ojtreport
TRANSCRIPT
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University of San Carlos
Cebu City, Philippines
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING REPORT
A terminal report submitted to the
Department of Chemical Engineering
In partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the course ChE !"
by
YNNO C. IGUT
#une $, %&"'
0
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I( Basic OJT Information
Host Company : San Carlos )ioenergy Inc(
San Carlos Eco*one,
)rgy( Punao and Palampas
San Carlos City, +egros ccidental
Officia Contact P!rson :Elvira Despi-Catalan
#. Coordinator
/&!0 !"% ''!1
OJT P!rio" :April %2, %&"' 3 4ay %%, %&"'
Tota OJT Ho#rs :%'
Ar!a of Assi$nm!nt : -4ill and )oiling 5ouse Department
-Distillery Department
-6uality Control and Assurance Department
-Environmental 4anagement Department
%ir!ct p!r'isor : Efren A( 7romea #r(
4ill and )oiling 5ouse Department
egromea8scbiph(com
/&!0 %"! ""1'
/9$!0 1%! %$' 22$"
)ienvenido .anaman
1
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected] -
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Distillery Department
btanaman8scbiph(com
/9$!0 1"2 '! :"&"
#ocelyn S( Sorrilla
6uality Control and Assurance Department
;sorrilla8scbiph(com
/9$!0 1"2 !&& ':%
#aymar #(
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sales agreement =ith Petron Corporation, the countrys leading oil company and
gasoline retailer, for the supply of bioethanol( In addition to that, the company
also produces semi refined liquid sugar =hich is sold to sugar centrals in +egros
ccidental( .he company also produces po=er /electricity0, and contributes to the
+egros ccidental po=er grid using the bagasse of the sugarcane etracted from
the milling department( n a daily basis, SC)I processes a maimum of ",'&&
tons of sugarcane to produce "%',&&& liters of )ioethanol and generate a rated
capacity of around 2(4 =here at least %( 4h is to be supplied to the po=er
grid( .he production of both alternative and rene=able energy is governed by
separate contracts, apart from those eecuted =ith other government agencies
under the Eecutive )ranch(
SC)I uses sugarcane as their ra= material during the first fe= years of
operation( +egros ccidental, being the sugarcane capital of the Philippines, is
strategically the best location to put up this plant( Situated at the San Carlos Agro-
Industrial Economic >one on the Eastern coast of +egros ccidental, SC)I ta?es
advantage of both favorable =eather patterns and the best quality and yield in
sugarcane to supply the countrys fuel and energy demands, in compliance =ith
the mandates of the )iofuels Act of %&&$, other=ise ?no=n as
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money by selling semi refined liquid sugar to sugar centrals around +egros
ccidental(
4a;ority of the shares of the company is o=ned by the
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the different parameters of the process for all of =hich are carefully monitored in
the control room(
.he supervisor also sho=ed us the material balance for the multiple effect
evaporator /@igure ""0(
%isti!ry %!partm!nt
@ermentation Section Process @lo= @amiliari*ation
o Equipment, machineries G instrumentation
.he process as =ell as the different equipment in the fermentation
section =as discussed by the supervisor( .he different equipment
involved in the fermentation section are the culture vessels /@igure
"%0, pre-fermenters /@igure "!0, fermenters /@igure "0, yeastseparators and the buffer tan?( All of the =or?ing parameters
/temperature, p5, etc(0 are monitored in the control room since the
process is also automated( .he supervisor allo=ed me to have
hands on eperience in the monitoring of parameters(
o Heast propagation, cell count, etc(
Every morning /:&& A(4(0, =e are tas?ed to get samples from the
t=o fermenters( .he samples are then analy*ed under the
microscope to chec? yeast activities and also for contaminants
inside the fermenter( .he cell count of =hich is done by the 6CFA
department and our tas? is to go there and get the results( Every 1 A(4(, =e are tas?ed to get the culture broth /inoculum0
prepared by the microbiologist in the 6CFA department( .he
contents of =hich is then poured in the culture vessel "( .he
nutrient source for the yeast is also manually prepared using urea,
biocide and magnesium sulfate( During a specific time, =e are tas?ed to prepare the culture vessels(
.he preparation involves sterili*ation of the tan?s using steam
=hich can be monitored in the control room( It also involves the
preparation of the culture broth, molasses solution =ith sugar
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content of J"% bri( .he )ri of the molasses solution =as
measured using digital refractometer(
o 4aterials involved in the fermentation process, its uses
.he different materials involved in the fermentation process =as
eplained by the supervisor( .he supervisor discussed to us the
