feasibility report

KKEK 4281 DESIGN PROJECT

FAST PYROLYSIS OF EMPTY FRUIT BUNCH TO

PRODUCE INDUSTRIAL GRADE BIOFUELS AND

METHANE GAS

FEASIBILITY REPORT GROUP 5

NAME MATRIC NO.

KIM NING SIN KEK 100014

MOHAMMAD RUZAINIE BIN MOHAMMAD ISA KEK 100027

NURSHAKIRIN BINTI HAZIM CHAN KEK 100046

TAN XUAN MIN KEK 100058

NURUL NABILAH BINTI OTHMAN KEK 090043

FACILITATOR: DR. CHE ROSMANI BINTI CHE HASSAN

1. Introduction

The plant used empty palm fruit bunch with a capacity of 330000 tons per year

and undergo pyrolysis process and post process to produce industrial grade biofuels.

In the post processing, carbon dioxide is capture and produce methane gas at a rate

of 12375 tons per year. The upgraded bio oil is undergoing using high pressure

thermal treatment and hydrodeoxygenation to improve the quality of bio oil. Each

year, the plant is able to produce 175725 tons per year of industrial grade biofuels.

2. Different Process Route

Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) conversion technologies to biofuels can be classified

into two broad categories: Thermo-chemical conversion and biological conversion.

In thermo-chemical conversion, the components of EFB are heated with high

temperature in the absence of oxygen. Among the conversion process that are

grouped under the thermo-chemical conversion are pyrolysis, gasification and

liquefaction. The product obtained from the thermo-chemical conversion depends

on the conversion process used. [1]

On the other hand, biological conversion involves the usage of the biological

living things such as yeast and bacteria in the conversion process of components of

EFB to biofuels. The examples of conversion process in biological conversion are

fermentation and anaerobic digestion. The main product obtained from the

biological conversion is bioethanol. [1]

There are three conversion processes that are considered in choosing the route

to convert EFB to biofuels. The three conversion processes are pyrolysis,

gasification and fermentation. The main product yield by pyrolysis, gasification and

fermentation of EFB are bio-oil, syngas and hydrous ethanol respectively. These

products can be further refined to produce biofuels that can be used as

transportation fuels and many more. Based on extensive literature review, the

process flow charts and the summary of pyrolysis, gasification and fermentation

conversion process are shown in Appendix 1 Figure 2.1 and listed in Table 2.1

Table 2.1: Summary of conversion processes [1, 3]

Pyrolysis Fermentation Gasification

Main Product Bio-oil Ethanol Syngas

Advantage Low capital The fermenting organisms Reduced biomass

and operating

cost

Simple

preparation of

EFB

do not have to be

purchased because they

regenerate themselves.

transportation

costs

Disadvantage Involves the use of

microbes or enzymes

which require specific

climate conditions

Limit the productivity due

to biological conversion.

High capital cost

Need effective

cleaning methods

which are

complicated and

expensive

Complex process

2.1 Simple Process Description of Pyrolysis and Post Processing of Bio Oil

After critical consideration on information obtained in Table 2.1, the pyrolysis

process is selected as the best EFB conversion process. First the EFB will pretreat

using chemical and thermal treatment to improve pyrolysis process. Then the bio-oil

obtained from the pyrolysis of EFB is refined to upgrade the quality of bio-oil

produced using high pressure thermal treatment and hydrodeoxygenation. In

addition, the refinery of bio-oil also produced methane gas as by product by capture

the CO2 and reacted with H2. The charcoal produce from pyrolysis process can be

recycled back to furnace for energy recovery, while the aqueous phase of bio oil is

undergo hydrolysis process to form H2 to recycle back to plant for processing. The

waste water produced will treated using anaerobic digestion method to remove the

organic matter in the water and reuse back in hydrolysis process. The overall

production process of bio-oil is shown in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.1: Overall production process of bio-oil

The preliminary process route of the plant is attached on Appendix 1 figure 2.2

3. Plant Location

The plant is set on Tanjung Langsat Industrial Area, Pasir Gudang, Johor due to

several reason:-

Figure 3.1: Bird Eye View of the Plant Location [5]

It has easy access to raw materials since there have about 6 palm oil mill in the

range of 10km which able to provide about 3.2 million tons per annum.[12] The site

near to several major city in Johor such as Pasir Gudang (5 min journey), Masai (5

min journey), Johor Bahru (15 min journey) and Kota Tinggi, the coming

administration city in Johor (30 min journey) which provide numerous labor force,

good transportation system including two ports, airport and complete road system.

The plant also can expand the business to Singapore in future. Since the site is an

industrial park, thus the government provides complete and stable utilities supply in

that area and the price of the land is about RM 20/ft2 which is reasonable. [10]

Furthermore the industrial park locate numerous industrial plant and power plant

which use industrial diesel for energy production, so the plant can target them as

potential customer, plus the oil can export to Singapore. Last but not least, there

have no opposition for onsite community as the place is reserved for

industrialization and support by local government. [6] The raw materials can easily

transport by truck and the plant is able to build a pipeline system to transfer the

product to port storage tank and direct transfer to other industry plant.

Site for EFB Pyrolysis Plant

4. Availability of raw materials

The raw materials used for bio oil and methane gas is empty palm fruit bunch

which abundant in Malaysia. The availability of biomass from palm oil industry in

Malaysia is assessed by using official data from Malaysia Palm Oil Board (MPOB).

From the Appendix 1 figure 4.1, it can be seen that the EFB production hit 15

millions tons per annum which is sufficienct for the plant production as the plant

only required less than 1% of EFB production in Malaysia. It is assumed that EFB is

fully available as it is currently brought back by plantations for disposal or dumped in

piles and landfills near the mills.

In the other hand, the reason behind the plant located in Johor is due to Johor state

had high distribution of oil palm planted area which up to 687906 hectares which

up to 30% of plantation area in Penisula Malaysia as can observe form Appendix 1

figure 4.2. In addition, the plant situated nearby 6 palm oil mills which produce

adequate raw materials for the pyrolysis plant.

5. Market Survey

5.1 : Analysis of Product (Bio oil)

Pyrolysis oil can be used as a substitute for heating oil and industrial diesel which

used in several industrial applications such as boiler, furnaces, hot water generators,

hot air generators, thermic fluid heater and etc.

Bio oil is produce in country which has extensive reserves of low cost biomass such

as Brazil, Canada and South Africa by pyrolysis sugarcane bagasse, forest waste and

agriculture waste. Below show a table of supply of bio oil from 2008-2012:-

Table 5.1.1: Pyrolysis oil supply from 2008 to 2012[7]

Year 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Pyrolysis Oil Supply (000 tons) 240 940 2222 3644 5000

Table 5.1.2: Demand of heavy fuel oil for Malaysia is shown:-

387 petajoules = 130Gt of bio oil

5.2 : Demand of Biofuels in Industrial Plant

Using the data above, it seems the demand of the HFO increase each year, thus the

bio oil is expected to have high demand in future since it is cheaper and

environmental friendly compare to traditional fuels. The product is expected to fully

replace the HFO, thus it found it still had 8 million tons of bio oil to fill up the

Malaysia market. Although bio oil has a lower heating values compare to HFO, but it

show a cleaner and cheaper alternative. It should be noted that Genting Bio Oil is

cooperate with Canadas Dynamotive Energy Systems to build the first pyrolysis

plant in Malaysia.[8]

The plant situated in Pasir Gudang, Johor will had a high demand of pyrolysis oil

because nearby got various industrial plants such as TITAN, VAW Aluminum,

Spectrum Food and etc.

From the Appendix 1 figure 5.1.1, it can be seen that the potential of biofuels is

enormous in the future and the plant is able to export the biofuels to regional area

such as China and India which will out as one of the strong nation in future as the

biofuels demand increase 1EJ (1X1018 J) per year. Furthermore, the upgraded bio oil

can further improve it quality to form consumer grade oil which has higher market

values.

