(14b) Building a First of Its Kind Technology – Process Development from Idea to Commercialization

Building a First of Its Kind Technology – Process Development from Idea to Commercialization

Scaling a first of its kind technology is an exciting challenge that requires focus on the end goal.  This presentation focuses on a case study of building the world’s first commercial scale supercritical biodiesel reactor system which wone.  It highlights the process development decisions required to scale from bench to pilot to commercial, including aspects of design, build, and commissioning at each scale. 

The decisions made in the early stages of process development can have critical impacts on whether or not the project is able to move on to the next phase.  This presentation will include key design decisions for the scaling of major unit operations throughout the process.  This considers materials of construction, yield per unit operation, OPEX and CAPEX cost estimating. 

Feedstock characterization, process conversion and finishing are the building blocks of biorefining production. Of the three, feedstock characterization is usually underestimated. The lack of depth in the understanding of feedstock’s impact on the business plan has led to challenges that can be avoided. This presentation will take the time to indicate how feedstock characterization impacts process development.