(165a) Techno-Economic Analysis of Integrated Biodiesel Production Plants

Over the past few decades, there has been an increasing level of interest in the area of renewable fuels. In this context, one of the key challenges has been the development of cutting-edge research on producing sustainable bio-fuels. While biodiesel and other bio-based fuel will not totally eradicate the use of fossil fuels, they can work in tandem and therefore extend the life of the diminishing fossil fuel reserves. Biodiesel can be blended with petroleum derived diesel. Various sources of feedstocks may be used in producing biodiesel. These sources include palm, soybean, sunflower, peanut, olive, rapeseed, cottonseed, safflower and seasame oils. The objective of this work is to develop a flexible design and the associated scheduling and operating schemes for a biodiesel facility that can operate using multiple feedstocks so as to enhance the process flexibility, throughput, and cost effectiveness. First, a preliminary flowsheet is synthesized. Process simulation of a single feedstock is examined. Next, multiple feedstocks are incorporated so as to insure process flexibility. Mass and energy integration are carried out to conserve process resources and reduce the cost. Finally, economic and technical data are used to determine optimal scheduling and operating strategies. To demonstrate the applicability of the developed approach, a case study on the production of 30,000 gallons/day of biodiesel is addressed and the resulting technical and economic results are analyzed.