtheprocess.Also,withthenumberoftanks
beingusedintheCBP,properventilationisnecessaryforoperationandthesafetyoftheoperator.
4.3.2Upgradability–Avg.Score:5
Third,theupgradabilityoftheprocesswasevaluated.TheCBPhadaveryhighupgradability,
scoringa5onthescale.TheCBPscoreda5onthisscalebecauseeveryaspectofthesystemcanbe
upgraded,sinceitisbasicallyanupgradedbatchprocess.Moresettlingandmixingtankscanbeadded
toincreasetheoutputofthesystem.Partssuchasthemixingcomponents,pipes,pumps,andfilterscan
allbeupgradedatanytimewhenconvenienttoincreaseproductivity.
4.3.3Efficiency–Avg.Score:3
Efficiencywasthefourthcriterialookedatwhenanalyzingtheprocess.Theefficiencywassplit
intotwosub‐categories;yieldandtime/capacity.Foryield,theCBPscoreda2whichmeansthatthe
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28
processoverallhasapercentyieldofaround85%.FortheCBP,evaluationoftime/capacityiscomplex
whichiswhyitwasgivena3.Thiscriterionisdependentonthenumberoftanksintheprocess.The
timeforasinglebatchwillbeequaltothatoftheregularbatchprocess;howeverwhenmultiple
batchesareinprocessmuchmorecanbeproducedthantheoriginalprocessinaday.
4.3.4PersonnelRequirements–Avg.Score:2.5
Thefinalcriterionwasthepersonnelrequirementsoftheprocess.Thiscategoryincludesthe
workloadstressontheoperatorandthecomplexityofthesystemanditsparts.Inthesub‐categoryof
workloadstresstheCBPhadavalueof2.TheCBPhasavalueof2becauseanoperatorwillbeincharge
ofrunandcheckingonmultipletanksatatime.Tokeepupwithprocess,theoperatorwillneedtobe
abletoeffectivelytransfermultiplebatchesatatimeandorchestratetheminthepropersequence.A
complexityvalueof3wasgivenduetothesimplicityofthesystemanditsparts.Thisprocessdoesnot
requireanypriorknowledgeofthesystemtooperateandmostlyinvolvestheopeningandclosingof
valves.Onlysimpleprocesstrainingwouldberequiredtoeducateonetoeffectivelyruntheprocess.
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29
Table2:ContinuousBatchProcessRatingChart
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30
4.4Ultrasonication
4.4.1Cost–Avg.score:2
Ultrasonicationisaveryeffectiveprocessfortheproductionofbiodieselusingsoundwavesto
drivethereaction.Startupcostsforanultrasonicsetupcanbeverylarge,asmuchasonehundred
thousanddollars.Thatiswhythisprocessreceiveda1forthescoreofstartupcosts.Acombinationof
lotsofexpensivemechanicalandelectricalequipmentdrivesthecostup.
Theoperatingcosttorunanultrasonicprocessismuchsmallerthanonewouldthinkatfirst.
Whilebeingaverycomplicatedprocesswithlotsofcomplexmachinery,itisveryenergyefficientand
theprocessrequiresverylittlefromtheoutside.Theultrasonicprocessreceivesabetterscoreforthe
operatingcosts,4
Maintenanceonanultrasonicoperationcouldbeverygreat.Thereisalotofcomplex
equipmentrunningathightemperaturesandpressuresthatwouldrequireacertifiedtechnicianto
repair.Otherprocessesthathavemoresimplecomponentsrequireonlybasicskillstorepair.
Ultrasonicationreceivesa2forthecostofmaintenance.
4.4.2Upgradability–Avg.Score:1
Theultrasonicprocessisdifficulttoupgrade.Oncetheprocessissetinplaceitwouldneedtobe
disassembledandputbacktogetherwithnewpartandcomponents.Someofthemoreimportantparts
suchastheultrasonictransducercouldbeusedforagreatercapacity,ifitwascapable.
4.4.3Efficiency–Avg.Score:5
Ultrasonication,whilebeingexpensive,isveryefficient.Thepercentyieldsfromtheprocessare
oftengreaterthan98%.Ultrasonicationisalsocapableofacceptingagreatervarietyofrawmaterials,
meaningtheWVOdoesnothavetobefilteredasextensively.Thismakestheprocessmoreefficient
fromstarttofinish.Thisprocessgetsa5foryield.
Theultrasonicprocessismuchfasterandmoreenergyefficientthanmostotherprocesses
availabletoday.Duetotheuniquemethodofdrivingthetransesterificationprocess,ultrasonication
useshalftheenergyoftheaveragebatchprocess.Itisalsomuchfaster,theprocesscanproducethe
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31
sameamountofbiodieselproductinlessthanaquarterofthetime.Itgetsa5forthetime/capacity
rating.
4.4.4Personnelrequirements–Avg.score:2
TheStresslevelfortheemployeesinanultrasonicplantwouldbemuchlowerthaninother
productionplants.Thesystemismostlyautomatedanddoesnotrequireamajorinputfromthe
operators.Theoverallstressleveloftheultrasonicprocesswouldbea2.
Thecomplexityoftheultrasonicprocesswouldbemuchlargerthanmostotherprocesses.The
employeewouldberequiredtoknowtheprocesswell,boththepartsandthecomputersinvolvedwith
theprocess.Unfortunatelytheultrasonicequipmentwouldprobablynotbeabletorepairinhouse,
outsidetechnicianswouldberequired.
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32
Table3:UltrasonicationRatingChart
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C%J+'L+N'$U+
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['N+2%&J+)&+)#+#'+$2E"%*2+E%$#&`++F%(+$2E%)$&+V2+C'(2+)(aH'1&2`+
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5.0ConclusionsandRecommendations
ThegoalofthisprojectwastoselectanappropriatebiodieselproductionprocessforEPOCA.
EPOCAisacooperativebusinesswhichemploysprisonersandex‐prisonerswhowouldnormallynotbe
abletofindwork.EPOCA,specificallytheirfocusgroupEmpower,isseekingtocreatenewgreenjobsfor
itsemployeesandproduceacompetitiveproductforsaleinthefuelmarket.
TodeterminewhattypeofsystemwouldbebestforEPOCA,theyhadcertaincriteriafortheir
selectedprocess.Thesecriteriaincludedtheefficiencyandupgradabilityofthesystem,personneland
trainingrequirements,safety,andcosteffectiveness.ThecriterionsetbyEPOCAwerecategorizedand
thensub‐categorizedandputintoananalysismatrixtoevaluateeachproductionprocess.Eachcriterion
wasratedfrom1to5with5beingthebestpossibleonthescale.Inall,threeprocessesforproducing
biodieselwereanalyzed;thebatchprocess,continuousbatchprocess,andultrasonication.
Wheneachprocesswasputthroughtheanalysismatrix,thecontinuousbatchprocessisthe
recommendedprocesstoproducebiodieselforEPOCA.TheCBPscoredonaveragea3.5whenputinto
theanalysismatrix.Itparticularlyexcelledintheareasofcostflexibilityandupgradability.TheCBP,
beingessentiallyanupgradedbatchprocess,isabletohavelowpreliminarycosts,whicharemainly
dependentonthenumberandsizeoftanksusedfortheprocessallowingittobeconfiguredtoany
budget.Also,toincreaseproductivity,allcomponentsareabletobeupgradedasfundsbecome
available.
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Appendix
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