yeast used for fermentation, Saccharomyces pombe, and its
advantages and disadvantages over Saccharomyces cerevisiae( .he
nature and the source of molasses, the nutrient source and the
defoamer /.ur?ey red oil0 =as also sho=n and its uses =ere
discussed(
A manual for the fermentation section =as also handed so as to
study the different materials involved in the fermentation process
and its corresponding uses(
o Stoichiometry and 4aterial )alance
.he supervisor handed as a manual so as to study the material and
energy balance along the fermentation section(
o Process Control and 4onitoring, .roubleshooting
.he process is monitored in the control room using computers(
.he control room displays the =or?ing parameters of eachequipment and displays any change in the trend of the conditions(
.he pumps also can be automatically controlled /on or off0 in the
control room( .he supervisor allo=ed us to manage the control
room but =e are up to monitoring the operating conditions only
/chec?ing for deviations in temperature, p5, pressure, etc(0 because
the pumping system is a critical part of the process(
Distillation and Dehydration Sectiono Process @lo= @amiliari*ation /Equipment, machineries G instrumentation0
.he distillation process and the different equipment used =as
eplained by supervisor( .he process from the buffer tan? of the
fermentation section to the distillation columns /primary column,
dealdehyde column, rectification column, recovery column( @igure
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"'0 until the molecular sieve =as discussed by the supervisor( A
process flo= diagram =as also printed to have a full grasp of the
process(
.he =hole process =as also toured together =ith the supervisor(
ther equipment present such as the plate heat echangers /@igure
"$0 and the cooling to=ers /@igure "20 =ere also toured and the
uses of such =ere eplained(
o 4aterial and Energy )alance
A manual =as handed by the supervisor for us to study the mass
and energy balances across the distillation process(
o Process Control, 4onitoring and .roubleshooting
.he =or?ing conditions of the process =ere monitored in the
control room /@igure ":0( .he supervisor also let us manage the
monitoring of the parameters(
)#aity Contro an" Ass#ranc! %!partm!nt
eighing 5ouse
o A =eighing bridge /@igure %"0 is used to measure the =eight of the
sugarcanes being delivered to SC)I( .he =eighing bridge is also used to
measure the incoming molasses and other materials /bagasse, salt, coconut
shells, etc(0( e are tas?ed to =eigh these materials and also placing the
results in the computer system(
Cane Acceptance and Analysis
o .he cane acceptance part involves the use of the machine called corer
/@igure %%0 in =hich it is used to obtain sugarcane samples from the
delivery truc?s(
o .he cane analysis part involves the analysis of the absolute ;uice, the ;uice
etracted from pressing the sugarcane samples using hydraulic press( .he
analysis uses an apparatus called Saccharomat, a digital polarimeter to
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measure the apparent purity and bri of the sample( 4oisture content is
also analy*ed in this part(
4ill and )oiling 5ouse Section
o .he 4ill and )oiling house lab involves the analysis of the sugar solution
samples from the 4ill and )oiling house department( .he analysis
includes measurement of the sugar concentration /)ri0, the apparent
purity, p5 and turbidity(
)oiler Section
o .he boiler section involves the analysis of the boiler house =aste=ater and
also the =ater used to generate steam( .he analysis involves the
measurement of the silica content of the =ater and the chemical oygen
demand /CD0(
Incoming Process 4aterials Sectiono .he IP4 section involves the analysis of the molasses /sugar content, p5,
etc0( Analysis of the sugar content =as mainly done by .otal Sugar as
Inverts analysis( .he unfermentable sugar concentration =as also analy*ed
using the Unfermentable
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.he process of anaerobic digestion =as eplained by the
supervisor and operators( .he supervisor toured us to anaerobic
digestion plant and eplained to us the different equipment used
such as AD tan? /@igure %0, the lamella clarifier /@igure %'0, the
degasser and the biogas storage tan?s( .he input and output
materials and ho= they =ere disposed =ere also discussed( .he
)iogas plant flo= =as also eplained by the supervisor and
operators(
o Anaerobic Digestion Control and 4onitoring
.he p5 of the incoming spent =ash to the AD tan?, the solution
inside the AD tan? and the overflo= =ere analy*ed every hour(
.his part of the training also involves the analysis of the Chemical
ygen Demand /CD0 of the incoming spent =ash and also the
eit =ash from the AD tan? and the .otal Kolatile @atty Acids /.-
K@A0 content and al?alinity of the =ash inside the AD tan?(
o Environmental 4anagement Practices
.he manager eplained to us the =aste=ater treatment flo=