5.3 : Analysis of methane gas

Methane gas produced as byproduct by methanation of CO2 which also can be used

important energy source since it can produce liquefied natural gas (LNG) which

provides an alternative clean source of energy to industrial. From Appendix 1 figure

5.2.1 it can be seen that the demand of methane gas increase in long term up to 24

million tons of methane gas is used per year. Besides that, methane gas can be

feed-stocks to produce methanol which forms various useful products such as fuels

additive, olefins, paints and etc.

5.4 : Price of Fossil Fuels

The price range of pyrolysis oil is highly affected by the crude oil price is shown in

Appendix 1 figure 5.3.1. The price of crude oil and HFO increase in long term due to

its scarcity and high demand, thus pyrolysis oil had the advantage to compete in

market due to its cheapness and environmental friendly. Government is highly

support industrial using clean fuel as they planned to reduce carbon footprint by 40%

by 2020 and would like to give incentive and deferred tax for company that support

this act.

The price of heavy fuel oil is in range of RM1.95-2.15 per liter with subsidies

while the price of upgraded pyrolysis oil is expected in range of RM1.5 per liter

without any subsidies. [9] This shown that the bio oil had price advantage when

compete with HFO in the market.

5.5 : Analysis of raw materials (EFB)

There have several possible biomass feed-stocks for pyrolysis process to produce

biofuels such as empty fruit bunch, wood chips, rice husk and etc. From Appendix 1

table 5.4.1, it can be seen that empty palm fruit bunch is the best raw materials for

pyrolysis process due to high availability in Malaysia and cheap price. Although the

conversion of bio oil is lower compare to wood chips, but the price is 10 times

cheaper which highly reduce the operating cost in long term.

From section 4, it shown that the availability of EFB in Malaysia is secure and is

projected to increase in future due to population increase and increase demand of

vegetable oil. EFB feedstock is easy to obtain in Malaysia and in long term, the price

of EFB do not fluctuated because of huge volume and low demand of the materials.

6. Preliminary of Economics Analysis

A simple evaluation of cost and benefits of the proposed project of the

construction of 9000 metric tons per year of upgraded bio oil should be done to

analyze the potential of the proposed project based on research and investigations.

6.1: Total Capital Investment

Total capital investment is sum include land, fixed capital investment and working

capital investment. Some assumptions should be done due to lack of information.

6.2: Land Cost Estimation

The location proposed site (Tanjung Langsat) had some distance from urban area

(Pasir Gudang & Johor Bahru) where 6 palm oil estate and several palm oil mills are

situated. The land price is approximately RM20/ft2. [10] It is estimated that the land

area for the proposed plant is about 10 acre which cost about RM108900027.

Currently at this capacity of the plant which only required about 4-5 acre, however

the plant allocated additional of 5 acre of land in order to increase the plant size to

satisfy the world demand.

6.3: Fixed Capital Investment

Fixed capital investment is total amount of money required to spend before the

plant commission. The plant is divided into 3 main parts:-

1) Pretreatment of empty palm fruit bunch

2) Pyrolysis of empty fruit bunch

3) Post processing of bio oil

a) High pressure thermal treatment of bio oil

b) Hydrodeoxygenation of treated bio oil

c) Methanation of carbon dioxide

d) Hydrolysis of aqueous phase bio oil

The plant is estimated used various unit operators in producing the biofuels.

Appendix 2 table 6.1 will show that the total usage of equipment required and table

6.2 estimated cost of each unit operation.

The cost of unit operation is estimated using literature from PNNL-18284 from

U.S. Department of Energy and the scale factor is 0.1 while the inflation rate [16] is

based on the mean of inflation rate obtained from Department of Statistics Malaysia.

The cumulative inflation rate for 7 years extend is about 15.9% [15]

(500,000,000.00)

0.00

500,000,000.00

1,000,000,000.00

1,500,000,000.00

2,000,000,000.00

2,500,000,000.00

3,000,000,000.00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

RM

Breakeven Period Graph

Breakevenperiodwithoutinterest

Breakevenperiod withcompoundinterest

Estimation of Equipment Cost RM 211657114 Refer Appendix 2 Table 6.4

Land Cost RM 108900027.6

Estimation of Operating Cost RM 164528002.8 Refer Appendix 2 Table 6.5

6.4 : Sales Revenue

The price of industrial grade biofuels is set around RM 1742.16 per tons in

Malaysia while the price of methane gas is RM 1742.16 per tons. The production rate

of product and consumptions rate of raw materials can be obtained in Appendix 2

table 6.6. Thus the total annual sales of product and by product is about RM

328183762.5 not including the production of hydrogen gas since it is use in the post

processing of bio oil.

Figure 6.3: Payback Period Graph

6.5: Rate of return analysis

The minimum rate of return (ROR) is 10% to obtain financial support from financial

institute. Since the project can achieved about 25% of return, thus it is considered as

feasible and profitable for investment.

The payback period with 5% interest required about 6 years including 2 years of

plant construction and commissioning.

6.6: Taxation

The plant is expected to obtain pioneer status which has the advantage to have total

exemption from income tax for 5 years as the exempt income are credited to the

exempt account from which exempt dividends are distributed to the shareholder of

the company. The plant is expected to improve the quality of bio oil to consumer

grade which will again grant the pioneer status for a decade.

7. Safety Consideration

Safety is an important aspect in the industrial which require constant attention

from management to reduce the risk of wide range of threats and mitigating the

effects of accidents. Several safety efforts conduct by management will protect the

community and company employees while keeping the plant operational and

profitable.

Safety precautions should be performs to minimize the risk of the plant. Some

example of safety consideration is personal protective equipment (PPE), work permit,

appropriate labeling, safety data sheet and maintenance. Other than that, the

process safety of pretreatment, pyrolysis and post processing are reinforced with

safeguard to strengthen safety. (For details process safety, process safety is

elaborated in Appendix 3 table 1)

Besides that, the plant also designed an evacuation route plan based on the

plant layout (refer in Appendix 3 figure 1) to ensure that the entire worker can

evacuate towards safety in the shortest time to minimize the consequences of the

health and safety of people in the event of emergency based on OSHA guidelines.

From the Appendix, it shown that the fire extinguisher, alarm and first aid can be

easily accessed to all people. The escape route of the plant is based on In addition,

safety inspection will be held from time to time in order to make sure that the safety

equipment such as alarm and fire extinguisher can be operated at all time. All

emergency number is show in notice board in plant and provided to workers. An

emergency response team is available so that they manage safety operation in the

plant.

From Appendix 3 figure 2, it shown the wind pattern of the of plant site which is

important when fire and leakage break out. The emergency gather site should be at

the upwind (north side of the plant) to ensure the safety of worker.

In the case of emergency, the worker should train to perform emergency

shutdown to avoid critical condition on unit operator such as reactor and heat

exchanger as unattended unit will increase the level of danger.

The MSDS of the chemical that used should provide to the entire operator to let

them understand the correct way to handle the chemical to minimize risk. Material

safety data sheet (MSDS) is a document which provides people with procedure for

handling in a safe manner which includes information such as physical data, toxicity,

first aid, reactivity, storage, protective equipment and health effect. The MSDS of

chemical that used regular is shown is Appendix 4.

8. Environmental Consideration

The plant produce liquid and gas product and had identify the waste which will

implement suitable action to prevent the waste to destroy the environment:-

8.1: Solid Waste Management

The solid wastes include sludge, garbage and discard unusable materials. For

domestic solid waste, it just required to dispose on the designated site for collection

by the city council.

For material coming from industrial process, the waste should be treated more

cautiously. It should be divided into hazardous and non-hazardous. For hazardous

material such as activated sludge should be classify as schedule waste which will be

deal by professional team.

For used catalyst, it can be reactivated by using high temperature or polishing

reactor. For unusable catalyst, it will also consider as schedule waste and collect by

outsource company to properly treat the waste.

