Biodiesel
is the commercial name for fatty acid methyl esters which is a diesel fuel
substitute produced from renewable sources (such as vegetable oils, animal
fats, and recycled oil and grease (eg WCO and oil and
grease recovered from GTW (hereafter is referred to as trap grease)). It is typically produced through the transesterification of a vegetable oil or animal fat
(typically made of triglycerides which are esters of fatty acids with
glycerine) with methanol or ethanol in the presence of a base-catalyst to produce
glycerine and biodiesel. It is a clear
liquid at room temperature and its colour depends on the feedstock. Biodiesel can be used alone or mixed in any
ratio with petroleum-based diesel for use in the diesel engines. Biodiesel has similar physical properties
and combustion and energy value to petroleum-based diesel with reference to the
operation of a diesel motor.
Biodiesel
is gaining recognition in many countries as an alternative fuel, which may be
utilised without any modifications to the vehicle engine. It is currently produced and used throughout
Europe and the
A
number of advantages have been identified for biodiesel and they are listed
below:
·
it is
non-toxic;
·
it is
biodegradable;
·
it is
made of renewable feedstock and therefore considered as a renewable source of
energy;
·
it
contains practically no sulphur and therefore no SOx
will be produced;
·
it
contains oxygen and can thus provide a good ignition capacity;
·
it allows
low-pressure storage at ambient temperatures;
·
it
can be used in most diesel engines without modifications or retrofits ([1]);
·
it
reduces greenhouse gas emissions;
·
it reduces emissions of pollutants, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
and particulates. Emissions of nitrogen
oxides are either slightly reduced or slightly increased depending on the duty
cycle of the engine and testing methods employed; and
·
it is safer to transport because its flash point ([2])
of at least 120°C (normally at about 150°C) which is double of that for petroleum
diesel (at about 70°C).
When
compared with petroleum-based diesel, biodiesel has two significant
advantages. It has a high Cetane number (a measure of a fuel’s ignition quality) and
its emission reduction potential.
Therefore, biodiesel is regarded as a fuel that can help to reduce air
pollution and related public health risks.
Currently all diesel sold in the European Union (EU) must have 5%
biodiesel mix (B5) and by 2010 the EU will mandatory require a minimum of 5.75%
of all fuel sold to be biofuel (eg
biodiesel and ethanol). This
requirement will be increased to 8% and 10% biodiesel mix by 2015 and 2010,
respectively.
However, biodiesel is generally more expensive than
petroleum-based diesel, which makes it less widely used in many countries. One way to reduce the cost of biodiesel is to
use a less expensive form of oil such as WCO from food establishments and oils
recovered from GTW. GTW would be a good
alternative raw material for biodiesel production as it is virtually free.
Based on the nature of the feedstock and the
availability of the technology, biodiesel production can be classified into
three generations (see Table 3.1a). There are discussions over the world about
the adverse impacts of production of first generation of biodiesel on the
world's food supply and prices which cause major criticism and objection to
biodiesel. The second generation of
biodiesel production uses waste materials (such as animal fats, and recycled
oil and grease) as feedstock which will not impact on food supply. However, it requires a higher investment
cost for the production plant. There
are also suggestions on producing biodiesel from non-food crops but the
technology is still in its infant stage and not available for commercial scale
production. In the view of the
availability of feedstock and the proven track records, the second generation
of biodiesel production technology is considered to be the best available
option for commercial scale production of biodiesel in
Table 3.1a Different
Generations of Biodiesel
|
Biodiesel Production
Technology |
Feedstock |
Potential Impacts |
Technology
Availability |
|
1st Generation |
Common feedstock includes virgin vegetable oil
(mainly rape seed in Europe and soybean oil in the |
·
May
cause increase in food prices ·
May
impact on natural resources and habitats |
·
Well-proved
technology is available for commercial scale production |
|
2nd
Generation |
Waste materials (eg waste
cooking oil or grease trap waste) |
·
No
impacts on world food supply and prices |
·
Well-proved
technology is available for commercial scale production |
|
3rd
Generation |
Feedstock not in competition with food chain (eg oil from poisonous bush Jatropha
which has no value as food) Feedstock can growth in poor conditioned areas
which is not suitable for normal agriculture (eg
algae grow in deserts) |
·
No
impacts on world food supply and prices |
·
Technology
is not proven and not available for commercial scale production |
The
proposed biodiesel plant is located at the
The proposed 100,000 tpa biodiesel plant will make use of the 2nd
generation of biodiesel production technology and make use multi-feedstock
(primarily from WCO and trap grease, and supplemented with PFAD and animal
fats) to produce biodiesel which complies with the international
standards. The biodiesel will be sold to
local and international markets.
