Biodiesel Plant

As the world shift towards renewable sources of energy, biodiesel is one of the options that are bound to conquer a large share of the market. In November 2010, the world's largest biodiesel plant opened in Singapore. The company behind it, Neste Oil, invested 550m in the facility and said it will be delivering 800,000 tonnes a year of the company's NExBTL biodiesel. The biodiesel plant will use a mix of vegetable oil and waste animal fat sourced from the food industry. It will also use feedstocks, which it promises will be bought from responsible sources. Neste Oil says that depending on the raw materials used, biodiesel emits 40 to 80 per cent less carbon compared to conventional diesel and it also results in lower tailpipe emissions.

But how about the pollution produced from a bioplant itself? There have been reports raising concerns over biodiesel plant safety issues. In fact, these have a poorer safety record than other chemical and petrochemical operations. Hazardous materials such as methanol, acids and caustics have to be used, therefore they must be handled carefully, both in terms of damage to equipment as well as staff safety. Methanol and catalyst is the main cause of safety concern at a biodiesel plant. Methanol is highly flammable and its vapors can become explosive at several levels of concentration. These are heavier than air and tend to accumulate in low areas. Therefore, proper ventilation is essential and, in the United States, should follow the NFPA code. Instrument failures are the main cause of methanol leaks to the operating area.

Hazard can affect the environment around a biodiesel plant, too. A quick Google search will produce links to articles about communities that were surprised to find out that the local river had been fouled by a fetid, oily substance that leaked from a newly-installed biodiesel plant. The discharges are not necessarily harmful to people, but can be lethal to birds and fish because oil and glycerine, the typical substance mix, depletes water of oxygen very quickly and the birds will die when they peck on it.

Biodiesel plants, therefore, need to have in place strong environmental safety policies to avoid accidents like the ones that have been reported so far. Proper safety enforcement combined with less toxic emissions, plus the fact that biodiesel is biodegradable, makes a strong case for the adoption of this type of fuel, especially as oil drilling goes further offshore and deeper into the sea.