Measurement Automation Strategy: Key to Bio-Ethanol ... - Krohne

Measurement Automation
Strategy Key to Bio-Ethanol
Refinery Efficiency
KROHNE White Paper Measurement Automation Strategy Key to Bio-Ethanol Refinery Efficiency
By Hemant Narayan
Introduction
The conversion of corn into fuel
ethanol is once again gaining
popularity and is an appealing
business opportunity for farm
communities and agribusinesses
in the mid-west and other
regions of the U.S. and Canada.
Investors are attracted by the
prospect of more than doubling
the monetary value of a bushel of
corn by converting it into 2.75
gallons of fuel ethanol, 17
pounds of animal feed, and other
value added byproducts.
In the U.S. alone, over 120 plants
are now producing ethanol from
corn feedstock, and another 76
are under construction. Dozens
more are in various stages of
planning, with total domestic
production capacity expected to
double during the next five years.
The Des Moines Register
recently reported that farmers
planted more corn in 2007 than
in any year since 1944, based on
expectations of increased
ethanol production.
The rapid increase in production
reflects the expanding market
for bio-ethanol, driven by
growing recognition of the
economic, social and
environmental benefits of
biofuels. Ethanol is increasingly
in demand as an octane-enhancing
substitute for the additive MBTE, which
is being banned in many states. The
2005 Energy Policy Act stimulated the
growth of this industry by offering
federal incentives and goals for
replacing a portion of our nation’s
gasoline requirements with a
renewable fuel source by 2012. Current
estimates indicate we will surpass
these benchmarks well before 2012.
Fourteen billion gallons of ethanol
would be required, if an E10 (10%)
blend were to replace all 140 billion
gallons of gasoline consumed in the
U.S. annually. Add to this a strong push
from state legislatures for the market
adoption of E85 (85%) blends, and the
growing interest in Canadian and
overseas markets, and it is easy to
understand the high level of investment
in new production capacity.
Thin Profit Margins
The strong demand, however,
represents only one part of the
profitability equation. The whole
proposition is not profitable if
inefficiencies in the production process
itself add significant costs, as a result
of excess energy consumption, poor
yields, wasteful use of raw materials,
process chemicals and enzymes.
Unfortunately, in many cases, that is
exactly what’s happening.
The cost of natural gas and other
utilities are especially problematic, as
these items far exceed the other major
cost components, including the cost of
plant construction and labor. For
example, in a typical plant, the natural
gas that fuels boilers, evaporators,
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