8.2: Air pollution control

The plant produces syngas (CO, H2 & CH4) which is a group of greenhouse gases

and dangerous to human. The gas is used as one of the fuel sources to burn up the

furnace. In the post processing of the bio oil, it produces a high concentration of CO2

(around 96%). The CO2 is capture using pressure swing adsorption and react with

hydrogen gas using methanation reaction to produce a higher value product.

The plant also includes several instruments such as gas detector and pressure

detector to monitor the gas to prevent leakage. There may be ash flying ash cause by

the furnace thus a filter installed to filter the ash before allow the smoke to release

to atmosphere. The emission of the plant is followed the regulation of Department

of Environmental Malaysia and detail of emission is shown is Appendix 5 table 1.

8.3: Wastewater treatment

In the post processing of bio oil, the hydrodeoxygenation produce wastewater

contains about 2% of organic matter which can be treated by anaerobic digestion of

microorganisms in batch system. The treated water should be tested and reused in

the process to reduce utility cost.

All the waste that disposes to environment should achieve the Department of

Environment regulation which shown in Appendix 5 figure 1 and 2 to prevent

pollution issue and fine by DOE. The details of each type of waste, source and

treatment method are summarize in Appendix 5 table 1

8.4: Noise and light pollution management

The noise pollution is allow to be on around 30-60dB[22] in order to avoid

disturbance to other community around the plant site by using light and sound

absorbed materials wherever is possible and installed intelligently designed, low

glare fixtures for outdoor lights to reduce light intensity and place motion sensor on

essentials outdoor lamps to reduce the time for expose light and lastly replace the

conventional high energy bulbs with efficient outdoor LED floodlights to reduce glare

and save the energy consumptions of the plant.

9. Novelty of the Chosen Route

Although pyrolysis process is an ancient process to produce charcoal, but today it

could further improve to produce fuels to run the engine. To improve the pyrolysis

process, the charcoal produce in pyrolysis process is reuse in furnace to reduce the

energy consumptions of the plant. The produced bio oil also upgrades to improve

the quality (higher heating values, low sulfur content & low moist content) to

increase the market values.

Mostly the bio oil use hydrotreating to reduce the oxygen components in the

bio oil which using enormous amount of hydrogen, but in this design project, the oil

is pretreated using high pressure thermal treatment (HPTT) to reduce the hydrogen

consumptions about 50% during hydrodeoxygenation process. The plant also

improve it efficiency by hydrolysis the aqueous phase of bio oil to hydrogen to

further reduce hydrogen consumptions and also used the captured carbon dioxide

to produce methane gas to reduce carbon emission and improve plant revenue. In

the journal, the hydrodeoygenation process proposed 5 packed reactor but in this

design project, the team is try to reduce the reactor number to 3 by improving the

conversion and efficiency of process since the bio oil had been treated by HPTT

process.

10. Comparisons with other possible routes

From the section 2, it has been shown that the advantage and disadvantage of

the different process route using pyrolysis, fermentation and gasification process.

The team decides pyrolysis as best method due to following reason:-

a) The bio oil produced have an marketing advantage compare to other product

like ethanol (fermentation) and syngas (gasification) as bio oil easily transport

from site to site, not like syngas which required pressurized tank to transport

or build a special pipeline to transfer the product. For ethanol, it has weak

market demand because ethanol production is high in the world; in addition

the demand of ethanol in Malaysia is lower compared to bio oil.

b) For fermentation process, it has a major disadvantage as it used microbes to

produce ethanol which easily fluctuated due to inconsistent of microbes

metabolisms as this will highly affected the production rate of the products.

c) The technology for pyrolysis process is available as it is a developed process

in the world and it will form a new energy revolution for the world as it used

empty fruit bunch which is abundant in Malaysia as raw materials.

For bio oil, it required to upgrade by various method to improve the quality of

the product to increase the product market value as the bio oil has high oxygen

content. There have several post processing methods such as

hydrodeoxygenation, high pressure thermal treatment, esterification, steam

reforming, emulsification and catalytic cracking.

Table 10.1: Comparison between hydrodeoxygenation and catalytic process

Method Advantages Disadvantages

Hydrodeoxygena

-tion

Remove high content of

oxygen components

Improve thermal and chemical

stability of the oil

High cost

Catalytic

cracking

Can produced consumer grade

fuels which has higher value

compare to

hydrodeoxygenation bio oil

Easily affected by

calcination temperature

High energy required as

high temperature is

needed

The team chooses combination of hydrodeoxygenation and high pressure

thermal treatment as it is one of the prestigious method to improve the bio oil by

reducing the oxygen content by replacing it with hydrogen. In the other hand,

the catalytic cracking is an energy intensive process which not practical in

industrial scale. Since hydrodeoxygenation process required high cost due to high

consumptions of hydrogen gas, thus high pressure thermal treatment is used to

reduce the hydrogen consumptions up to 50% to improve the plant revenue.

11. Reference

1. Geng A., Conversion of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch to Biofuels. Liquid, Gaseous and

Solid Biofuels - Conversion Techniques, 2013: 479-490.

2. McKendry P., Energy production from biomass (part 2): conversion technologies.

Bioresource Technology, 2002; 83: 4754.

3. Thorp B. A., Key Metric Comparison of Five Cellulosic Biofuel Pathways. Bioenergy

Technologies Quarterly, 2010: 23-30.

4. Jones S. B., Production of Gasoline and Diesel from Biomass via Fast Pyrolysis,

Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking: A Design Case. Pacific Northwest National

Laboratory, 2009.

5. Bird eye view of plant location, Retrieved from Google Earth:

http://www.google.com/earth/

6. Information regards industrial development, Retrieved from Malaysia Investment

Development Authority (MIDA) website: http://www.mida.gov.my

7. Doug Bradley, European Market Study for Bio Oil (Pyrolysis Oil), December 15, 2006;

4

8. Corrinne Ling, Genting Group Unveils Malaysias First Commercially Produced Bio Oil

using Breakthrough Technology, 21 August 2005: 1-3

9. Price of fuel and bio oil, (23 Sept 2013) Retrieved from Malaysia Investment

Development Authority MIDA:

http://www.mida.gov.my/env3/index.php?page=gas-and-fuel-costs

10. Price of land in Tanjung Langsat, (2013) Retrieved from Tansact Properties:

http://www.transact.com.my/view.php?id=25172

11. McKendry P., Energy production from biomass (part 2): conversion technologies.

Bioresource Technology, 2002; 83: 4754.

12. Quantity of empty palm fruit bunch, Retrieved from Asia Biomass Office:

http://www.asiabiomass.jp/english/topics/1001_03.html

13. Demand of methane gas in Malaysia (2010), Retrieved from Gas Malaysia Sdn.

Bhd.:http://www.gasmalaysia.com/about_gas/malaysian_ng_demand.htm

14. Price of crude oil in world (2013), Retrieved from Index Mundi:

http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=crude-oil-brent&months=3

00

15. Inflation in Malaysia in past 5 year (2013), Retrieved from Trading Economics:

http://www.tradingeconomics.com/malaysia/inflation-cpi

16. SB Jones, C Valkenburg, CW Walton, DC Elliott, JE Holladay, DJ stevens, C Kinchin & S

Czernik, Production of Gasoline and Diesel from Biomass via Fast Pyrolysis,

Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking: A Design Case, February 2009; 1-38

17. M. Ringer, V. Putsche & J. Scahill, Large Scale Pyrolysis Oil Production: A Technology

Assessment and Economic Analysis, November 2006; 38-93

18. Muhammad L. Jahirul, Muhammad G. Rasul, Ashfaque Ahmad Chowdhury &

Nanjappa Ashwath, Biofuels Production through Biomass Pyrolysis: A Technological

Review, 23 November 2012; 23-50

19. Murni M. Ahmad. M Fitrir R. Nordin & M. Tazli Azizan (2010) Upgrading of Bio Oil

into High Value Hydrocarbon via Hydrodeoxygenation. American Journal of Applied

Science 7 (6): 746-755

20. Ferran de Miguel Mercader, Pyrolysis Oil upgrading for Co-Processing in Standard

Refinery Units (2010); 34-57

21. Environmetal Requirement the Eleventh Edition: A Guide For Investors by

Department of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

October 2010

22. Statistically about noise pollution, UNESCO Module 18: Noise Pollution, Retreived

from UNESCO, 2012 at

http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/ste/pdf_files/sourcebook/module18.p

df

23. Wind pattern in Johor, Retrieved from Windfinder at 2013 at

http://www.windfinder.com/weather-maps/forecast#7/2.526/103.667

12. Appendix 1

Figure 2.1: Process flow charts of conversion process of EFB to main products [11]