diagram( e also toured the compost area /@igure !"0 =here the
materials for composting are the mud press from the boiling house,
ash and distillery spent =ash( e also toured the offsite lagoons used for the untreated spent
=ash and the lagoon for the =aste=ater from the boiler house
/@igure !%0(
IK( +arrative of earning Acquired .hrough the #. Eperience
Mill and Boiler House Department
@irst, I =as eposed in the milling department =here I spent : hours( .he
milling department involves several processes( @irst is the crusher part =here the
sugarcanes are reduced in si*e by the action of cutters( .he crushed sugarcanes
are then passed to a leveler =hich uniformly feeds the crushed sugarcanes to the
etractor( .he etractors are termed as for? crushers /@igure '0( .hese for?
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crushers first etract ;uice from the sugarcane =ithout any additives( .he
etracted ;uice from this part is called the absolute ;uice and is stored in the ;uice
tan?( .he bagasse /leftover fibers of sugarcanes0 from the first etraction are
passed to the net set of for? crushers /second stage0 in =hich they are mied
=ith =ater so as to dissolve the remaining sugars( .he principle of solid liquid
etraction can be applied in this part( .he bagasse after the second stage is passed
again to another set of for? crushers /third stage0 =here pure =ater is further
added to increase the concentration gradient and etract more sugar from the
bagasse( @inally it is passed on to the fourth stage /@igure $0 =here the eiting
bagasse is no= fed to the boiler house so that it can be used as fuel for po=er
generation( It is really evident in the plant, that they ma?e the most out of their
ra= material(
.he 4illing department also includes the boiling house( .he boiling house
also involves several processes( @irst, the etracted ;uice from the different stages
of etraction are placed in a heater for clarification purposes( .hen the heated
;uice is passed on to the liming tan? =here Calcium ide /Ca0 is added also for
clarification purposes and so as to regulate the p5 of the solution( .he optimum
p5 should be around $(:-2(%( .hen the solution is further heated to "&&oC and is
placed on an isothermal clarifier tan?( At "&&oC, the ;uice from the solution is
separated from the heavy solid particles also termed as mud( .he ;uice from the
clarifier is termed as clear ;uice =ith sugar concentration of approimately "'
bri( )ri is a measure of the sugar content of the solution( .he clarified ;uice is
no= passed to the multiple effect evaporators =ith ' effects /@igure 20( n the
other hand, the settled mud is passed through a rotary drum filter /@igure 10 in
=hich the filtrate is also fed to the evaporators( Using the concepts learned from
the academe, the filtrate has the same concentration as the clarified ;uice for theyare in equilibrium( .his part of the process caught my interest for =e have studied
theories and design parameters for rotary drum filters in ChE %', Introduction to
Particle .echnology and design for multiple effect evaporators in ChE %, 5eat
and 4ass .ransfer Processes( .he type of evaporators used is a vertical tube
evaporator( It =as not hard understanding the flo= of process at this part because
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of the fact that this =as discussed in my ChE % class( .he aim of the evaporator
is to reach a syrup concentration of $' bri by removing =ater from the clarified
;uice( A bri spindle is used at the 'theffect to measure the bri of the overflo=(
e also got the chance to loo? at the theoretical material and energybalances prepared by the Design Engineer himself /@igure ""0( .he concept of
conservation is truly the governing principle for such design( It =as not a simple
in and out process but there are many recycle streams placed to conserve energy( I
tried also to connect the diagram in the actual setting but it =as definitely hard
especially because the piping systems are too hard to follo=(
Distillery Department
.he net department that I have been into is the distillery department
=here I spent 22 hours( At first, I =as introduced to the supervisor and the
operators of the section( .he distillery department involves the fermentation and
the distillation section =here each section is manned by a single operator and
guided by the supervisor( I =as very ecited since =e have been designing
theoretical fermenters in ChE%!, Engineering of 5omogenous Chemical
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and preparing the nutrient mi( After the retention time, it is epected that the
yeasts consumed the nutrients inside, have gro=n and multiplied so that they
should no= be transferred to CK-% for further multiplication and gro=th and then
to the CK-!( Each of the vessels before the gro=th and multiplication period must
be sterili*ed using steam( I have tried operating the sterili*ation part of the CK-!
