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Equipment selection may be easy using our
equipment selection matrix. Ask about it and we
will be happy to include it in your business plan
kit.
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Equipment Selection and Technology
BBP Advantage
Our clients have a very special advantage. Because our staff has hands on
experience working at and operating biodiesel equipment we are able to share
that knowledge with our customers. Having this edge on the competition can
pay for itself many times over by avoiding unnecessary pitfalls and wrong
turns.
Biodiesel Business Plans is not in the equipment business, and as such we
try to remain as equipment agnostic as possible. However we do feel
that it is absolutely beneficial and necessary for our clients to have the best
information possible to make the right decision for each business plan. Each project requires a processor solution carefully selected to best
suit your needs.
The following information should help to sort things out.
Choosing a Biodiesel Equipment Manufacturer
All biodiesel is made from a combination of an alcohol and
triglycerides. All reputable biodiesel equipment manufacturers build
equipment to accomplish this task.
However, making the decision of which manufacturer to select
can be somewhat daunting. There seems to be many processes available, even
more technology claims, and even more companies to choose from. It seems
like every day, I see new companies popping up, claiming a new improved
process that will deliver a better product and save time and money.
Buying Biodiesel Equipment
should be considered similar to any other
capital equipment acquisition. Clear thinking, due diligence, and a bit of
homework will reward you with a reliable and productive product. This
process is not difficult, and the decision-making process boils down to a
few simple considerations.
Waterless Wash is
one of the primary choices to consider. You must decide whether or not you
are willing to accept the now out of date water washing process. Many
manufactures are still selling this type of system. Most people know by now
using water to clean fuel, pulls you into two major pitfalls.
First, water
contaminates biodiesel fuel, and contributes to oxidization and fuel
instability. Customers are aware of this problem and many will ask if your
process is waterless. Be careful, some companies say “we use no water” but
internally they are dumping water into the fuel, only to spend more money to
“boil” it out later for recycling. Don’t be fooled. That’s water wash.
The
second problem is the
Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA is sharply intolerant of pollution and the water process uses and
contaminates a lot of water. This requires licenses, permits, and costly
fees. Along with those costs are higher capital equipment costs to pay for
water treatment, add to that the reoccurring cost to purify all that water.
Note: Any system
can be converted to waterless wash. Almost all smaller systems for sale on
the market today suggest using water to wash the fuel. Why? Because water
wash equipment is cheap and most companies don't understand the technology.
BBP can help you make that decision.
Pipe to pipe or
Turnkey
options. Have it your way! It may be most
economical to locate a property with an existing building or even a tank
farm. Possible candidates for a great site are out of service chemical
plants, food processing plants, agricultural processing plants, and fuel
depots. Obtaining a property with existing structures can save a lot of
money. A dedicated
manufacturing plant is a good
thing to have. Many suppliers don’t have a manufacturing plant. Their
products may vary from one unit to the next. Even worse, prices are forced
up with out mass production economics. Before you make your decision make
sure you are buying equipment from an actual manufacturer. Ask to see the
manufacturing facility so you can see the units being built. Only a few
companies will offer to take you on a tour of the manufacturing plant or one
of the existing biodiesel facilities.
Installation and field service is an
absolute must if your considering a plant of over 500,000 gallons per year.
Some companies may offer discount equipment, be careful. Systems are complex
and lost production time is very costly. Find out how many field service
people are in your area and how long to respond to a service call.
Installation costs are equally important. Large systems are extremely
complex and installation is typically 3 to 4 times the cost of the
processor. Make sure you get all the facts up front.
Batch or Continuous flow?
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Continuous flow is the way of the future for
professional operations. The old Batch Process will always hold its place in
the history of biodiesel, and is still the favorite for smaller operations. For modern commercial
production above 1 million annual gallons, the only answer is continuous flow.
Continuous flow computer controlled systems run around the clock
with minimum supervision, pumping out quality fuel nonstop.