Figure 4.1: production of palm oil biomass in Malaysia

Figure 4.2: Distribution of palm oil estate in Malaysia [12]

Figure 5.1.1: The future potential of biofuels is 50 years time

Figure 5.2.1: Demand of methane gas in Malaysia from 1990 to 2009[13]

Figure 5.3.1: Price range of crude oil in 5 years time [14]

Table 5.4.1: Availability of raw materials and the price

Raw Materials Conversion Availability Price/tons

Empty fruit bunch

58% bio oil, 30% bio

char, 12% syngas

15 million tons/year RM5-10

Wood chips


char, 15% syngas

2.5 million tons/year RM50-150

Waste Tire


char, 25% syngas

60000 tons/year RM100-150

13. Appendix 2

Table 6.1: Estimated total equipment required to purchase

Pretreatment

process

Pyrolysis

process

Hydrocracking

process

Total

Reactor 1 6 7

Separator 1 1

Distillation Column 1 1

Compressor 1 2 3

Cyclone 1 1 2

Mixer 1 1 2

Pump 4 1 5

Sand heater 1 1

Filter 1 1 2

Crusher 1 1

Screen 1 1

Dryer 1 1

Demister 1 1

Heater 4 4

PSA 1 1

Figure 6.2: Inflation rate of Malaysia from 2007 to 2012 [15]

Table 6.3: Estimation Cost of unit operation that required in the plant

Equipment

Cost from

literiture at

2007

Scale

Factor

Inflation

Cost

Estimated

Cost Quantity Total

Pyrolysis

reactor 8951542 0.1 16% 1038378.872 1 1038378.872

Plug flow

reactor 2125929 0.1 16% 246607.764 1 246607.764

Packed bed

reactor 19852131 0.1 16% 2302847.196 5 11514235.98

Pressure

swing

adsorption

4838004 0.1 16% 561208.464 1 561208.464

Separator 1663113 0.1 16% 192921.108 1 192921.108

Distillation

Column 435862 0.1 16% 50559.992 1 50559.992

Compressor 186181 0.1 16% 21596.996 3 64790.988

Cyclone 40000 0.1 16% 4640 2 9280

Mixer 60000 0.5 16% 34800 2 69600

Pump 185908 0.1 16% 21565.328 5 107826.64

Sand heater 20000 0.5 16% 11600 1 11600

Crusher 20000 0.1 16% 2320 1 2320

Dryer 48011 0.1 16% 5569.276 1 5569.276

Demister 675313 0.1 16% 78336.308 1 78336.308

Heater 3991092 0.1 16% 462966.672 4 1851866.688

Total 15805102.08

Currency exchange of 1USD=RM 3.15

Total 49786071.55

Table 6.4: Estimation Cost for Capital Investment

Components

%

Delivery-equipment

Cost

Estimated Cost

Direct Cost

Purchased equipment (including

delivering and fabrication) 100 49743152.52

Installation equipment 39 19399829.48

Instrumentation & controls 26 12933219.66

Piping 31 15420377.28

Electrical system 10 4974315.252

Insulation 2 994863.0504

Building 29 14425514.23

Yard improvement 12 5969178.302

Service facilities 35 17410103.38

Total Direct Cost 141270553.2

Indirect Cost

Engineering & supervision 32 15917808.81

Construction expenses 34 16912671.86

Total Indirect Cost 32830480.66

Total direct and indirect cost 174101033.8

Contractors' fee 5 D+I 2487157.626

Project Contingency 15 D+I 7461472.878

Fixed Capital Investment 184049664.3

Working Capital Investment 15% FCI 27607449.65

Total Capital Investment 211657114

Table 6.5: Estimation of production and consumptions of raw materials and products

Materials/Products Unit Price

(RM/tons)

Capacity

(tons/yr)

Cost

(RM/yr)

Revenue

(RM/yr)

EFB 8 330000 2640000

Hydrogen gas 4217 19255.645 81201054.97

Hydrogen gas 4217 2293.3 9670846.1

Bio oil 1742.6 175725 306218385

Methane gas 591.66 12375 21965377.5

Total 74170208.87 328183762.5

Table 6.6: Estimation of Operating Cost

Components Percentages (%) Cost

Variable Costs

Raw materials Refer appendix 2

table 6.5 74170208.87

Miscellaneous materials 10% of raw

materials cost 7417020.887

Utilities

Steam 5% of raw


Water 5% of raw


Electricity 5% of raw


Total Variable Cost 89375101.69

Fixed Costs

Maintenance 5% FCI

Operating labor 29657250

Supervision 20% operating

labor 5931450

Plant overheads 20% operating

labor 5931450

Capital charges 15% FCI 27607449.65

Insurance 1% FCI 1840496.643

Interest rates 2% FCI 3680993.286

Royalties 1% FCI 1840496.643

Total Fixed Cost 76489586.22

Direct Production Cost 165864687.9

Sales expense

20% of direct

production cost 33172937.58

General Overhead

Research and

Development

Annual Production Cost 199037625.5

Table 6.7: Cash Flow for Plant for 25 Years

Year Cash Flow Present

Worth

Cumulative

PW

5% Interest

rate

Present

Worth Cumulative PW

0 -320557142 -320557141.6 -320557141.6 1 -320557141.6 -320557141.6

1 0 0 -320557141.6 0.9524 0 -320557141.6

2 0 0 -320557141.6 0.907 0 -320557141.6

3 129146137 129146137 -191411004.6 0.8638 111556433.1 -209000708.4

4 129146137 129146137 -62264867.57 0.8227 106248526.9 -102752181.5

5 129146137 129146137 66881269.43 0.7835 101185998.3 -1566183.183

6 129146137 129146137 196027406.4 0.7462 96368847.43 94802664.25

7 129146137 129146137 325173543.4 0.7107 91784159.57 186586823.8

8 129146137 129146137 454319680.4 0.6768 87406105.52 273992929.3

9 129146137 129146137 583465817.4 0.6446 83247599.91 357240529.2

10 129146137 129146137 712611954.4 0.6139 79282813.5 436523342.7

11 129146137 129146137 841758091.4 0.5847 75511746.3 512035089.1

12 129146137 129146137 970904228.4 0.5568 71908569.08 583943658.1

13 129146137 129146137 1100050365 0.5303 68486196.45 652429854.6

14 129146137 129146137 1229196502 0.5051 65231713.8 717661568.4

15 129146137 129146137 1358342639 0.481 62119291.9 779780860.3

16 129146137 129146137 1487488776 0.4581 59161845.36 838942705.6

17 129146137 129146137 1616634913 0.4363 56346459.57 895289165.2

18 129146137 129146137 1745781050 0.4155 53660219.92 948949385.1

19 129146137 129146137 1874927187 0.3957 51103126.41 1000052512

20 129146137 129146137 2004073324 0.3769 48675179.04 1048727691

21 129146137 129146137 2133219461 0.3589 46350548.57 1095078239

22 129146137 129146137 2262365598 0.3418 44142149.63 1139220389

23 129146137 129146137 2391511735 0.3256 42049982.21 1181270371

24 129146137 129146137 2520657872 0.3101 40048217.08 1221318588

25 129146137 129146137 2649804009 0.2953 38136854.26 1259455442

14. Appendix 3

Unit

operation

Function Hazard Causes Possible

consequences

Detection Safeguard

Grinding

machine

Used to

grind EFB

Handling

sharpening tools

when cleaning,

polishing and

buffing surfaces.