and CK-% and monitoring these operation through the computers in the control
room( It is actually good that each vessels are no= automated for any changes in
the operating conditions /e(g( temperature, miture level, etc(0 can be closely
analy*ed( .he operators are very critical in the =or?ing conditions of the process(
Any deviations from the normal =or?ing conditions are immediately attended to(
After the sterili*ation, the culture media is prepared by filling the tan? =ith
diluted molasses /J"%-"$ bri0( Concentrated molasses is fed to the tan?s /J:'
bri0 =hich is simultaneously added =ith =ater to obtain the desired
concentration( I have also tried preparing the molasses solution in the culture
vessels and sadly, the process is trial and error( ater is fed =ith the molasses and
then measuring its bri in a specified volume( e have suggested to ma?e mass
balance around the culture vessels so as to ?no= the theoretical amount of =ater
and molasses needed and they said that they =ill ta?e it into consideration(
.he yeasts from the CK-! are then transferred to t=o pre-fermenters /P@s0
=or?ing in parallel( .hen after the specified retention time, the contents from P@"
and P@% /@igure "0 are transferred to the @ermenter "( .here are actually t=o
fermenters coined as @" and @% /@igure "'0 both having a capacity of ",%'& m !
/",%'&,&&& 0( .he method of introducing the solution in @% is by cascading
motion, meaning the solution in @" =ill enter a pipe connecting @" and @% once
the contents in @" reaches a certain level( A syrup tan? =as constructed initially
for storage of syrup but since the ra= material for fermentation is no= molasses,the syrup tan? is converted into another fermenter namely @!( .he solution from
@" and @% =ill also cascade to @!( All fermenters have a retention time of
approimately !$-: hours( .he solution from these fermenters is then transferred
to the buffer tan? and is passed to the yeast separators and then to the storage tan?