The proposed biodiesel plant will include
a GTW pre-treatment facility (with a designed treatment capacity of 200,000 tpa or about 606 tpd ([3])), which will recover oil and grease from
GTW and a wastewater treatment plant (with a designed treatment capacity of
170,000 m3 per annum) for the treatment of wastewaters generated
from the GTW pre-treatment facility and the biodiesel production processes.
This
section describes the construction and operational activities associated with
the proposed biodiesel plant at TKOIE.
The
Project Proponent will adopt the BDI technology, a well proven technology in
the design of the biodiesel plant in order to achieve a high efficiency (which is
able to utilise oil and grease with a high level of free fatty acids (over 20%)
and completely transform them into biodiesel and three useable by-products,
namely glycerine, fertilizer, and bio heating oil) and safety standard in the
biodiesel production operation. Hence,
no waste will be generated from the biodiesel production process. The biodiesel produced will meet the
specification of European standard CEN EN 14214 which is also the government’s
mandates for biodiesel to be used in
The
technology provider, the BDI, has a long history in developing and implementing
waste-to-fuel technology. Over 28
biodiesel plants are currently operating in Europe and
The
key design parameters of the proposed biodiesel plant are shown in Table 3.2a and the process flow is shown
in Figure
3.2b.
Table 3.2a Key
Design Parameters of the Biodiesel Production Plant
|
Parameters |
|
|
Operating
mode |
Semi-continuous |
|
Process
operating days per year |
330 (guaranteed),
358 (anticipated) |
|
Feedstock
reception days per year |
365 days |
|
Operating
hours per day |
24 |
|
Capacity
per hour (tonnes) |
12.6 |
|
Capacity
per day (tonnes) |
303 |
|
Capacity
per year (tonnes) |
100,000 |
The incoming
GTW will be pre-treated to recover the oil and grease (referred as the trap
grease). The crude trap grease will
then be treated to remove impurities and reduce the residual water content
before it can be used the feedstock for the transesterification
process. Water will be removed as much
as possible because its presence will cause the triglycerides to hydrolyse to
form salts of the fatty acids instead of undergoing transesterification
to give biodiesel. The wastewater from
the GTW pre-treatment plant will be treated at the on-site wastewater treatment
plant to comply with the effluent discharge standards for foul sewer leading to
the Tseung Kwan O (TKO) Sewage Treatment Works ([4]).
The
biodiesel plant will consist of a number of storage and process tanks. Figures
3.2c, 3.2d and 3.2e show the
proposed layout plan and vertical profile of the biodiesel plant. The entire biodiesel production process is
program-controlled for maintaining high level of safety and uniform quality of
the final product. The reception,
treatment and the production of biodiesel are described below.
The
biodiesel plant would include the following major facilities:
·
feedstock reception and storage facilities;
·
GTW pre-treatment and wastewater treatment
works;
·
biodiesel production and glycerine
purification system; and
·
product
storage and ancillary facilities.
The biodiesel plant will be operated on 24
hours basis. GTW will be delivered to
site by road tankers on 24 hours basis.
WCO will be delivered by road tankers during day-time. Delivery of methanol and PFAD to the site and
export of biodiesel by marine vessels will be carried out on a 24 hour basis.
The GTW and WCO will be delivered to the biodiesel
plant by sealed road tankers via Wan Po Road, then through the roads within the
TKOIE and enter the site via Chun Wang Street.
After weighing at the weighbridge office located at the entrance, the
tankers will proceed to the reception area.
All GTW arrived will be sampled and tested to check if they comply with
the definition of GTW and is not contaminated with chemical waste (eg lubricating oils, engine oils, hydraulic oils etc). GTW contaminated with chemical waste will be
rejected. The truck drivers will be
advised to dispose the waste at the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre at Tsing Yi.
