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12here jun 2008 www.afaava.com/r here jun 20

The dewateringprocess reducestransport and disposalor drying costs, whileat the same timelimiting any adverseeffects on theenvironment.

while the worlDs neeD for transport for goods and peoplecontinues to grow, researchers are at work trying to find newtypes of fuels that do not harm the environment. Researchand development of alternative fuels such as various biofuelsis well under way, and although the development of biofuelshas encountered numerous obstacles, the industry isseemingly cleaning up now, and new, innovative andsustainable solutions are emerging.

One example is biodiesel processed from by-products andwaste products. The Spanish company Bionor Transfor-macin SA is setting a good example for the future, produc-ing biodiesel from potentially hazardous used cooking oil.

Used oil is a problem, says Alfonso Ausin, Bionorpresident and CEO. Its waste that must be collected.

If not collected, the used oil is generally thrown downdrains, Ausin says. After providing a food source for vermin,it eventually finds its way to treatment plants, and oil isone of the most difficult products to treat and eliminateat those plants. So using spent oil to produce biodiesel is

environmentally friendly to an extremely high degree.Ausin says the annual consumption of used cooking oil at

Bionors plant is equivalent to about 80,000 tonnes of oil.Bionor was founded in 2000 and is 25 percent owned by

the public sector and 75 percent owned by private compa-nies. The companys biodiesel production plant in Berante-villa, in northern Spains lava region, opened in May 2003.Today it produces 30,000 tonnes of biodiesel annually. Itemploys 20 people. The company now has more than 70distribution points at service stations and four exclusive areadistributors, all of which are identified by the brand BionorMX 15-Via Oil.

Bionor is one of the few companies using used oil forbiodiesel production.

There are two reasons for this, Ausin says. First, there isa limited supply of used oil, and not all the oil used iscollected. The second reason is that it takes a far greateramount of technology and investment to produce accept-able biodiesel from used oil than from virgin oil.

an inrnaiona magazin from Afa lava

Used cooking oilbecomes biofuel

text:ulf WImAn phOtO: mARkEl REDonDo

t dmd w c-dy us csg pdy.

th Spsh cmpy B hs mgd u py

hzdus ws pduc bds.

Alfonso Ausin,Bionor presidentand CEO.

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At Bionor, CristinaRodriguez works toturn used cookingoil into biodiesel.

Spanish Bionor isboth an oil collectorand a biodieselmanufacturer.

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www.alfalaval.com/here/biodiesel/bionor

Alfonso Ausin,Bionor presidentand CEO,acknowledges the

need for environ-mentally friendlyfuel solutions.

The used oil collection focuses on two main areas: therestaurant trade and the domestic sector. Almost all Spanishrestaurants have a collection system in place, but thedomestic collection industry is in its infancy. The oil iscollected mainly by small companies that make arrange-ments directly with restaurants, bars, schools, factorycanteens and so on. Though starting out as biodieselprocessor, Bionor has decided to work across the board.

It is not enough just to be manufacturers, Ausin says.Just as Bionor has gone forward to be distributors, we mustgo backwards to be collectors. Were moving into the oil

collection business, so we not only purchase from othercollectors but are now also engaged in the acquisition ofseveral collection companies.

bionor was founDeD more as an environmental companythan an energy company. Its original purpose was to takecare of collected used cooking oil. We had to decide what todo with it, Ausin says. Biodiesel was the answer, and thatswhat we founded the company to do.

Accordingly, the companys environmental impact is avery sensitive matter.

First of all, says Ausin, this is an industry that workswith environmental concerns, so we have to start by settingan example ourselves. Major environmental impactsinclude, for example, the water used in the process. Thiswater has a chemical demand for oxygen of 15,000 ppm,and before it can be discharged into the river it has to bebrought down to 100, which is a major challenge. The other

two main points are reduction of water consumption byreusing water to minimize clean water intake, and processimprovements to reduce our consumption of catalysts andmethanol, which are both expensive and highly contami-nant.

Alfa Laval has been involved since the beginning,supplying both equipment and process expertise.

As far as equipment goes, Ausin says, its no secret thatin the world of technical and chemical machinery for oil,Alfa Laval is a real No.1. Thats certainly true of the equip-ment we are using at our plant. As far as people go, ourimpression is extremely favourable. That is particularly truefor the commercial staff and the design staff who workedwith us to identify initial problems.

when askeD about the future of biofuel in general, andbiodiesel specifically, Ausin is reluctant to make predictions.To forecast this youd need a crystal ball, he says. This isan emerging industry, and the rules of the game have yet tobe established. And we dont really know who the playersare. Its still uncertain what environmental drawbacks theremay be in the raw materials used. These are turbulent times,but that could even be positive because it will filter out someof the players, leaving only the best. If you ask me whetherthere will be a biofuel industry in 2020, Ill answer yescertainly. There will be lots of ups and downs along the way,and only sound, well-placed, correctly sized projectsequipped with the proper logistics and sufficient financialmuscle will survive.

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Alfonso AusIn, BIonoR pREsIDEnT AnD cEo

Alfa Laval managerIsaas Vinaroz (right)assists a Bionoremployee.

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d ssu, d h cu sby sms bsd sm m governmental involvement. However,wh pcs ckg, s y

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m cmps s w p-m p. isd h ss-c pcss, whch s my usdin producing biodiesel, says Hyvonen,

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Bionor is settinga good exampleby turning awaste productinto biofuel.