Fingers are caught between

grinder

Entanglement of hair or clothing

in rotating parts of the grinding

machine

Sparks formed by the grinding

action

Injured or death

Rubbing noises Personal protection

equipment (PPE) should be

applied includes safety glass,

hand gloves, cover shoes and

lab coat.

Check the grinding wheels

Sound levels from machines

can be reduced with barriers

Drying

machine

EFB should

be totally

dried

High

temperature of

steam

Superheated of steam Damage human

body

Corrode pipes

PPE should be applied

Keep drying machine in good

working order

Mixer To

breakdown

the lignin

High corrosivity High concentration of NaOH Chemical burns

Permanent

injury

blindness

PPE should be applied

Clean up spills immediately

Do not store near

combustible materials

Keep it in well ventilation area

Pyrolysis

reactor

To paralyze

the EFB

High

temperature

Loss of cooling

Incorrect feed composition

Hot surfaces of

the reactor

Thermal shocks

Temperature

controller

Pyrolysis

furnace

To

combust

the syngas

to produce

energy

Furnace

tampering with

combustion

safety control

Loss control of furnace safety

control

Fire

Explosion Proper maintenance should

be done regularly

Syngas is

produced

from

furnace

Leakage of

flammable

syngas

Inconsistent maintenance

Pipe corrosion

Fire

Explosion

Lead

detection

system

Insure pips is inert

Plug flow

reactor

To reduce

of the

oxygen in

the bio oil

High temperature Loss of cooling


Hot surfaces of

the reactor

Thermal shocks

Temperature

controller

CO is

produced

Leakage of CO Pipe corrosion Dizziness Online

chromatogra

ph

Monitoring of composition

H2 is

produced

Leakage of H2 Pipe corrosion Can be ignite

easily causing

fire and

explosion

Lead

detection

system

Keep the agitator substances

away from the hydrogen

storing area

Adequate ventilation

Safe discharge of the exhaust

Table 1: HAZOP analysis of the plant

Packed

bed

reactor

To reduce

the oxygen

content

High temperature Loss of cooling


Fire

Explosion Temperature

controller

Maintenance should be done

regularly

Biofuel is

produced

Leakage of biofuel Fail in transferring the biofuel Flammable liquid

trigger fire and

explosion

Keep all the pipes tight

Keep all the agitators away

from biofuel

Pretreatment Area

Expansion

Pyrolysis Area

Refinery Area

Raw Material

Storage

Product Storage

Office

G

a

t

e

1

Main Gate

Char Storage

Chemical Storage

TNB

Rest Room

Canteen

Steam Generator

Assembly Point

Legend: Guard House

Fire Extinguisher

Hose Reel Figure 1: Emergency evacuation plan

Figure 2: The wind pattern of the plant site [23]

15. Appendix 4: MSDS for hydrogen, methane & bio oil

Hydrogen

1. Product Name

Chemical Name : Hydrogen (H2)

Synonyms : None

UN Number : 1049

Use : Combustion, reducing atmospheres (e.g. steel industry), hydrogenation of

oils and fats, laboratory as a carrier gas.

2. Physical and Chemical Properties

Formula H2

Chemical structure H-H

Molecular weight 2.0159

UN Number UN1049 (gas)

UN1966 (liquid)

Appearance Colourless and odorless gas at room temperature

Density(gas) 0.08988gL-1

(at -253 oC)

Melting point -259.35 oC

Boiling point -.252.88 oC (at 1atm)

Solubility in water 0.0214 cm3/g (0

oC, 1 atm)

Section Content

1 Product Name

2 Physical and Chemical Properties

3 Composition, Information on Ingredients

4 Hazard Identification

5 First Aid Measures

6 Fire Fighting Measures

7 Accidental Release Measure

8 Handling and Storage

9 Exposure Controls, Personal Protection

10 Stability and Reactivity

11 Toxicological Information

12 Disposal Considerations

Auto ignition temperature 500 271 oC

3. Composition, Information on Ingredients

CHEMICA

L NAME

CAS # Mole % EXPOSURE LIMITS IN AIR

ACGIH-TLV OSHA-PEL NIOSH

IDLH

ppm

OTHER

ppm TWA

ppm

STEL

ppm

TWA

ppm

STEL

ppm

Hydrogen 1333-74-0

99.99%

There are no specific exposure limits for Hydrogen. Hydrogen is

a simple asphyxiant (SA). Oxygen levels should be maintained

above 19.5%

Maximum Impurities

< 1%

(100

ppm)

None of the trace impurities of this gas contribute significantly

to the hazards associated with the product. All hazard

information pertinent to this product has been provided in this

Material Safety Data Sheet, per the requirements of the Federal

Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standard (29

CFR 1910.1200), U.S. State equivalent Standards and Canadian

Workplace Hazardous Materials Identification System

Standards (CPR 4).

4. Hazard Identification

Dangerous Goods Class and Subsidiary Risk : 2.1

HSNO Classification : 2.1.1A

Hazard Statement : Extremely flammable gas.

Explosive; fire, blast or projection hazard.

Precautionary Statements

Read before label before use.

Read material safety data sheet before use.

Keep away from heat, sparks, open flames and hot surface.

No smoking.

Leaking gas fire: Do not extinguish, unless leak can be stopped safely.

Eliminate all ignition sources if safe to do so.

Store in a well ventilated place.

Do not subject to any rough handling (grinding/shock/friction/banging).

Explosion risk in case of fire.

Fight fire with normal precautions from a reasonable distance.

Take precautionary measures against static discharges.

Wear protective gloves and eye protection.

5. First Aid Measures

Health Effects

Acute

Swallowed: Not applicable to gases

Eye: Not irritating to the eye

Skin: Not irritating to the skin

Inhaled:

Hydrogen is non-toxic; by diluting the oxygen concentration in air below the level necessary to

support life; it can act as an asphyxiant. Effects of oxygen deficiency are:

16%: breathing and pulse rate increased, impaired thinking and attention, reduced coordination;

14%: Abnormal fatigue upon exertion, emotional upset, faulty coordination, poor judgement;

12.5%: Very poor judgement and coordination, impaired respiration that can cause permanent hearing damage, nausea and vomiting;

below 10%: Inability to perform various movements, loss of consciousness, convulsions, and death.

Chronic

Long term exposure to argon based mixtures has no known health effects. Prolonged exposure to an

oxygen deficient atmosphere (below 19% oxygen in air) may affect the heart and nervous system.

First Aid

Inhalation:

In high concentrations may cause asphyxiation. Symptoms may include loss of mobility/consciousness.

Remove victim to uncontaminated area whilst wearing self contained breathing apparatus. Victim may

not be aware of asphyxiation. Keep victim warm and rested. Call a doctor. Apply artificial respiration if

breathing stopped.

Advice to Doctor

Advise doctor that victim has been exposed to an oxygen deficient atmosphere.

General:

Rescuers should not enter an oxygen deficient atmosphere without using self-contained full face positive

pressure breathing equipment.

Rescue personnel should be aware of extreme fire hazard associated with hydrogen rich atmospheres.

6. Fire Fighting Measures

Flammability:

Highly flammable. Spontaneously flammable in air. Avoid all ignition sources.

Fire/Explosion Hazard:

Hydrogen is highly flammable and burns with almost invisible flame.

Exposure to fire my cause container to rupture/explode. Cylinders involved in a fire/explosion may rocket.

Move cylinders from vicinity of fire if safe to do so. Cool cylinders by spraying flooding quantities of

water from a protected location. If unable to keep cylinders cool, evacuate area, minimum distance 200

meters. Do not extinguish a leaking gas flame unless absolutely necessary. Spontaneous/explosive

re-ignition may occur.

Extinguish any other fire.

Extinguishing Media:

Water fog or fine water spray. Cool cylinders with water if possible.