The GTW and WCO will be unloaded at the designated
bays as shown in Figure 3.2c. Four unloading bays will be provided. The estimated maximum turnaround time for
GTW and WCO collection vehicles within the biodiesel plant is about 30 minutes
(including weighing, sampling and unloading (about 20 minutes)). Four unloading bays will be adequate to
handle the forecast vehicle flow and no queuing of tankers outside the site
entrance will occur. The GTW and WCO
will be unloaded by gravity via flexible hoses directly to the underground
receiving tanks under a closed system arrangement. Similar unloading system has been used at
the Grease Trap Waste Treatment Facility at the West Kowloon Transfer Station
and it demonstrates that it is effective to prevent odour and spillage during
unloading operation. Separate drainage
system will be provided for the unloading bay area to collect wash water ([5])
which will be discharged to
the on-site treatment plant for treatment.
PFAD and methanol will be delivered to Site by barge
and pumped from the barge to the storage tanks using dedicated pipelines. Flexible hose will be used to connect
storage tanks of the barge to the pipelines at the jetty. Dry coupling will be used to ensure a
secured connection and prevent potential leakage of the materials ([6]).
The pipelines (the PFAD pipeline will be heated insulated) from the
jetty to the storage tanks will be placed on overhead gantry. This will enable easy inspection and
maintenance of the pipeline and early detection of any leakage of material and
hence minimise the potential of land contamination. Other chemicals (alkaline, acids, liquid
nitrogen, etc) will be delivered to Site by trucks or tankers and unloading at
the designated unloading bay. Table 3.2b summarises the transportation of
feedstock and products to and from the biodiesel plant.
Table 3.2b Estimated Number of Material Delivery to
and from Biodiesel Plant
|
Material
|
Vehicle
/ Barge |
Estimated Truck Trips Per
Day |
Estimated Truck Trips Per
Hour |
|
Land-based Delivery |
|
|
|
|
Grease
Trap Waste |
10m3
Sealed Road Tanker |
60 |
Average:
3 (a); Peak hour: 5 |
|
Waste
cooking oil |
Trucks
with 20ft containers |
5 |
1 (b) |
|
Animal
fat |
10m3
Sealed Road Tanker |
4 |
1 |
|
Gas
Oil |
10m3
Sealed Road Tanker |
2 |
1 |
|
Glycerine
|
10m3
Sealed Road Tanker |
2 |
1 |
|
Fertilizer
|
10
tonne truck |
1 |
1 |
|
Nitrogen
|
10m3
Sealed Road Tanker |
1
per week |
1 |
|
Other
supplies and deliveries |
10
tonne Truck/Tanker |
3 |
1 |
|
Biodiesel
(c) |
20
m3 Road Tanker |
10 |
1 |
|
Screenings
and dewatered sludge |
10
m3 skip |
5 |
1 |
|
Total
|
|
93 |
12 to 14 |
|
Marine-based Delivery |
|
|
|
|
Biodiesel
|
1,000
tonne barge (d) |
2
per week |
|
|
PFAD |
1,000
tonne barge (d) |
1
per 10 days |
|
|
Methanol
|
1,000
tonne barge (d) or ISO tanker barge |
1
per week |
|
|
Total
|
|
4 per week |
|
|
Notes: (a)
GTW
will be delivered to the site on 24-hour basis. Assuming a peak factor of 1.5. With respect to the collection pattern of the
GTW collector, it is anticipated that the peak hour will be at night. (b)
WCO
will be provided by designated suppliers and will be delivered to the
facility during day-time. (c)
Under
circumstance when marine transportation is not possible (eg
during inclement weather). (d)
Single
hulled, self propelled vessels.
Dimension: length (56.5m), width (12.8m), and height (4.3m). Draft when loaded ranges from 3.5 to 4m. |
|||
The GTW
received will be screened in the Belt Filter Room adjacent to the unloading
bays to remove food residues and other large objects. The screenings will be stored in containers
inside the Technic Room. The Belt Filter Room and the Technic Room will be enclosed and provided with a
ventilation system which will maintain a slight negative pressure to prevent
odour emissions to the atmosphere. The
exhaust air from these rooms will be treated by an air scrubbing system (with a
removal efficiency of>99.5%). The
scrubbed air will be diverted to the on-site wastewater treatment plant as the
air supply for the aeration tanks. When
the container is full, the container will be enclosed with metal flip
doors. The opening between the Belt
Filter Room and the Technic Room will be closed. The roller door of the Technic
Room will then be opened. The loaded
container will be removed and an empty container will be put in place. The Roller door of the Technic
Room will be closed and the screening process resumed. The screenings will be transported in the
enclosed container and disposed of at the existing SENT Landfill or other
landfills if SENT Landfill is full.
