Overcoming the 4 Biggest Challenges Facing Biodiesel Producers

by Julie Valentine (Refining Flow Solutions, Emerson Automation Solutions/Biofuels Digest) ... As demand increases, so too do the challenges for energy producers, including diversity of feedstocks, reliability of equipment, ever-changing regulatory standards and low-carbon outputs.

Automation technologies, software and analytics are vital tools to navigate these challenges – yet the industry is just beginning to tap into their potential. When used the right way, they can help jump-start the renewable energy industry while laying the groundwork for long-term sustainability.

Feedstock flexibility: What do yak fat, cooking oil and agricultural waste have in common?

Biodiesel production typically requires a more expensive buy-in due to a number of factors, starting with the extreme differences in feedstock sources – chicken fats, soybean oil, corn oil, forest residue and more. This kind of feedstock variability, all of which have different fluid properties associated with them, poses challenges to the way facilities determine everything from fluid dynamics to maintenance to production forecasting.

Some of the world’s largest producers of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel produced from renewable waste implement software and technology to digitally automate and optimize production. Singapore-based Neste, for example, expanded its refinery to have additional capacity to produce up to 1 million tons of sustainable aviation fuel and renewable raw materials for polymers and chemicals, which supports the company’s goal to reduce customers’ greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 million tons annually by 2030.

Equipment reliability: Monitoring assets and preventing corrosion

One of the ways biorefineries can lower their carbon footprint is by operating their processes more efficiently, minimizing downtime and actively monitoring equipment performance.

An example of this is utilizing wireless, ultrasonic sensors that can continuously monitor the thickness in pipes and in vessels.

Play by the rules: Meeting regulatory standards

Biofuel production can be a more complicated process than its fossil fuel-based equivalent, which leads the regulatory framework surrounding the industry is becoming increasingly complex. Depending on the country, companies face different regulations on everything from taxes to government incentives. In order to meet these extensive reporting requirements, renewable diesel plants need to gather and integrate data from many sources including the fuels pathway, modes of transportation of feedstocks and products, energy usage, contracts and invoices.

From well to wheel: Sustainability solutions and metrics

The last major challenge renewable diesel producers face is delivering a low-carbon product at all stages of the lifecycle of the product. As sustainability standards increasingly incorporate scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions, biorefineries must be more mindful of everything from how they source feedstocks, produce the fuels, transport their product, and finally to its end use as a transportation fuel.

To help support tracking of emissions during the production phase, continuous and predictive emissions monitoring technology can be integrated into combustion operations to monitor and optimize those processes. Gaining a better understanding of emissions generated during various operational modes and scenarios will help to evaluate and optimize operations.

It’s also important to measure the carbon intensity of the fuel – its lifecycle from well to wheel that is impacted by type of feedstock, distance from the feedstock source to processing, the efficiency of the energy used in production, and emissions. Renewable diesel plants are large consumers of energy and hydrogen with complicated process interactions, so energy management systems with AI-based analytics are critical to minimize energy use. Instead of relying on monthly energy reports, operators can monitor energy usage in real-time. READ MORE