Hazchem Code:

2 S E

Recommended Protective Clothing:

In confined space use self-contained breathing apparatus.

7. Accidental Release Measure

Personal Protection:

Personnel engaged in the movement of cylinders shall be provided with safety footwear, safety glasses

and leather or PVC gloves. Full cover overalls are recommended. In areas where equipment failure may

cause an immediate high concentration of hydrogen, ensure adequate ventilation and have approved

self-contained, full face respiratory equipment readily available for emergencies.

Spills and Disposal:

Ventilate area. Stop leak if it can be done without risk. Allow gas to dissipate to atmosphere. Prevent

from

entering sewers, basements and workpits, or any place where its accumulation can be dangerous.

Reference Guide:

Standard SNZ HB 76:2008 Dangerous Goods Initial Emergency Response Guide. AS/NZS 1337 Eye Protection for Industrial Applications AS/NZS 2161.1 Occupational Protective Gloves Selection, use and maintenance AS/NZS 1715 Selection, Use and Maintenance of Respiratory Protective Devices AS/NZS 1716 Respiratory Protective Devices

General:

Only experienced and properly instructed personnel should handle compressed gases. Open valve slowly

to avoid pressure shock. Cylinder contents and identification labels provided by the supplier must not be

removed or defaced. Colour coding should not be the only criterion used for content identification.

8. Handling and Storage

Handling

Flammability:


General:

Only experienced and properly instructed personnel should handle compressed gases. Open valve slowly

to avoid pressure shock. Cylinder contents and identification labels provided by the supplier must not be

removed or defaced. Colour coding should not be the only criterion used for content identification.

Approved Handlers:

Approved handlers are required if more than 100 m3 is stored on site.

Storage:

Storage of compressed gas cylinders shall be in compliance with New Zealand HSNO Regulations.

Cylinders will be kept away from ignition sources (including static discharges).

Cylinders shall be stored in a cool, dry, well ventilated area out of direct sunlight and away from heat and ignition sources.

No part of cylinders shall be exposed to temperatures above 50C.

Cylinders shall be stored upright on a level, fireproof floor, secured in position and protected from damage.

Full cylinders shall be stored separately from empties.

Cylinders should be moved by hand-truck or cart designed for that purpose.

Spills and Disposal:

Ventilate area. Stop leak if it can be done without risk. Allow gas to dissipate to atmosphere. Prevent

from

entering sewers, basements and workpits, or any place where its accumulation can be dangerous.

9. Exposure Controls, Personal Protection

Exposure Standards:

Simple asphyxiant.

Engineering Controls:

Provide adequate local exhaust and dilution (general) ventilation and supply sufficient replacement air to

maintain oxygen concentration above 19%.

Personal Protection:

Personnel engaged in the movement of cylinders shall be provided with safety footwear, safety glasses

and leather or PVC gloves. Full cover overalls are recommended. In areas where equipment failure may

cause an immediate high concentration of hydrogen, ensure adequate ventilation and have approved

self-contained, full face respiratory equipment readily available for emergencies.

Reference Guide:

AS/NZS 1337 Eye Protection for Industrial Applications

AS/NZS 2161.1 Occupational Protective Gloves Selection, use and maintenance

AS/NZS 1715 Selection, Use and Maintenance of Respiratory Protective Devices

AS/NZS 1716 Respiratory Protective Devices

10. Stability and Reactivity

Flammability:


Materials Compatibility:

Hydrogen is non-corrosive and can be used with all commonly used, non-reactive metals at room

temperature and low pressure. At higher pressures, hydrogen causes embrittlement of some materials,

particularly cold worked ferritic steels. Most elastomers are compatible with hydrogen.

11. Toxicological Information.

No known toxicological effects from this product.

12. Disposal Considerations

Do not discharge into areas where there is a risk of forming an explosive mixture with air. Waste gas

should be flared through a suitable burner with flash back arrestor. Do not discharge into any place where

its accumulation could be dangerous.

Methane

1. Product Name

CHEMICAL NAME; CLASS : Methane - CH4, Gaseous

Methane - CH4, Liquefied (Cryogenic)

PRODUCT USE: Fuel and for general analytic/synthetic chemical uses.


Molecular weight 16.05 g/mole

Molecular formula C-H4

Boiling/condensation point -161.6C (-258.9F)

Melting/freezing point -182.6C (-296.7F)

Critical temperature -82.4C (-116.3F)

Critical temperature 0.55 (Air = 1) Liquid Density@BP: 26.5 lb/ft3

(424.5 kg/m3)

Specific Volume (ft 3/lb) 23.6128

Gas Density (lb/ft 3) 0.04235


CHEMICAL

NAME

CAS # Mole % EXPOSURE LIMITS IN AIR

ACGIH-TLV OSHA-PEL NIOSH

IDLH

ppm

OTHER

ppm TLVp

pm

STEL

ppm

PEL

ppm

STEL

ppm

Methane 74-82-8

> 99%

There are no specific exposure limits for Methane. Methane is a

simple asphyxiant

(SA). Oxygen levels should be maintained above 19.5%.

Maximum Impurities

< 1%

None of the trace impurities in this product contribute

significantly to the hazards

associated with the product. All hazard information pertinent to

this product has been

provided in this Material Safety Data Sheet, per the requirements

of the OSHA Hazard

Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) and State

equivalent standards.


Symptoms of over exposure by route of exposure:

The most significant route of overexposure for this gas is by inhalation. The following paragraphs

describe symptoms of exposure by route of exposure.

Inhalation :

High concentrations of this gas can cause an oxygen deficient environment. Individuals breathing such an

atmosphere may experience symptoms which include headaches, ringing in ears, dizziness, drowsiness,

unconsciousness, nausea, vomiting, and depression of all the senses. Under some circumstances of

overexposure, death may occur. The effects associated with various levels of oxygen are as follows:

Concentration Symptoms of Exposure

12-16% Oxygen Breathing and pulse rate increased, muscular

coordination slightly disturbed.

10-14% Oxygen Emotional upset, abnormal fatigue, disturbed

respiration.

6-10% Oxygen Nausea and vomiting, collapse or loss of

consciousness.

Below 6% Convulsive movements, possible respiratory

collapse, and death.

Other potential health effects

Contact with cryogenic liquid or rapidly expanding gases (which are released under high pressure) may

cause frostbite. Symptoms of frostbite include change in skin color to white or grayish-yellow. The pain

after contact with the liquid can quickly subside.

Health effect or risks from exposure: (An Explanation in Lay Terms).

Overexposure to Methane may cause the following health effects:

1 Acute : The most significant hazard associated with this gas is inhalation of oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Symptoms of oxygen deficiency include respiratory difficulty, headache, dizziness,

and nausea. At high concentrations, unconsciousness or death may occur. Contact with cryogenic

liquid or rapidly expanding gases may cause frostbite.

2 Chronic: There are currently no known adverse health effects associated with chronic exposure to Methane.


Remove victim(s) to fresh air as quickly as possible. Trained personnel should administer supplemental

oxygen and/or cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, if necessary. Only trained personnel should administer

supplemental oxygen. In case of frostbite, place the frostbitten part in warm water. DO NOT USE HOT

WATER. If warm water is not available, or is impractical to use, wrap the affected parts gently in

blankets. Alternatively, if the fingers or hands are frostbitten, place the affected area in the armpit,

Encourage victim to gently exercise the affected part while being warmed. Seek immediate medical

attention. Victim(s) must be taken for medical attention. Rescuers should be taken for medical attention, if

necessary. Take copy of label and MSDS to physician or other health professional with victim(s).


Extinguishing Media : Dry chemical, carbon dioxide, or water.

Special Fire Fighting Instructions:

Evacuate all personnel from area. If possible, without risk, shut off source of methane, then fight fire

according to types of materials burning. Extinguish fire only if gas flow can be stopped. This will avoid

possible accumulation and re-ignition of a flammable gas mixture. Keep adjacent cylinders cool by

spraying with large amounts of water until the fire burns itself out. Self-contained breathing apparatus

(SCBA) may be required.

