Preliminary Design And Economics Of Biorefinery Schemes Based On The Noncatalytic Cracking Of Triglyceride Oils

Recent years have seen an increased demand for renewable transportation fuels. First generation biofuels were the first response to this increased demand, but they are physically and chemically different from their petroleum counterparts. These major differences have motivated the development of processes that are capable of producing drop-in compatible biofuels. These drop-in fuels are engine ready, and have essentially the same properties as their petroleum equivalents. The development of second generation fuels include cellulose-derived fuels, lignin-derived fuels, direct photosynthetic derivatives, lipid-derived fuels, and feedstock-flexible bioconversion processes. The focus of this thesis is lipid-derived drop-in ready fuels. One of the new technologies for producing drop-in compatible renewable fuels and associated chemicals is based on the non-catalytic cracking of fatty acid based oils, such as animal fats and waste cooking oils, as well as triglyceride based (TAG) oils such as crop oils, bacteriological oils, and algae lipids. Research through the University of North Dakota has been conducted on the each of the various unit operations needed to design a comprehensive facility capable of producing drop-in compatible renewable fuels and various by-product chemical products in a variety of configurations using this technology. This research included determination of the optimized yields of organic liquid products (OLP) produced from the conversion of the inlet oil. This OLP can then be further processed and separated into transportation fuels such as jet fuel and diesel fuel as well as fuel intermediates like naphtha and butane plus other by-products. A model that accurately represents the reactions completed by the noncatalytic cracking of the TAG oils was developed through substantial testing in continuous, scalable reactors. However, the various pieces of technology had not been assembled into an integrated biorefinery concept. A preliminary design, cost estimate, and economic analysis on three biorefinery alternatives was performed based on the previously gathered data to determine the profitability of implementing a plant that processes renewable transportation fuels through noncatalytic cracking of TAG oil. These three alternatives include a base design, fatty acid recovery design, and a heavy end processing design. Following the preliminary design and economic assessment, an economic hazards analysis was then performed to evaluate the hazards to each investment. Both the fatty acid recovery biorefinery and heavy end processing biorefinery alternative were found to be economically feasible. In addition, both alternatives have the potential to remain economically feasible while taking into account raw material and product price fluctuations. While a fully configured biorefinery combining these two alternatives leads to an even higher profitability (NPV@ 12% of $2.5 billion Ñ 40%). Also, the integration of any of the biorefinery alternatives with a previously developed soybean oil processing plant showed that starting from oil seeds results in economically feasible alternatives with and without additional byproduct production due to gains in oil recovery facilities compared to food grade oil. This work demonstrates the technical and commercial feasibility of these technologies and provides a roadmap towards commercial scale development

The investigation of byproducts from shale oil

1. A fractional acid extraction unit and the following distillation columns and ancillary equipment have been constructed for use in the isolation of bases from basic tar. a. 14 -Plate vacuum column (Boot eyelets) b. 40 -Plate column (Penske helices) c. 100 -Plate vacuum column (1.0.1. gauze Lessing rings) d. Two 10 mm. diameter columns (36 in. and 18 in. long) e. Lecky and. Ewell spiral screen column (25 theoretical plates).2. A typical sample of basic tar from Pumpherston shale oil refinery has been examined and it is believed to contain heterocyclic bases, mainly pyridine and quinoline homologues with traces of pyrrolic compounds, with a high percentage of sulphur compounds and non -volatile material. Primary and secondary bases of the aliphatic and aromatic series appear to be absent but there is the possibility of tertiary bases of these series.3. By distillation under vacuum of 210 1. of basic tar, 53 1. of crude bases with a low sulphur content was obtained and given a preliminary distillation before fractionation at reduced pressure in a column equivalent to 14 theoretical plates.4. Bases, boiling up to 210 °C have been carefully fractionated in a column equivalent to approximately 100 theoretical plates.5. The ranges, 126.5 - 168°C/760 mm., 176.8 - 180.2° 760 mm. and 130 - 132°C/100 mm., have been examined by various methods and twelve homologues of pyridine isolated. Nine of these compounds have been identified with certainty as 2 -, 3- and 4- picoline, 2 :3 -, 2:4 -, 2 :6 -, 3 :4- and 3 :5- lutidines, and 2 :4 :6- collidine. .The other compounds have not been identified with the same degree of certainty but are probably 2- methyl -6 ethylpyridine, 2- methyl- 4- ethylpyridine and 2:3:5:6 - tetramethylpyridine.6. The dissociation constants of the bases isolated have been determined and the effect of introducing methyl groups into the pyridine nucleus discussed in Section V

Investigation of Springback Associated with Composite Material Component Fabrication (MSFC Center Director's Discretionary Fund Final Report, Project 94-09)

The objective of this research project was to examine processing and design parameters in the fabrication of composite components to obtain a better understanding and attempt to minimize springback associated with composite materials. To accomplish this, both processing and design parameters were included in a Taguchi-designed experiment. Composite angled panels were fabricated, by hand layup techniques, and the fabricated panels were inspected for springback effects. This experiment yielded several significant results. The confirmation experiment validated the reproducibility of the factorial effects, error recognized, and experiment as reliable. The material used in the design of tooling needs to be a major consideration when fabricating composite components, as expected. The factors dealing with resin flow, however, raise several potentially serious material and design questions. These questions must be dealt with up front in order to minimize springback: viscosity of the resin, vacuum bagging of the part for cure, and the curing method selected. These factors directly affect design, material selection, and processing methods

Urine 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), a specific marker of oxidative stress, using direct, isocratic LC–MS/MS : method evaluation and application in study of biological variation in healthy adults

2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalAccepted ManuscriptPublishe

Total antioxidant and ascorbic acid content of fresh fruits and vegetables : implications for dietary planning and food preservation

Department of Nursing and Health Sciences2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Ganoderma lucidum (‘Lingzhi’), a Chinese medicinal mushroom : biomarker responses in a controlled human supplementation study

Ageing & Health Group, School of Nursing2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe