The future for biodiesel plants?

25th March, 2008

Global markets have unique requirements. These demand multiple products, which can be produced from numerous feedstocks. All of which can be found in new generation biodiesel refineries

In 2008 the worldwide biodiesel industry has come to a crossroads.

Feedstock prices in the US, Asia and Europe are at all time highs, while demand for biodiesel is predicted to continue growing at a brisk pace. Biodiesel operators and investors currently find themselves in a difficult position - strong markets for biodiesel exist, however there is little, if any, profit in short term production.

'We are seeing a dramatic shift in design requirements for our largescale biodiesel projects around the world,' says Daniel Parker, president and CEO of US-based ParkerMessana Consulting Engineers. 'Whether you are using palm, soya or rapeseed as feedstock, current economics are ugly. But since our biodiesel projects tend to be larger than 250,000 tonnes/year in scale, we are working at capitalisation levels capable of driving new technologies that can help overcome current challenges, such as full spectrum feedstock pretreatment and fractionated output, enabling sales of multi-grade biodiesel, high volume processes with recycled energy and conversion of glycerol by-product streams into new energy and revenue opportunities. Our goal is to create biodiesel refineries that are able to weather the storm.'

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