Existing Plants, Up and Running -
what ever you do, don’t be the test monkey. Make sure you are not the first
person to buy into an undocumented design. There are many good engineers and
enthusiastic sales people out there who would really like to use
your
money to test out
their
idea for a “new and improved” biodiesel
plant. You’re walking on thin ice. Go with a company who has many years of
experience under the belt, and take a tour of an existing system before you
buy. Demand to see an actual commercial plant. Not just drawings, or models.
Shop around, because the more you know about Biodiesel you can narrow down
the field pretty fast.
Frequently Asked Questions |
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Feedstock Choices |
The base for all biodiesel is a molecule cluster know as
Triglyceride. Triglycerides are made up of one glycerin molecule, and
three fatty acid chains. A wide range of products contain triglycerides,
most are suitable for biodiesel production. Options can be divided into
two groups; seed oils, and rendered animal fats. Animal fats and various
seed oils have slightly different chemical composition of the fatty acid
chain and produce slightly different characteristics in the biodiesel.
The primary difference is the cloud point difference. Typically animal
fats have a higher cloud point temperature. Higher temperatures mean the
fuel will cloud at a sooner as it cools down. Not good for cold weather.
The spread is minor, about 10
degrees from seed to animal fats, but its enough that in very cold areas
animal fat based biodiesel must be diluted to B-5 or B-10. |
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Seed oils for feedstock |
Seed oils include but not limited to; soy, canola,
castor, palm, cotton seed, mustard seed, corn, jatropha, moringa, and
many others. The main difference here is that some crops produce much
higher quantities of oil per acre - not of much concern to biodiesel
producers except for the cost and availability. Almost all are easy to
work with and produce ASTM quality fuel. |
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FFA (Free fatty acid) |
FFA is the level
of material in the feedstock that can not be made into biodiesel
without esterification. Esterification is the process of using acid to
convert the FFA into usable oil or methyelester biodiesel.
There are a few different ways to remove the FFA.
1. Acid, 2. Dry Resin, 3. Stripping off FFA.
Acid has been around for a while. Its costly and messy and has
toxic waste or expensive water treatment.
Dry resin is very clean, but the technology is just now being
perfected.
FFA stripping has been around for years and is reliable and very
low cost to operate and does not produce any toxic waste, but equipment
costs are higher than acid or resin. |
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Rendered animal fats as feedstock
Performance
Information for animal fat biodiesel. |
When livestock
is processed, a large quantity of fat is removed. This material is high
in triglycerides. This molecule is basically the same as seed oils. And
will produce high quality ASTM specification biodiesel. Some animal fats
may contain phosphorous that may exceed ASTM limits, get analysis from
supplier. Typical feed stocks include chicken fat, edible tallow and pork
fat. FFA content ranges from 2% to 10%. |
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BioFuel and hybrid bio mix diesel |
There are many
experimental fuels that are in the news today. Raw vegetable oil, blends
of methanol and vegetable oil, ethanol mixed with petro-diesel, and
several others. There is only one true biodiesel and that involves a
chemical reaction between methanol, catalyst, and triglycerides, and it
produces biodiesel, and glycerin as a by product.
There are NO engine companies that recommend using raw vegetable oil, or
ethanol, or alcohol blends with vegetable oil or diesel fuel. Only true
biodiesel is engine compatible. Other methods cause engine wear. |
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Catalyst |
Any strong acid
or base can be used to trigger the chemical reaction to make biodiesel.
Typically sodium methylate, or potassium methylate is used. These
products come in liquid form in a 30% solution of methanol. These are
very easy to work with. Some systems are able to use dry potassium but
mixing and measuring may not be as easy. Also dry potassium may create
water as part of the chemical reaction which will cause soap to form or
degrade the biodiesel. |
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Feedstock oil dryers |
All commercial
biodiesel equipment comes standard with an oil dryer. Water produces
soap in the reaction. Look for low operation cost and simplistic design. |
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Reactors |
There are quite
a few types of reactors on the market; jet pump, mechanical paddles,
propellers, cavitation, ultrasonic, high shear, and reagent chemical.
