New Future for M'sia-S'pore in NEW Bio-Diesel Fuel Venture
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A confident Malaysia under Badawi approves bio-diesel processing centers in Johor, as well as capitalising on Singapore's petro-chemical hub on Jurong Island, and all done without the political baggage of Mahathir.
Malaysia's new bio-diesel fuel made from palm oil will provide an environmentally friendly fuel as alternative to the 'black oil'.
Extracted from The Star, Wednesday August 16, 2006
Pasir Gudang set to be palm biodiesel hub
PASIR GUDANG: The high-value oil palm-based industry has been identified as a key growth sector in the South Johor Economic Region development.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in this respect, Pasir Gudang would be further developed to become a leading centre for palm biodiesel in Malaysia and the world.
He said the area had gained recognition as the hub for oil palm downstream activities in the region besides the well-established facilities for export of related products.
Abdullah added that Pasir Gudang had the largest palm oil refining and oleochemical manufacturing facilities in the country and these factors were critical in support of the expansion programme.
“The palm biodiesel will further boost activities at Pasir Gudang and the nearby industrial estate of Tanjung Langsat,” he said yesterday after the launch of the Carotino palm biodiesel plant, the first integrated palm biodiesel plant in the world.
The project is a collaboration between Carotino Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of J.C. Chang group, and the Malaysia Palm Oil Board.
Also present were Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui and J.C. Chang group chairman Tan Sri J.C. Chang.
Abdullah said he hoped biofuel players would take note of the efforts taken by the Government to develop Pasir Gudang as the biodiesel hub by setting up their operations here.
He said Pasir Gudang would now become part and parcel of the dynamic Johor palm oil industry and Johor would experience rapid economic development in this sector.
He noted that the state now had 69 palm oil mills, 17 refineries, six oleochemical plants and four bulking installations.
Earlier, Abdullah launched the Tanjung Langsat Port and officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony of Kulim (M) BhdÂ’s Nexsol (M) Sdn Bhd plant.
According to a statement, Nexsol (M) and Nexsol (S) Pte Ltd were formed by Kulim and German partner Peter Cremer (S) Pte Ltd to produce and market palm-based biodiesel.
Kulim said Nexsol (M) would oversee the management and operations of the plant at Tanjung Langsat industrial area while Nexsol (S) would manage the facility at the petrochemical hub of Jurong Island in Singapore.
“Kulim will hold a 51% stake in Nexsol (M) and 49% stake in Nexsol (S),” Kulim managing director Ahamad Mohamad said in the statement.
Kulim entered into a RM152mil joint-venture agreement with Peter Cremer earlier this year to set up the two biodiesel plants to produce biofuel and other downstream derivatives.
On the construction of the plants, Ahamad said it was on track, with the first batch of equipment expected to be delivered in October for immediate installation.
The Johor facility is estimated to cost RM75mil while the Singapore plant RM80mil.
Both plants were expected to start production as early as April 2007, the statement said. -
Singapore's own bio-diesel fuel development from used cooking oil presents a new energy alternative from a ready source that is available from an abundant local supply.
Out of the frying pan . . .
Business Times - 27 Jul 2006
. . . and into the biodiesel plant. With oil prices moving faster than you can say 'inflation', Kom Mam Sun's alternative fuel processing project has turned out to be a successful enterprise. MELISSA LWEE finds out more
EVER since Kom Mam Sun gave up his stable job as an insolvency practitioner three years ago to go into the biodiesel business, his life has been anything but a bed of roses.
Mr Kom started Biofuel Research (Biofuel) in 2003 with two friends, to produce and sell biodiesel made from used cooking oil. Biodiesel is processed fuel derived from biological sources, in this case waste vegetable oils, and can be used as an alternative fuel to crude oil.
But what started out as a three-man collaboration eventually dwindled to a one-man show, for soon after their endeavour began, his two friends dropped out leaving Mr Kom to struggle along on his own.
'It's difficult to be an entrepreneur in Singapore, especially when you cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel,' said Mr Kom. 'After all, why would anyone give up a cushy job and fiddle around with waste cooking oil?'
But he did not give up.
