Oil-fired power plants urged to use coco-biodiesel

January 22, 2013 4:12pm


The Asian Institute of Petroleum Studies, Inc. has urged oil-fired power plants to use Coconut Methyl Ester (CME) or coco-biodiesel, saying it will make them cost efficient and environment friendly.

In a presentation during the recent International Electric Research Exchange Meeting, AIPSI executive director Rafael Diaz said CME makes oil-fired power plants cost-efficient and environment-friendly because harmful emissions are eliminated,

“When blended with industrial diesel oil or industrial fuel oil, also known as bunker, CME makes oil-fired power plants cost-efficient and environment-friendly because harmful emissions are substantially eliminated,” he said.

Diaz said CME can provide cost-savings in both bunker-fired and diesel-fired power plants and contributes to the elimination of air pollution.

Use of CME results in complete combustion and emission, which optimizes the conversion of fuel energy in electric generation, said Diaz, a petroleum technologist.

He also said CME acts as a solvent to dissolve stubborn deposits of carbon and in the combustion chamber as well as in the fuel injector nozzles.

Citing experiences of other countries, Diaz said that a 5 percent CME blend in diesel improves lubricity by 63 percent based on tests conducted in South Korea.

For the end-users, Diaz said a clean and lubricated fuel system combined with the superb combustion-efficiency would boost power rate — kilowatt-hour per liter — and thus attain cost-efficient fuel rate.

“In the Philippines, there are many locations that generate electricity through small diesel power utilities.  Optimizing their efficiency through coco-biodiesel is within easy reach,” he said.

Aside from making oil-fired power plants more efficient, Diaz said the use of coco-biodiesel is also environment friendly, citing studies conducted by the US Department of Energy that concluded that the one-liter of biodiesel reduces 3.5 kilograms of carbon dioxide emission on life-cycle basis. — KBK, GMA News