Techno-Economic Evaluation of Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil—A Case Study of Hong Kong

Abstract

Fossil fuel shortage is a major challenge worldwide. Therefore, research is currently underway to investigate potential renewable energy sources. Biodiesel is one of the major renewable energy sources that can be obtained from oils and fats by transesterification. However, biodiesel obtained from vegetable oils as feedstock is expensive. Thus, an alternative and inexpensive feedstock such as waste cooking oil (WCO) can be used as feedstock for biodiesel production. In this project, techno-economic analyses were performed on the biodiesel production in Hong Kong using WCO as a feedstock. Three different catalysts such as acid, base, and lipase were evaluated for the biodiesel production from WCO. These economic analyses were then compared to determine the most cost-effective method for the biodiesel production. The internal rate of return (IRR) sensitivity analyses on the WCO price and biodiesel price variation are performed. Acid was found to be the most cost-effective catalyst for the biodiesel production; whereas, lipase was the most expensive catalyst for biodiesel production. In the IRR sensitivity analyses, the acid catalyst can also acquire acceptable IRR despite the variation of the WCO and biodiesel prices.

Current status and new developments of biodiesel production using fungal lipases

“…Some studies report consecutive reactions as a way to improve the ester yield [92,93]. For the waste cooking oil, prices of 0.28-0.42 US$/kg have been adopted [41,97].…”

Density Measurements of Waste Cooking Oil Biodiesel and Diesel Blends Over Extended Pressure and Temperature Ranges

“…WCO released directly into sewage pipes will cause congestion in sewer lines; when entering sewage treatment plants, it generates operational troubles or system overloading because lipids are very difficult to decompose, and are therefore causes of soil and water pollution [4]. Many recent studies on biodiesel production from WCO have revealed the great potential of this feedstock compared with first-generation biodiesel in terms of resolving environmental, economic, and social issues simultaneously [5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

Techno‐economics and Sensitivity Analysis of Microalgae as Commercial Feedstock for Bioethanol Production

“…FCI incorporated direct costs (e.g., equipment delivery, installation, instrumentation controls, piping, electrical system, building, yard improvement, and service facilities) and indirect costs (e.g., engineering and supervision, construction expenditure, legal expenditure, contractor's fees, and contingency) . The total cultivation area cost (TCAC) and working capital (WC) were covered under TCI (Table ) . Figure shows the distribution of TCI.…”