Without any knowledge of biodiesel, the business administration graduate went for a short course in the US where he gleaned the basics of biodiesel production. That was not enough to set up a plant. On his return to Singapore, he furthered his biodiesel 'studies' by trawling the Internet for information.
Even though biodiesel production is not a difficult technology to learn, what it does take is a lot of time and energy. With sheer hard work, persistence and a process of trial and error, Mr Kom perfected the art of biodiesel production.
'Anyone can make their own biodiesel, even in their own backyard, but selling biodiesel for commercial use takes years of research and testing.
'It's not just fiddling with glass beakers. Setting up a plant takes a different skill altogether,' he said.
But even after coming up with a winning product, the problems did not end there.
When the 32-year-old first started selling biodiesel in 2004, clients were not interested in his product because diesel fuel was still cheap (about S$0.50 a litre). This is despite the fact that biodiesel is more environmentally friendly than diesel fuel.
'Nobody would ever pay a premium for biodiesel in Singapore. It is only when you offer biodiesel at a price lower than diesel fuel would customers come knocking on your door because they want to cut costs,' he said.
Thus, the turning point was when crude oil prices started to escalate (diesel fuel is currently priced at about S$0.93 a litre) and there was greater global demand for alternative energy sources.
And because Mr Kom stuck it through while his friends gave up, he is now the one having the last laugh. After three years of struggle, and thanks to the inflation of oil prices, Mr Kom finally fulfilled his aim when the biodiesel plant in Singapore opened last month at Tuas. The plant cost the company about $600,000. He managed to do this with help from his older brother who gave up his job as a systems analyst at a European bank last year to join Biofuel.
Together, they roped in an independent investor who put in $300,000 which Spring Singapore matched dollar for dollar under the Spring Startup Enterprise Development Scheme (Spring Seeds).
Under this scheme, start-ups can seek equity funding from Spring Singapore, which will match funds raised by a third party investor, up to $300,000. Seeds was launched by the Economic Development Board in 2001 to address the financing needs of start-ups in Singapore.
With the new plant, Biofuel can produce up to 1,500 tonnes of biodiesel each month which the company sells mainly to small and medium-sized logistics and construction companies at S$0.87 a litre.
And while business has been good even though the plant only opened last month, the company has had to stop taking orders, due to a limited supply of waste cooking oil. In fact, supply is so short that there is only enough waste cooking oil for Biofuel to produce 400 out of the possible 1,500 tonnes of biodiesel each month.
As such, Biofuel has looked to spread its wings elsewhere. Parties around the region have expressed interest in getting Biofuel to help set up biodiesel plants in their countries.
These parties, who hail from the UK, Myanmar, Indonesia, India, China and Thailand, are all willing to fork out about US$1.2 million for a fully operational biodiesel plant.
Said Mr Kom: 'This is a niche market where there are very few players at the moment. Their only other option would be to look to Germany for help but the Germans would charge them about US$20 million for one plant. At US$1.2 million, Biofuel is charging them much less for the setting up of a fully operational plant.'
Also getting in on the act is Sesdaq-listed MAE Engineering, which is looking to set up a $150-200 million biodiesel plant on Jurong Island.
Being a pioneer in the industry, Mr Kom also holds courses for those interested in learning how to make biodiesel and dispenses business information on biodiesel industry development. Participants range from diesel sellers and palm oil equipment makers to graduate students from various universities.
'For people like the diesel sellers, it's important for them to know how biodiesel is made so that they have a better understanding of the biodiesel industry.
'Others, like the research students, are just interested in knowing more about biodiesel especially because biodiesel is a new growth industry.'
But for those thinking of following in his footsteps, Mr Kom advises them to think again. That's because the supply of waste cooking oil in Singapore is simply not enough to feed more than one biodiesel plant. Luckily for Biofuel, they got in first, he said with a smile. -
The following is the technical information of Bio-Diesel Fuel that is created from 'cooking oil'.
New Century ( Changyuan Pte/Ltd )
Model No.: there are no petroleum or other fossil f
Product Origin: CHINA
Payment Terms: L/C,T/T
Supply Ability: 2000T/month
Minimum Order: 500Tx12month
Delivery Lead Time: 30-45days
Certification(s): DIN EN 14214.similar
Detailed Product Description
Specifications:
Biodiese is a completely natural, renewable fuel applicable in any situation where conventional petroleum diesel is used. No modifications on engine are needed.
