Technology Benefits
In many ways, Plasma Blue technology is similar to conventional biodiesel transesterification, in that it requires an oil, alcohol and catalyst, which are then converted to biodiesel and glycerin.
However, the use of Plasma Blue technology is much simpler, smaller, quicker and less expensive, creating great operational opportunities for significant OpEx and CapEx savings for biodiesel and ethanol plants.
Results you can see.
Let’s face it, producing fuel, whether petroleum-based or bio-based, is a game of pennies and the producers with the lowest cost of production will always win. In biodiesel production, most savings come from lower priced feedstocks, the reduction of catalyst cost, the amount of energy used in the process and the price received from each gallon sold.
Enter Plasma Blue, a revolutionary new technology that creates biodiesel at a dramatically lower production cost while integrating easily into existing biodiesel plants, new greenfield plants, as well as ethanol plants.
- Lower cost catalyst, thus dramatically reducing the cost per-gallon of biodiesel produced.
- Ability to lower their energy cost and enhance facility Carbon Intensity (CI) score.
- Depending primarily on the size, this reactor technology can be powered through wind and solar energy, further adding to its appeal and diversity of plant locations.
- Because of the speed of the reaction, the creation of out-of-spec product is dramatically reduced or almost eliminated with this technology. Plasma Blue’s technology, may also be used as a means of re-processing out-of-spec product with minimal effects to an existing process.
- Plasma Blue technology has a very small physical footprint and modular design. This allows existing plants to increase plant production without expensive shut down times or expansions of plant footprints, which can require along permitting process. Producers can scale production up incrementally, without requiring vast floor space for process tanks. This technology easily fits into almost all existing biodiesel plants without exterior expansion.
- Lower cost catalyst, thus dramatically reducing the cost per-gallon of biodiesel produced.
- Ability to lower their energy cost and enhance facility Carbon Intensity (CI) score.
- Depending primarily on the size, this reactor technology can be powered through wind and solar energy, further adding to its appeal and diversity of plant locations.
- Because of the speed of the reaction, the creation of out-of-spec product is dramatically reduced or almost eliminated with this technology. Plasma Blue’s technology, may also be used as a means of re-processing out-of-spec product with minimal effects to an existing process.
- Low CapEx, due to Plasma Blue technology having a very small physical footprint and modular design.
The typical production process also only allows for the use of methanol, whereas plasma reaction can effectively convert using ethanol. The use of ethanol has long been known as a possible alternative but has never been done cost effectively until now.
There are several advantages the plasma technology can provide to ethanol plants that choose to convert corn oil into biodiesel. These include:
- For a 50-million gallon ethanol plant, creating biodiesel using your own corn oil and ethanol could create an additional $600,000 in revenue each year.
- Potential improvement in CARB score that may affect both the biodiesel value but also may increase the value of the interplant’s production.
- Due to the compact size of the Plasma unit, ethanol plants can easily add the technology to their current process.
By the numbers.
With Plasma Blue technology, biodiesel plant owners could realize 5 to 8 cents per gallon savings in production cost due to the reduction of catalyst cost, amount of energy used in the process and the price received from each gallon sold.
Plasma Blue technology has the potential to enhance a plant’s overall carbon score. Depending on available incentives, this can be worth up to 15 cents per gallon, netting a 30 -million gallon plant $4.5 million annually.
For a 50-million gallon ethanol plant, creating biodiesel using your own corn oil and ethanol could create an additional $600,000 in revenue each year.
For certain conditions, Plasma Blue technology can save plants nearly $100,000 per year by re-processing out-of-spec biodiesel.