An Economic Analysis of Small-Scale Biodiesel Production: Implementation of Ethyl Ester Production in a Job Shop Setting

Student's Name

Scott Haase, Minnesota State University, MankatoFollow
Benjamin Craig, Minnesota State University, Mankato

1st Student's Major

Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology

1st Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Students' Professional Biography

Scott Haase graduated from Minnesota State University Mankato in the spring of 2004. He received a B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and a B.F.A. in the visual arts, specializing in painting and ceramic sculpture. Scott’s interest in biodiesel stems from a project undertaken in a course taught by Prof. Ann Goebel, and from his agricultural background in southern Minnesota. He plans to continue research involving small-scale production and pursue a career involving sustainable technology. Ben Craig began his career at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan where there he studied engineering. Ben transferred to Minnesota State University in 2002. He will be graduating in July of 2004 with a B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology with a minor in mathematics.

Mentor's Name

Ann Goebel

Mentor's Email Address

ann.goebel@mnsu.edu

Mentor's Department

Automotive and Manufacturing Engineering Technology

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Abstract

Biodiesel is becoming a demanded consumer automotive alternative fuel used in diesel vehicles today. An emerging trend is toward small-scale biodiesel production performed by the final consumer. A limited source of commercially available production systems exists and has resulted in many systems being designed and built by the user. Preliminary research conducted by the authors has shown biodiesel to be the least-cost alternative to petroleum diesel after as few as 8 months of system use. This study examines the economic viability of building and producing biodiesel using a small-scale production system versus buying consumer petroleum diesel. During production, measurements were taken to determine labor hours, energy consumed and total cost of system construction. These results generate an economic view of biodiesel production.

Recommended Citation

Haase, Scott and Craig, Benjamin (2004) "An Economic Analysis of Small-Scale Biodiesel Production: Implementation of Ethyl Ester Production in a Job Shop Setting," Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: Vol. 4, Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1159
Available at: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol4/iss1/7

Creative Commons License

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