for distillation(
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.he distillation process for me is one the processes that I loo? for=ard to
seeing in the actual scale( .he distillation process in SC)I is continuous(
5onestly, I epected that the stripping and rectification part is connected in a
single column yet in SC)I, it is separated( In the academe also =e are used to
designing distillation columns =ith %& stages at maimum yet the number of
stages in the stripping section alone is 2%( .he distillation process also ?ept true in
its schematic diagram in the sense the condensers are located at the top and the
reboilers at the bottom ecept for the reflu tan? =hich is located at the bottom( It
=as interesting eploring the distillation columns and tracing the entry and eit of
materials involved in the process( .he actual setting is really harder but the
principles governing the process is still the Kapor-iquid equilibria of ethanol and
=ater miture( .his =as also emphasi*ed in the eplanation of our supervisor( .he
distillation section has columns in order namely the primary column,
dealdehyde column, the rectification column and the recovery column /@igure
"0( ne smart thing in the distillation section for me is that the process ends in a
molecular sieve =hich uses ceramic *eolites =ith pores small enough to trap
=ater moisture and recover J11(:B of absolute ethanol( I have also seen the
material and energy balances around the column and =hat ama*ed me is the
actual conservation of energy specifically the heat energy( @or eample, the heat
from the vapor output of another column is used to heat the incoming solution in
the reboiler( .his in return condenses the vapor product( .he true sense of
conservation and economics is observed in the distillery(
Quality Control and Assurance Department
I spent '$ hours in the 6uality Control department( .he quality control
department is divided into 2 parts namely the =eighing house, the cane
acceptance and analysis section, the mill and boiling house section, the boiler
section, incoming process materials section and the fermentation and distillation
section( I have been in all 2 sections and have =or?ed for : hours each section(
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Doing the =or? of an analyst is definitely not li?e my analytical chemistry
laboratory( .he pace is very fast and every movement must be precise especially
because =e are dealing =ith eplicit amounts and there is no second trial( Every
hour =e get ne= samples to analy*e( Some of the samples li?e the molasses ta?es
an hour to analy*e and during that hour there are samples coming in( hat I have
learned from the 6C department is the art of multitas?ing( @or eample, I am
doing an analysis on the alcohol content of the sample( .he titration is automated
and =ill ta?e several minutes that is =hy the total cell count /.CC0 in the
fermenters can be done =hile =aiting for the results( .his s?ill I ?no= =ill help
me in the future to do my tas?s =ell(
It =as truly a very ?no=ledgeable eperience especially because the
analysts eplained to me the theory behind the analysis and taught me proper
laboratory techniques li?e the proper handling of pipets and proper titration etc(
.he analysts also taught me to use advanced chemistry apparatus li?e the
Saccharomat, a digital polarimeter used for measuring the apparent purity of the
syrup sample and the spectrophotometer =hich is used for measuring turbidity
and silica content /ppm0( I also had the chance to =or? =ith several heavy
machineries li?e the corer machine =hich is used to get sugarcane samples, the
hydraulic press =hich is used to etract absolute ;uice from the sugarcane samples
and the =eighing bridge =hich is used to =eigh the contents of the sugarcane
truc?s(
ne of the most nerve-=rec?ing part in my eperience in the 6C
department is the part =here I get to do advanced analysis =ithout any
demonstration and ;ust reading theories behind the analysis and the actual
eperimental procedure( Personally I =ould say that it all boils do=n to trust( I
believe that I have been diligent enough to not miss out on the important points in
the analysis that I have performed to the point =here they gave me tas?s in =hich
they thin? I can do =ithout their supervision( I managed to do .otal Sugar as
Inverts /.SI0 analysis =ithout any eperience in titrating a sample =hile ?eeping
it in contact =ith a heating surface(
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.he eperience =as also ama*ing because the manager treated us li?e
regular analysts( She reprimands us =henever =e missed out on important points
during the analysis =hich in a =ay is very helpful so that =e =ill never ma?e the
same mista?es again( +ot all analysts in the 6CF6A department are Chemistry
ma;ors but they are very critical on their analysis(
Environmental Management Department
I spent 1" hours in the Environmental 4anagement Department /E4D0(
As they say, the most critical and important part of every plant is not the
production but the =aste disposal( 5aving molasses as their ra= material, the
plant is producing thrice the amount of =aste because the plant =as originally
designed for syrup( .he plant is equipped =ith an Anaerobic Digester System
/@igure %0 =hich can accommodate only %&&,&&& Fday of spent =ash /=aste
from the distillery section0 but during the usage of molasses, the =aste rose up to
'&&,&&& Fday( )ecause of this, the E4D accommodated & hectares of land so
that they can store the untreated spent =ash and do natural decomposition of
organic matter( .he problem no= is the foul smell it brings =hich at abnormal
=eather conditions covers the =hole city( .he main lesson I obtained from theE4D is trying to balance =aste production =ith the desired product production( It
is not al=ays good hearing that the production has increased for it could also
mean that the =aste production also has increased( @urthermore, I ?no= this
learning =ill help me soon in my future endeavors as a Chemical Engineer
especially if ILm in charge in the design part(
.he E4D supervisors and operators toured us to the Anaerobic Digester
and =e even climbed the tan? to see the different safety devices installed at thetop( .here are pressure brea?ers and vacuum brea?ers present at the top( All these
safety devices are used to monitor the biogas production( .he AD tan? is used to
convert the organic matters present in the spent =ash to methane biogas =hich is
also further utili*ed as additional source of fuel in the boiler house(
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.he 4anager discussed to us the design for the Anaerobic Digester tan?
