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cost to build biodiesel plantThe cost to build biodiesel plant obviously depends on the size of plant you're planning to build. However, for the purposes of this article, we'll assume you're thinking more than a few gallons in your back garden and less than`a sclaed up, industrial-strength facility. Again, cost to build biodiesel plant depends on how much of the actual building you're capable of doing yourself, or indeed are minded to. Given the potentially dangerous nature of the processes involved, the hazzardous materials involved etc, there are standards that kit should be built to. As such, most people's ideas of 'building' biodiesel plant reall surround election and installation of various pre-built elements to cover the various stages of the process. Our second assumption will be that costs involved in that are what are being referred to by cost to build biodiesel plant. Quality is all important, especially if producing biodiesel on any kind of scale. Thus, it makes sense to buy pre-developed kit. The stages and equipment required tend to be as follows: 1. Mixing 2. Reaction 3. Settlement / Separation 4. Washing 5. Filtration / Polishing 1. Mixing Mixing of your base product and catalysts. Typically, vegetable oil, methanol and caustic soda. Equipment-wise, this is often done in the reactor tank used in the second stage. If making biodiesel on any scale, it's likely that you'll wan to use soem kind of metered mixing setup. 2. Reaction This is where the heating of the mix and creation of your biodiesel actually happens. This element of the cost to build biodiesel plant really depends on the size, obviously, and what features are included. Many units offer metered / automated mixing and pressurised reaction. As a guide, a good, well featured reactor unit of ab out 400l size, with a high throughput could cost in the region of £7,000 to £9,000 or so. 3. Settlement / Seperation This can either be done in the reactor unit, or the unsettled biodiesel can be run off to seperate seperately, should you be looking for a high throughput / high ROCE on your reactor costs. Obviously, if settling in the reactor unit, then this stage has no impact on your cost to build biodiesel plant. However, seperate seperation units are available, ranging from simple tanks retailing for under £1,000 to centrifugal seperator units costing several thousand pounds. The latter would probably be out of the scope of the setup being outlined here though, hence the mere mention of its existence, rather than an accurate costing. 4. Washing After seperation, gross impurities are removed from the biodiesel. While water washing used to be an accepted approach, dry washing using a Magnesol type product is becoming the defacto standard, offering, as it does, a much higher quality product without the need to remove soaps and elements water washing can introduce. A similar quality unit to those mentioned so far could cost in the region of £2,500. 5. Filtration / Polishing Final completion of your biodisel product. While Magnesol washing alone can produce somewhat crude, but useable biodiesel, polishing is recommended in order to assure a consistently high quality product. A filtration / polishing unit could cost in the region of £2,000. Saving on the cost to build biodiesel plantAs with any clued up industry, manufacturers realise you'll need to purchase various items of equipment and are keen to make sure you get the lot from them. Thus, reduced cost packages are always available. As an example, a complete biodiesel plant encompassing all of the above elements can be had from UKFuelTech for a cost in the region of £13,000.biodiesel in the newsEU biodiesel production up 16%, says industry - ENDS Europe (subscription) EU records biodiesel growth but fight will intensify: update - AgraNet (subscription) EU biodiesel 2009: ups and downs - Biofuels International Biodiesel production in Europe increases 16.6% in 2009 - StrategyEye BioVerde ramps up biodiesel production - Biofuels International FocusUS fuel blenders prefer paper to biodiesel - ICIS (subscription) |
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