Even though "diesel" is part of its name, there are no petroleum or other fossil fuels in biodiesel. Biodiesel is 100% vegetable oil based. From new or used cooking oil too. By recycling wvo we prevent pollution of city water.
This environment-friendly fuel reduces tailpipe emissions, visible smoke and noxious odors. Can also be used in blends with conventional diesel while still achieving substantial reductions in emissions.
Technically, biodiesel is vegetable oil methyl ester (fame). Replacing the glycerol from each triglyceride molecule of veggie oil forms it. Once the glycerol is removed from the oil, the remaining molecules are, to a diesel engine, similar to petroleum diesel fuel.
The biodiesel molecules are very simple hydrocarbon chains, containing no sulfur, ring molecules, nor aromatics associated with fossil fuels.
Biodiesel is made up of almost 10% oxygen, making it a naturally "oxygenated" fuel. -
I rather they start on low cost fuel cell technology
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Singapore is running on several tracks in researching for alternative energy sources. It was reported in 2002, that NTU had embarked on Low Cost Fuel Cell Research & Development - as can be seen in the following report:
Singapore: Aiming to Be Regional Center in Fuel Cell R&D
Ek Heng Ng
Singapore
4 January 2002
Recognizing the importance of this emerging technology, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is pursuing fuel cell research aggressively. It has set its sights on establishing Singapore as a regional center for fuel cell technology through this multidisciplinary strategic research program.
The attractiveness of the fuel cell lies in its potential for wide applications, greater energy efficiency, environment-friendly properties, and use of a renewable fuel, hydrogen. A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and heat. The advantage lies in its ability to convert chemical energy into electrical energy without the need for combustion. As an energy storage device, a fuel cell resembles a battery, but a fuel cell does not "run down" as it generates electricity.
Explaining the rationale for NTU's interest, Associate Professor Jiang San-Ping, deputy director of the fuel cell strategic research program, touched on the serious problems arising from ever increasing power consumption and environmental degradation. "Today," said Jiang, "for every 4 gallons of oil we consume, only 1 gallon is discovered." Hence the worldwide interest in alternative energy, including fuel cells.
Jiang continued: "Fuel cells offer the promise of higher efficiency in energy conversion and electric power generation for many different applications. These range from handheld devices to vehicles and ships and stationary power generation."
The other incentive for fuel cell research is the "substantially reduced environmental impacts if the long-term energy scenario based on renewable energy source--hydrogen--can be realized", he added.
The university started this strategic research program about 5 years ago to address fundamental issues of fuel-cell-related science and technology and to explore their practical applications.
NTU's fundamental fuel cell research will promote the development of improved, next-generation fuel cells, including studies on materials, cell configurations, and electrochemical, heat, and mass transfer processes.
The practical track involves research related to the cost-effective deployment of fuel cell systems, including technology testing, proving, and demonstration; system modeling and optimization; and techno-economic and feasibility studies on fuel cell applications. Within this track, research is also being directed at important technologies related to the practical use of fuel cells, including reforming conventional and alternative fuels.
Several types of fuel cells are classified by the type of electrolyte used in them. NTU's research focuses on two types of fuel cells: solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
In view of the liberalization of the power and energy industry, there is great potential for the SOFC to replace conventional combustion power plants. The SOFC has the highest efficiencies of all fuel cells and, potentially, a long life expectancy. Made entirely from solid-state materials, it uses ion-conducting oxide ceramic as the electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyte, which is known to be corrosive.
SOFCs operate at high temperatures, up to 1000°C. This has advantages and disadvantages. The steam produced can be channeled to drive turbines and generate more electricity. But the high temperature also raises reliability issues. NTU is working to develop the next- generation SOFC designed to operate at lower temperatures, around 600°C.
The university is also working to develop high-performance SOFC technologies. Said Jiang: "This involves the development of high ionic conducting electrolyte membranes, high-performance electrode materials, low-cost fabrication methods, stacking technology, and detailed evaluation of various materials' performance.
In terms of practical applications, NTU's research seeks to develop SOFCs that will meet performance objectives such as power density, stability, cycling ability, shut-down and start-up times, fuel requirements, and ease-of-maintenance.