/@igure %'0( .he design as I quote from him is the first and last because it is not
the usual AD design( Instead of a single room tan?, the inside is divided into five
compartments( .he AD ho=ever does not function the =ay it should have as it
=as originally designed( Some modifications =ere done so that the AD can
function li?e an Upflo= Anaerobic Digester .an? /UAS)0( .his goes to sho= that
equipment designs can change from time to time depending on the significance
and efficiency of operation(
During a specific time, =e get samples from the AD tan? to analy*e its
volatile fatty acids /K@A0 content, chemical oygen demand /CD0 and
al?alinity( .hese factors are important for the flo= rate of =aste into the AD is not
constant and =ill depend on these factors( @or eample, if the K@A content is
high, the flo=rate should be decreased for the acidogens =ill produce more acids
that the methanogens cannot accommodate( .his can also lead to a decrease in p5
=hich the methanogens are sensitive to(
I have also learned in E4D the importance of team=or? in accomplishing
tas?s( .he manager itself is very hands on in the actual operation(
K(
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astly, I believe that my training from the University of San Carlos has been
an enormous help in understanding the different processes in SC)I( .he things
going on in the different equipment and analysis are not that hard to understand
because of the theories learned in the academe(
KI( Annees
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Figure 1. Safety shoes, hard hat and ocial practicum I.D.issued by the San Carlos Bioenergy Inc.
4ill and )oiling 5ouse Department
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Figure 3. Belt coneyor of the !ill and Boiling "ouse
Department
Figure #. Serice Bus of SCBI.
Figure $. For% crushers for &uice e'tractionFigure (. Belt coneyor in the !illDepartment )Closer loo%*
Figure +. Bagasse in the nal stage ofe'traction. -hese are then deliered to theboiler house as fuel.
Figure 1. !ill and Boiling house control roomFigure /. 0otary Drum Filter Figure . 2aporator indo.Figure 4. !ultiple e5ect eaporators )$ e5ects*
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1
2
3
1 2
@ermentation Section
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Figure 11. -heoretical !ass Balance along the multiple e5ect eaporators.
Distillery Department
Figure 1#. Culture essels 1, # and
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1 2
Distillation Section
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Figure 13. 6re7fermenters 1 and #.
Figure 1#. 6late heat e'changers for cooling of thesolutions in the distillation section.
Figure 1(. Fermenters 1 and #.
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Figure 1$. Continuous distillation columns.
Figure 1+. 6late "eat 2'changers
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23
Figure 1. Distillery section control room.
Figure 14. Cooling toers for the Fermentationsection )-op* and for the Distillation section)B8--8!*
Figure #. 6umps and other accessories.
Figure 1/. Bioethanol storage tan%s.
6CF6A Department
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Figure #1. 9eighing house and theeigh bridge.
Figure ##. Corer machine used in theCane :cceptance part.
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Figure #3. ;uality control and analysis laboratory eamella Clarier.
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Figure #+. Sand Filters. -hese are used to clarify theasteater from the boiler house.
Figure #. Biogas storage tan%. -he Biogasproduced in the :.D. is stored here and is furthertransferred to the boiler house as additional fuel.
Figure #4. Cartridge lters. Claries furtherthe treated asteater from the sand lters.
Figure #/. SCBI=s 0eerse 8smosis )08*. ?sed to clarifyspent ash from the distillery but the operation asstopped since the maintenance cost is ery e'pensie.
Figure 3. ?ltraltration unit. -he nalstage after the reerse osmosis system.
-he treated ater that comes out form thise
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Figure 31. Compost area of the 2nironmental !anagementDepartment.