Case Study of a Community Scale Operational Biodiesel ... · PDF fileCase Study of a Community Scale Operational Biodiesel Plant Methanol Recovery Focus Kelley Green Biofuel Kristopher

Case Study of a Community Scale Operational Biodiesel Plant

Methanol Recovery Focus

Kelley Green Biofuel

Kristopher Kelley and Link Shumaker

Presented at the Collective Biodiesel Conference

Piedmont Biofuels, Pittsboro, NC

August, 2014

Company Backgrounds

� Kelley Green Background

� Bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis

� Grew up on a farm

� Started Kelley Green Biofuel in 2008

� Began by collecting oil in St. Louis

� Personally built processing plant in Louisville, KY

� JL Shumaker Consultancy Background

� Educated in engineering (ChE, BAE) at University of Kentucky

� Researched mixed oxide transesterification catalysis at UK

� Entered industry fall of 2007 at Piedmont Biofuels

� Worked in ~7 plants in the Southeast, Midwest and New England

� Began working with Kelley Green fall of 2012

Kelley Green Biofuels Process Overview

Some Plant Highlights:

Process Room

Methoxide Mixer

Centrifuge

Flash Drum

Soap Settling Tank

Resin Columns

Final Fuel Meter, Site Tube and Sample Port

Manufacturing a Good Time

The Labservatory

Intentional Bucket System

Vapor Recovery Venting Systemwith Internal Grounding/Bonding

Low Pressure Steam Boiler Fueled by g.esters Derived from Glycerin Bottoms