Unusual Fire and Explosion Hazards:

Most cylinders are designed to vent contents when

exposed to elevated temperatures. Pressure in a cylinder can build up due to heat and it may rupture

if pressure relief devices should fail to function.

Hazardous Combustion Products : Carbon monoxide


Steps to be taken is material is released or spilled :

Evacuate immediate area.

Eliminate any possible sources of ignition, and provide maximum explosion-proof ventilation.

Use a flammable gas meter (explosimeter) calibrated for Methane to monitor concentration.

Never enter an area where Methane concentration is greater than 1.0% (which is 20% of the lower flammable limit).

An immediate fire and explosion hazard exists when atmospheric Methane concentration exceeds 5.0%.

Use appropriate protective equipment (SCBA and fire resistant suit).

Shut off source of leak if possible. Isolate any leaking cylinder. If leak is from container, pressure relief device or its valve, contact your supplier.

If the leak is in the users system, close the cylinder valve, safely vent the pressure, and purge with an inert gas before attempting repairs.


Storage:

Store cylinders in a well-ventilated, secure area, protected from the weather.

Cylinders should be stored upright with valve outlet seals and valve protection caps in place.

There should be no sources of ignition.

All electrical equipment should be explosion-proof in the storage areas. Storage areas must meet National Electrical Codes for class 1 hazardous areas.

Flammable storage areas must be separated from oxygen and other oxidizers by a minimum distance of 20 ft. or by a barrier of non-combustible material at least 5 ft. high having a fire

resistance rating of at least _ hour. Post No Smoking or Open Flames signs in the storage or use areas.

Do not allow storage temperature to exceed 125 F (52 C). Storage should be away from heavily traveled areas and emergency exits.

Full and empty cylinders should be segregated.

Use a first-in first-out inventory system to prevent full containers from being stored for long periods of time.

Handling:

Do not drag, roll, slide or drop cylinder.

Use a suitable hand truck designed for cylinder movement.

Never attempt to lift a cylinder by its cap. Secure cylinders at all times while in use.

Use a pressure reducing regulator to safely discharge gas from cylinder.

Use a check valve to prevent reverse flow into cylinder. Never apply flame or localized heat directly to any part of the cylinder.

Do not allow any part of the cylinder to exceed 125 F (52 C).

Use piping and equipment adequately designed to withstand pressures to be encountered. Once cylinder has been connected to properly purged and inerted process, open cylinder valve slowly

and carefully. If user experiences any difficulty operating cylinder valve, discontinue use and

contact supplier.

Never insert an object (e.g., wrench, screwdriver, etc.) into valve cap openings. Doing so may damage valve causing a leak to occur.

Use an adjustable strap-wrench to remove over-tight or rusted caps. All piped systems and associated equipment must be grounded. Electrical equipment should be non-sparking or

explosion-proof.

Special Precautions:

Always store and handle compressed gas cylinders in accordance with Compressed Gas Association.

Local regulations may require specific equipment for storage or use.


i. Ventilation and engineering Controls:

Use with adequate ventilation. Local exhaust ventilation is preferred, because it prevents Methane

dispersion into the work place by eliminating it at its source. If appropriate, install automatic monitoring

equipment to detect the presence of potentially explosive air-gas mixtures and the level of oxygen.

Monitoring devices should be installed near the ceiling.

ii. Respiratory Protection :

Maintain oxygen levels above 19.5% in the workplace. Use supplied air respiratory protection if oxygen

levels are below 19.5% or during emergency response to a release of Methane. If respiratory protection is

required, follow the requirements of the Federal OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR

1910.134) or equivalent State standards.

iii. Eye Protection:

Splash goggles or safety glasses, for protection from rapidly expanding gases and splashes of liquid

Methane.

iv. Hand Protection:

Wear gloves resistant to tears when handling cylinders of Methane. Use low-temperature protective

gloves when working with containers of liquid Methane.

v. Body Protection :

Use body protection appropriate for task. Transfer of large quantities under pressure may require

protective equipment appropriate to protect employees from splashes of liquefied product, as well as fire

retardant items.


Stability : Stable.

Decomposition Products : When ignited in the presence of oxygen, this gas will burn to produce

carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide.

Materials with which Substance is Incompatible:

Strong oxidizers (e.g., chlorine, bromine pentafluoride, oxygen, oxygen difluoride, and nitrogen

trifluoride).

Hazardous polymerization : Will not occur.

Condition to Avoid :

Contact with incompatible materials and exposure to heat, sparks, and other sources of ignition. Cylinders

exposed to high temperatures or direct flame can rupture or burst.

11. Toxicological Information

Toxicity Data

Other toxic effects on humans : No specific information is available in our database regarding the other

toxic effects of this material to humans.

Specific effects

Carcinogenic effects : No known significant effects or critical hazards.

Mutagenic effects : No known significant effects or critical hazards.

Reproduction toxicity : No known significant effects or critical hazards.


Preparing Waste for Disposal : Product removed from the cylinder must be disposed of in accordance

with

appropriate Federal, State, and local regulations. Return cylinders with

residual product to Airgas. Do not dispose locally

Bio-oil

1. Product Name

Common name : Bio-oil

Other names : Pyrolysis oil, bio-crude-oil, bio-fuel-oil.

Packaging sizes : 25 kg drums, 200 kg drums and 1 tone containers.

Uses : Fuel for diesel engine and boiler, transportation fuels, chemicals (renewable energy)


The physical and chemical properties of the product may vary according to the used raw material, the

manufacturing technology and the delivered batch. The data below is representative of a typical.

Colour Dark brown viscous liquid

Odour Strong characteristic, smoky

Density Close to 1.2 kg/l

Water content 25 %

Water insoluble 20 % (pyrolytic lignin)

Log Pow No data available

Viscosity-kinematics cSt 225 at 20C; 30 at 50C

Surface tension mN/m 29.2

pH 2.5

Flash point Data is unreliable ranging from 40C to over

110C

Initial boiling point < 100C (beginning of the distillation)

Explosive properties Not heat or shock explosive

Vapour pressure Approximately 5 kPa at 38C

Pour point -20C

Auto ignition temperature About 500C

Miscible with Acetone, methanol, ethanol

Not miscible with Hydrocarbons; water above 50% weight

concentration


Technological processes used in production of the substance: Fast pyrolysis / Fluidized bed reactor /

Circulating fluidized bed / Ablative Pyrolysis reactor / Vacuum pyrolysis.

List of some chemicals that have been identified in the literature in biomass derived pyrolysis liquids. The

yield given is the largest reported yield on a wet liquid basis. Only those chemicals that have been

repeatedly reported are included.

Acids : Formic acid < 10% / Acetic acid 10%

Esters : Methyl formate < 1.9%

Alcohols : Methanol < 1.4% / Ethanol < 3.6% / Ethylene glycol < 1.1%

Aldehydes : Formaldehyde < 2.4% / Acetaldehyde < 8.5% / Glyoxal / Acroleine / Methylglyoxal < 4%

Ketones : Acetone < 2% / 2-Butanone

Phenols : Phenol < 2.1% / Methyl phenols / 2-Ethylphenol / Hydroquinone / Catechol < 5%

Guaiacols : 2-Methoxyphenol / 4-Methylguaiacol

Syringols : 2,6-Dimethoxyphenol

Sugars : Fructose / 1,6-anhydroglucofuranose

Furans : Fururyl alcohol < 5.2% / 2-Furanone

Misc. Oxygenates: Hydroxyacetaldehyde < 15.4% / Hydroxyacetone / Acetal

Alkenes : Dimethylcyclopentene

Nitrogen compounds: none


Fire and explosion hazard:

Flammable liquid at extremely high temperatures.

Slow evaporation rate.

Not an explosive when subjected to heat or shock.

Health hazard:

Primary routes of exposure: skin contact, eye contact, ingestion.

Eyes: Corrosive, causes burns, severe corneal injury.

Skin: Corrosive, causes burns or strong irritation.

Ingestion: Causes burns to mouth, oesophagus and gastrointestinal tract if swallowed.

Inhalation: Causes irritation to the respiratory tract.


Eyes:

Immediately flush eyes with plenty of tepid water for at least 15 minutes, occasionally lifting the

upper and lower lids.

Any contact lens must be removed. Get medical attention even if the injury appears to be mild.

Skin contact:

Remove all contaminated clothing immediately and wash affected skin area with soap and water.

Ingestion:

First immediately rinse your mouth several times with water. Should the product be swallowed

administer 2-3 glasses of water for dilution.

Do not induce vomiting. Stay calm and seek medical advice.

Inhalation:

If eye, nose or throat irritation from dust or mists develops, move to fresh air until symptoms

disappear.

Generalities:

Give nothing by mouth to an unconscious person.

If breathing is irregular or has stopped, give artificial respiration.

In all cases of doubt or if symptoms persists, seek medical attention and show this sheet to the

doctor.

Antidote:

No specific antidote exists. The product is acidic (pH 2 -3) and is partly soluble in water. Treat

symptomatically


Extinguishing media:

Water, carbon dioxide, foam, dry powder.

Use water spray to cool product containers and tanks near the fire.

Special exposure hazards in a fire:

Do not inhale smoke from the fire. Wear self-contained breathing apparatus and full protective

clothing.

Explosion risk due to pressure increase into containers placed near a fire.

The heat may melt the containers allowing the content to mix with extinguishing water.


Personal precautions : evacuate people upwind from the spill area.

Environmental precautions : do not allow the product to enter drains or surface water.

Methods for cleaning up:

To handle spills, the following preliminary advices are given.

Small quantities (< 1000 ml)

The suggested actions for such spillage are:

Wear rubber gloves and suitable eye and face protection. If there is an inadequate ventilation, a

suitable organic vapours filter mask or NIOSH approved respirator must be worn. Cover

contaminated area with an inert adsorbent e.g. vermiculite, sawdust. Take up the used adsorbent and

place it in a container for disposal or incineration.

Large quantities (> 1000 ml)

For spillage of significant quantities first evacuate rapidly workers present in the area and then take

the same actions as described above.


Handling

Combustible.

Keep away from sources of ignition. Take precautionary measures (e.g. earthing) against

electrostatic discharges.

While transferring the product and opening containers, avoid inhalation of vapours or gases.

Ensure good ventilation when handling the product.

During tank cleaning operations follow special instructions provided by the manufacturer.

Storage

The product must be stored in containers suitable for combustible liquids and resistant to acids.

Keep containers tightly closed at temperatures below 25C in a ventilated area. The product

contains compounds that may either consume oxygen creating an under-pressure in the container;

or may emit vapours that create an overpressure in the container.

Recommended storage materials: acid-proof steel, plastics (PETE, PP, HDPE). Filled containers may be

gently heated to not more than 50C before use for transfer of contents.


Engineering controls

Provide local and general exhaust ventilation to effectively remove and prevent vapors and mists

generated from the handling of this product. Ensure that eyewash station and safety showers are proximal

to the workplace location.

Personal protective equipment:

Eyes/Face

Wear safety glasses, chemical goggles if splashing is possible, or to prevent eye irritation from

heated vapours or mists.

Skin/Hands/Feet

Wear chemically resistant gloves (nitrile gloves or thermally insulated gloves when handling hot

products) and footwear with good traction to avoid slipping.

If splashing or contact with hot material is possible, consider the need for use of an impervious

overcoat.

Remove contaminated clothing and clean before reuse. Fire resistant or natural fibre clothing is

recommended.

Respiratory

If ventilation is not sufficient to effectively prevent aerosols or vapours, or if airborne

concentrations are above the applicable exposure limits, use a NIOSH approved organic vapour

cartridge respirator.

Air supplied breathing apparatus must be used when airborne concentration may exceed the limits

of the air purifying respirator used.

General

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should not be considered a long-term solution to exposure

control.

Consult a competent industrial hygiene resource, the PPE manufacturers recommendation,

and/or applicable regulations to determine hazard potential and ensure adequate protection.

Threshold Limit Values (MAK-values) of some chemicals:

Chemical name CAS# MAK-values in ppm or ml/m3

Acetaldehyde 75-07-0 50

Acetone 67-64-1 500

Formic acid 64-18-6 5

Acetic acid 64-19-7 10

Methanol 67-56-1 200

Formaldehyde 50-00-0 0.3

Furfuryl alcohol 98-00-0 10


Chemical stability : stable under normal conditions of use and storage.

Chemical stability : conditions to avoid

Heating above 100C : polymerization may occur with release of harmful or toxic fumes (carbon

monoxide carbon dioxide, formic acid, formaldehyde, methanol, acetaldehyde, acroleine and other

organic compounds).

Corrosivity : reacts with mild steel and impure copper due to high acidity.

11. Toxicological Information.

This sample has been obtained under operating condition of temperature of 500C.

LD50 (oral, rat): >2000 mg/kg/body weight

7-days oral, gavage, rats: At 150 mg/kg/body weight, there were no clinical signs of toxicity, a

slight reduction in the body weight gain of the females and no effect on food consumption. No

macroscopic abnormalities were observed.

Acute dermal toxicity: Test not performed as the product is corrosive.

Dermal Irritation (rabbit): Corrosive

Eye Irritation (not done for ethical reason): Corrosive

Inhalation: Avoid inhalation as the product may contain hazardous substances depending on the

manufacture process and temperature.

Skin sensitization (LLNA, mice): Moderate sensitizer

Mutagenic tests:

a. Ames test (Salmonella typhimurium): Positive, the product is mutagenic in this test.

b. Bone marrow micronucleus test by oral route gavage in mice: Negative

c. Micronucleus test in L5178 TK mouse lymphoma cells: Light mutagenic activity

Teratogenicity: No known or listed teratogenic effects.

Reproductive effects: No information available.

Neurotoxicity: No information available.

The product contains traces of substances classified as carcinogenic (e.g. formaldehyde,

acetaldehyde, and furfural).


Product waste is classified as hazardous waste. Do not allow this product to reach drains or ground water.

Follow national and municipal regulations obtained from local authorities.

16. Appendix 5

Figure 1: Treated water standard

Figure 2: Air pollutant emission standard [21]

Table 1: Main environmental pollution and pollution control method

Type of

pollution

Source Control method

Dust Generated from receiving & grinding of EFB

EFB is stored in closed compound to reduce dust traveling and protect the EFB from unwanted pollutants

Ash Generated from furnace due to burning of charcoal

Furnace is installed with a filter to control the emission of gas to the atmosphere

The ash will be spray with some ash water to keep dust free and the ash is transported by open truck to designated area.

The collected ash can sell to cement manufactured or used as fertilizer.

Carbon

dioxide

Generated from high pressure thermal treatment of bio oil to reduce the oxygen content in oil.

The carbon dioxide is collected using scrubber to react with hydrogen to form methane gas via methanation.

The methane gas act as by product and sell to market.

Aqueous

effluents

Generated due to high pressure thermal treatment of bio oil

The aqueous effluent consists of mixture of organic matter such as acetic acid, ethylene glycol and acetone.

The organic matter is hydrolysis to form hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide.

The carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas is reacted in methanation process.

Carbon

monoxide

Generated from pyrolysis process of EFB

Carbon monoxide is found in the non-condensable gas from the vapor.

The carbon monoxide which has the flammable properties is burned in furnace to reduce the toxic emission.

Organic

waste water

Generated from the hydrodeoxygenation process of bio oil

The water is treated via anaerobic digestion which will produce methane gas to produce energy for the plant.

feasibility report

Documents

biological conversion

pyrolysis process

examples of conversion

best efb conversion

thermochemical conversion

fermentation of efb

summary of pyrolysis

different process route