Australia’s biofuel industry is booming thanks to a new focus on alternative energy sources. As we try to move away from powering the country with fossil fuels, alternative fuels such as biodiesel will become more prevalent. However, for the industry to advance, processes must be improved, and centrifuges play a key role in this advancement.
What is Biofuel?
Biofuel is essentially an alternative energy source that comes from organic material. Many consider it a cleaner, greener choice when compared to traditional fossil fuels, hence its recent popularity. As Australia moves towards a more environmentally friendly future, biofuel may play a large role in breaking away from coal-burning energy plants and other fossil fuel operations.
Bioethanol and biodiesel are considered biofuels and are already being used in the transport industry. Organic material such as algae is also being used in the production of biofuels, with Australia’s coastline providing a rich source. While algae is relatively small, it grows quickly, making it an attractive option as a fuel source.
What is a Centrifuge?
Centrifuges come in all shapes and sizes depending on their application, but essentially, they are a tool designed to separate solids from liquids. As mentioned, there are different types, but the standard design features a drum that spins at a rapid pace. This creates ‘centrifugal force’, where heavier matter is pushed to the outside of the drum while it spins.
Generally, you would use a centrifuge to remove contaminants and pollutants from a liquid. The resulting clean liquid can then be reused or disposed of appropriately. In the biofuel space, centrifuges are crucial for separating biomaterials.
Centrifuges also come in manual or auto-clean functions. For example, if you use a manual cleaning centrifuge, you’ll need human intervention to dispose of the collected contaminants. However, with an auto-clean centrifuge, both the purified liquid and the residue are removed from the drum through different channels.
The Advantages of Using Centrifuges in Biofuel Production
As we mentioned, centrifuges are usually a big part of the biofuel production process. When producing biofuel, you would use a range of different techniques depending on the source materials and the fuel you’re creating. But, once the biofuel is almost complete, it runs through a centrifuge to ensure all remaining residue and impurities are removed.
So, while it’s an important part of the process to ensure you have clean biofuel, there are other benefits to using a centrifuge. Let’s explore these in more detail.
Cost-effectiveness
While an initial investment is involved in setting up specialist centrifuge equipment, the long-term benefits are immense. Firstly, let’s consider some of the other methods you could use to purify biofuel. You could use filtration or decantation, but these processes aren’t as fast or effective as a centrifuge. Automatically, centrifuges save you money by working faster.
In addition, modern centrifuges require very little human intervention to work effectively. When businesses can limit the amount of human effort required in day-to-day operations, their operating costs decrease. You may be able to work with fewer staff members or alternatively move your existing staff onto more important tasks.
Environmental Benefits
Most businesses have sustainability goals these days. Whether it’s a regulatory requirement or just part of your strategic plan, sustainability is a hot topic today. As such, using a centrifuge in biofuel production makes sense. Of course, you still need power to run a centrifuge, but this is true for many less efficient filtration processes. In fact, modern centrifuges are designed to be more energy efficient. Combine this with the faster speed of operation, and you can reduce your energy consumption by upgrading.
In addition, centrifuges minimise waste, ensuring more of your raw materials are converted to biofuel. By getting more value from your harvested raw materials, your processes are instantly more eco-friendly.
Higher Yields
In any manufacturing process, waste is a bad word. Remember that biofuel is created with raw organic materials, but there are processes it must go through first. For example, separating algae from water is one task that a centrifuge can assist with. In this process, all the water is removed while all of the algae remains behind. There’s no waste, and you’ve got more algae to work with.
When you have more raw materials to start with, you end up with a higher yield. The process is more efficient, saving you time and money while essentially giving you more of the end product available for sale.
The final process of removing contaminants from biofuel is also enhanced with a centrifuge. Only the impurities are captured, so less of your pure biofuel is wasted.
Better Fuel Quality
The more pure your fuel is, the better it is. There is no question about this, so biofuel producers should always be looking for ways to improve the quality of their products. The purity of biofuel basically refers to how free of contaminants it is. Less effective filtration processes leave behind more impurities, therefore decreasing the quality of the fuel.
Centrifuges are also used to separate algae from water early in the process. So, by ‘cleaning’ the algae correctly and capturing more raw materials, you maximise the process even further.
Need Help With Industrial Oil Centrifuges?
Interfil has been helping a range of industries improve their filtration processes for years. We’ve got industry-leading expertise, which is why we tailor our filtration solutions to your unique needs. We aim to equip our clients with the best equipment, knowledge and support to ensure their environmental goals are met while also cutting operating costs. Contact our team today if you’re in the biofuel industry and need help with centrifuges or any other filtration solutions.
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