DESIGN IV MINI PROJECT 2021

(Simulated Community Project)

1 PROPOSAL
A community of young farmers has decided to be self sufficient in fuel supply – specifically, the diesel
required for the operation of farm machinery. They propose to construct and run a biodiesel
manufacturing plant, fed with vegetable oil produced on their own farms. The community requires an
annual supply of 20 000 tonnes of biodiesel, and are prepared to sell any excess. They have approached
you to perform a preliminary investigation of the feasibility of such a process, before taking the idea nay
further. They have given you one week to report back.

Perform a preliminary investigation to test whether such an idea could be feasible.

2 GUIDELINES
1. What is biodiesel, and why has its production increased dramatically over th epast few decades.
2. Explain the concept of transesterification using chemical equations, and an overview of the process
using a block flow diagram.
3. Perform a literature survey on the production of biodiesel. List at least 5 processing routes found in
the literature. Expalin each route conceptually, using a block flow diagram. Select one that you will
prefer to take to the next level. Justify your choice. Your literature search must not be limited to
thoose supplied in the references section below.
4. For your selected processing route, draw a process flow diagram, showing the different subsystems.
Use the material balance published in the literature to estimate the required feed material to meet
the required production capacity.
5. Perform a preliminary economic analysis and advise on the prospects of a break-even operation.
What are the major factors affecting the economics of the process? How can the negative factors
be mitigated?
6. What is the likely environmental impact of the process?
7. Do you recommend that they proceed to do a more detailed investigation, or should they abandon
any pospect of success?

3 REPORT
Submit a < 15-page report, including cover pages and references, detailing your procedure, findings and
recommendations to the farming community.

REFERENCES
1. Str. Skarlis, E. Kondili, J.K. Kaldellis,, Small-scale biodiesel production economics: a case study
focus on Crete Island, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 20, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 20-26
2. A.A. Apostolakou, I.K. Kookos, C. Marazioti, K.C. Angelopoulos, Techno-economic analysis of a
biodiesel production process from vegetable oils, Fuel Processing Technology, Volume 90, Issues
7–8, 2009, Pages 1023-1031
4 MARKING RUBRIC

Missing/
Inadequate Acceptable Good Excellent
insignificant
0 2 3 4 5
Biodiesel: definition, chemical
structure, preparation, uses,
advantages/disadvantages.
Production levels: Valid
reasons for increase in
production.
Transesterification: Chemical
concept, conditions, typical
feeds, products and by-
products,
Process overview:
Block flow diagrams, processes
and sub-processes.
Processing alternatives: Clear
distinction of 5 different
processing routes.
Choice of prefered route, with
justification.
BFD of selected process, with
material balance and stream
table.
Gross profitability analysis:
Costs of raw material and
expected revenue. Referenced
data sources.
Environmental impact: by-
products and mitigation.
Recommendation
Quality of Presentation:
 Formatting consistency
 No white spaces in
document
 Cover page, contents,
synopsis,
 In-line referencing using
referencing software.
 Neatly bound document