Said Jiang: "SOFC is basically an area combined of materials science, electrochemistry, and engineering. Thus common materials processing and fabrication and electrochemical testing facilities are all used in the project."
Three schools at NTU are involved in this leading-edge research program, namely, its Schools of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Electrical and Electronics Engineering. -
i see, but one thing to take note of, combustion is not a complete process and there tends to be some wastage of fuel. Hope they correct this while looking for alternative sources of energy although it will require international effort
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International effort it has become, based on the following recent 16 August 2006 report : on fuel cell research
GLOBE-Net : Market Reports
Compressed Natural Gas and Fuel Cell Market in Singapore
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SingaporeÂ’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), working with its partner ministries and statutory boards, is actively encouraging the development of innovative environmental technologies, with an emphasis on clean energy and energy-efficient technologies.
The Government of Singapore has launched several initiatives and funding schemes to support the development of a competitive and innovative environmental industry and several foreign and local companies are leveraging on this Government support to develop new clean energy technologies and to conduct pilot projects.
Many Singaporean education and research institutes are conducting R&D and seeking out international research partnerships to develop new energy efficient technologies, including fuel cells for use in stationary, portable and transport applications.
To encourage the switch to green vehicles, the government introduced the Green Vehicle Rebate (GVR) scheme in January 2001. Green vehicle rebates are offered for electric, hybrid and CNG vehicles. Owners of hybrid and electric vehicles are eligible for the following rebates until December 31, 2005: a rebate equivalent to 20% of the carÂ’s open market value (OMV) - this rebate can be used to countervail the fees and taxes which are typically payable at registration; and a road tax rebate of 10% and 20% respectively for hybrid and electric cars.
The Singapore government hopes that incentives for CNG vehicles will eventually lead to an increased number of these vehicles on the road, thus, creating a greater incentive for gas companies to develop and put in place a larger CNG refuelling infrastructure. Currently, there is one CNG refuelling station located on Jurong Island. A network of 10 refuelling stations is estimated to cost $40 million. Singapore is aiming to become a main supplier as well as a regional R&D centre for the green vehicle industry.
Approximately 5000 ageing taxis need to be replaced by October 2006 and the government has provided incentives for taxi companies to replace them with CNG vehicles. The MEWR and SBS Transit are looking for low-cost CNG buses to replaces existing vehicles.
Key Players
MEWR, the National Environment Agency (NEA), and the Economic Development Board (EDB) are some of the key government bodies working together to develop the policies, incentives and regulatory environment to help build a competitive alternative energy industry in Singapore.
SingaporeÂ’s bus and taxi companies have been involved in pilot projects to test compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles.
DaimlerChrysler has recently launched six fuel cell vehicles in Singapore as part of a pilot project; BP has recently developed the worldÂ’s first hydrogen pump located in a retail gas station in Singapore with a second planned in third quarter 2005. Rolls Royce recently announced a US$100 million project to develop a cost-effective energy system powered by fuel cells - the largest alternative energy investment in Singapore to date. Several Singapore institutes are involved in fuel cell R&D projects, including: Nanyang Technological University, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE), as well as four of the public research institutes under SingaporeÂ’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Canadian companies active in the field of fuel cells may wish to explore joint venture partnerships or R&D collaborations with SingaporeÂ’s research and educational institutions or companies that are currently engaged in hydrogen and fuel cell activities. A wide variety of Canadian funding programs geared toward developing the fuel cell industry can help Canadian companies develop and export their products.
SingaporeÂ’s incentive programs offer opportunities for Canadian companies with an established presence in Singapore. Further, Canadian companies could also benefit indirectly by partnering with eligible local firms as well as from the increase in demand for alternative energy technologies created as a result of these incentives.
Canada is recognized as a global leader in the development of alternative energies and Canadian strengths in fuel cell and hydrogen storage technologies is well known in Singapore. In general, Singaporean companies and research institutes would welcome the opportunity to partner with Canadian clients in this area. For example, the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (IESE) is one organization who is regularly seeking out Canadian partners. IESE works to facilitate technology transfer and exchange through cooperation in R&D, the development of memoranda of understanding, and licensing agreements, especially in regards to technologies with niche applications.