What you are looking for is a simple, tried and true method that is low
cost to operate and easy to fix if it breaks down. One of the most
confusing claims concerns high speed reactors. Reactor speed is totally
not important. Total annual gallons output and cost of operation. |
| Batch or continuous flow |
Batch systems are perfect for smaller
operations that may have interrupted feedstock availability. Batch
systems usually has a lower investment but also require more operator
attention. Continuous flow is the choice of commercial production.
Generally higher initial cost, but very small units have high
throughput and requires fewer operators. |
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Glycerin removal |
A variety of
methods are available, simple settling tanks are used with batch and
continuous, centrifuges, molecule accumulators, and even some chemicals.
Centrifuges take up very little space, but require routine maintenance,
consume power, and may not be suitable for rendered fat operations. Look
for something simple and reliable. |
| Cleaning the Fuel. |
Cleaning the fuel, has several nick
names, from washing, cleaning, polishing, finishing, and a few others.
What cleaning really means is removing the residual catalyst from the
fuel after the reaction occurs. All process
require cleaning. There are three major systems all with major
differences.
- Water Wash
- Magnesol Chemical
- Dry Resin Ion Exchange
Each method is described below. |
| Cleaning fuel - Water wash |
The oldest yet still widely used method
is simply to stir water in with the fuel and let it settle to the
bottom. The idea is that the free catalyst easily dissolves into water
and falls to the bottom when the oil base fuel rises to the top.
Pros: For very small systems its is so so.. never the first
choice but its very cheap and easy to do.
Cons: Does it work? Sort of. The problem is that water
contaminates the fuel, AND because the water wash has soaked up all
the excess catalyst and methanol, you now have a large stream of
contaminated water. Must have water treatment system. Permitting may
be an issue. |
| Cleaning fuel - Magnesol |
Maganesol is a waterless system.
Maganesol (magnesium silicate) is an absorbent and works like
diatamatious earth in a swimming pool filter - soaking up the water
soluble contaminants . It is a fine powder that is mixed into the
fuel.
Pros: Its better than water. Relatively inexpensive operating
cost.
Cons: Do we have room here? Its toxic. Its very messy. Once it
absorbs the impurities in the fuel, its gummy, gooey, hazardous and
difficult to filter out of the fuel. filters plug constantly and it is
a very labor intensive job to keep production running smoothly. |
| Cleaning fuel - Ion Resin |
Ion resin is small beads coated with an
hard acidic material. The beads sit in a canister with a mesh screen
at the bottom. Similar to coffee in a percolator. The fuel is pored
over the top of the column and the fuel runs through the beads. The
acidic coating reacts with the catalyst, neutralizing the fuel.
Resulting salts stick to the beads. fuel is squeaky clean, and very
dry.
Pro: High quality fuel, no water, no toxic waste, very low
operator maintenance, very stable and predictable to use.
Con: Requires special tanks to operate - not a huge issue,
operation cost is about 5 cents per gallon of fuel produced - but in
the long run it still may be cheaper than purifying water or disposal
of toxic magnesol. |
| Methanol Removal |
Methanol is consumed into the biodiesel
at about 10% of the mass and becomes the methyl ester molecule. In
order to "push" reaction, extra methanol is normally added. The extra
methanol ends up in the biodiesel, and the glycerin. Excess methanol
must be removed from the fuel. Most systems will have some sort of
dryer or still to remove the excess methanol. Look for reliable, easy
to use, low operation cost, and proven. |
| Storage of raw material and finished product |
All the materials used in making
biodiesel can be stored in carbon steel tanks, stainless tanks,
plastic tanks, or aluminum tanks. Typically larger installations use
carbon steel tanks. |
| Glycerin Refining |
Crude glycerin is the byproduct of
biodiesel processing. Crude glycerin has many uses, but a very low
value. Refining glycerin into "Technical Grade" glycerin increases the
value by 25 times over. As of March 2008, "tech grade" glycerin is
over $5.00 gallon. Good refining equipment will pay for its self
in one year. |
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