TY - JOUR
T1 - Technical-economic feasibility study of the installation of biodiesel from microalgae crops in the Atacama Desert of Chile
AU - Santander, C.
AU - Robles, P. A.
AU - Cisternas, L. A.
AU - Rivas, M.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful to CICITEM (Project R07F1001 ) and the University of Antofagasta for the support of this research.
PY - 2014/9
Y1 - 2014/9
N2 - In the last decade, there has been a remarkable advance in the development of biodiesel from raw materials, highlighting various studies on the use of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and microalgae. A process flow sheet for biodiesel production from microalgae Botryococcus braunii under alkaline conditions on a commercial scale was developed. Detailed operating conditions and equipment designs for this process were obtained. A technological assessment of this process was conducted to evaluate the technical benefits and limitations. Parameters investigated in the sensitivity analysis were the selling price of biodiesel, oil prices fed, credit glycerin and discount rate, which proved to be the most significant variables affecting the economic viability of the process. These parameters were analyzed using statistical analysis with an experimental design. Economic evaluation of the transesterification process with a base catalysis from microalgae (75,000 tons/year) was performed. The net present value of the process is MUS $ 159.12, the positive value of the net income, for a number of periods equal to 15 years, and a discount rate of 12%, indicated that the project is profitable. The alkali-catalyzed transesterification process using microalgae proved to be technically feasible, thereby making it a competitive alternative to current commercial productions of biodiesel.
AB - In the last decade, there has been a remarkable advance in the development of biodiesel from raw materials, highlighting various studies on the use of microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast and microalgae. A process flow sheet for biodiesel production from microalgae Botryococcus braunii under alkaline conditions on a commercial scale was developed. Detailed operating conditions and equipment designs for this process were obtained. A technological assessment of this process was conducted to evaluate the technical benefits and limitations. Parameters investigated in the sensitivity analysis were the selling price of biodiesel, oil prices fed, credit glycerin and discount rate, which proved to be the most significant variables affecting the economic viability of the process. These parameters were analyzed using statistical analysis with an experimental design. Economic evaluation of the transesterification process with a base catalysis from microalgae (75,000 tons/year) was performed. The net present value of the process is MUS $ 159.12, the positive value of the net income, for a number of periods equal to 15 years, and a discount rate of 12%, indicated that the project is profitable. The alkali-catalyzed transesterification process using microalgae proved to be technically feasible, thereby making it a competitive alternative to current commercial productions of biodiesel.
KW - Biodiesel
KW - Botryococcus braunii
KW - Microalgae
KW - Process design
KW - Transesterification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84900394839&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.03.038
DO - 10.1016/j.fuproc.2014.03.038
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84900394839
SN - 0378-3820
VL - 125
SP - 267
EP - 276
JO - Fuel Processing Technology
JF - Fuel Processing Technology
ER -