The screened GTW
from the reception area will be pumped to the GTW storage tanks and then to the
oil and fat preparation tank for further purification. The oil and water in the mixture will be
separated by a decanter and the water content of the oil phase will be reduced
to 5 to 10%. The feed will be heated up
to about 60oC and intensively mixed with saturated steam. The water/oil mixture will then be separated
by a decanter so that the purified oil will achieve the required maximum
residual water content.
The wastewater generated from the purification
processes will be treated at the on-site wastewater treatment plant prior to
discharge to the foul sewer leading to TKO Sewage Treatment Works.
About 33 tpd of screenings
and solid residues (solid impurities) will be produced during the feedstock
pre-treatment processes which will be collected and disposed of at
landfill. The purified oils that are
suitable for use as the feedstock for the esterification
process will be stored in the buffer tanks.
It is estimated
that a total of about 170,000 m3 per year (or about 515 m3 d-1
or 515 tpd) of wastewater
will be generated from feedstock pre-treatment and glycerine dewatering processes. The wastewater collected will contain trace
amount of oils and fats (such as triglycerides and free fatty acids) and have a
high COD concentration (about 9,400 to 15,000 mg L-1). The on-site wastewater treatment plant will
be designed based on these characteristics and to comply with the standards for
effluent discharged into foul sewer.
The key components of the
wastewater treatment plant will include an oil-water separator, a Dissolved Air
Floatation (DAF) system, an IC Reactor, an aerobic treatment system and a
secondary clarifier. The IC Reactor is
an anaerobic treatment technology that can effectively reduce the organic
loading of the wastewater especially for wastewater with high organic matter
content. The effluent from the IC
Reactor will be transferred to the aeration tanks for further treatment. The suspended solids in the treated effluent
from the aeration tanks will be settled in the secondary clarifier so that the
effluent will meet the standards for effluent discharged into foul sewer
leading to the TKO Sewage Treatment Works.
The sludge will be dewatered to at least 30% dry solids in order to comply
with the landfill acceptance criteria.
It is estimated that about 1.3 tpd of dewatered sludge will be generated and stored in
enclosed containers prior to landfill disposal. The filtrates from dewatering process will
be fed back to the aeration tank for treatment. The dewatered sludge will be delivered to
landfill ([7])
by
trucks.
The biogas generated from the
IC Reactor (average flow about 80 m3 hr-1) has a high
energy value and will be used as an energy source for on-site facilities (eg as fuel for the steam boilers). The biogas will be temporary stored in the
biogas buffer tank (with a capacity of 30 m3 and the gas will be
stored at low pressure). It is
anticipated that all the biogas will be consumed by the steam boiler. When the steam boilers are under
maintenance, the biogas will be combusted by the flare (with a diameter of
about 1 m) with a designed capacity of 150 m3 hr-1.
To
minimise odour emissions from the site, all the treatment and storage tanks of the
wastewater treatment plant will be enclosed.
After the anaerobic digestion process in the IC Reactor, the biochemical
oxygen demand of the wastewater will be significantly reduced (by about 80%)
and hence the potential for odour
nuisance is significantly
reduced. The vent air from the
wastewater storage and treatment tanks will be cleaned by an air scrubber prior
to discharge to the atmosphere.
The surplus sludge from the sludge thickener will be
dewatered to at least 30% dry solids using a belt press in the Sludge
Dewatering Room. The dewatered sludge
will be stored in container inside the Sludge Room. The roller door of the Sludge Room will be
closed except for removal of the sludge container for disposal. The Sludge Dewatering Room and Sludge Room
will be provided with a ventilation system and the exhaust air will be scrubbed
by the final air scrubber prior to discharge to the atmosphere. A slight negative pressure will be
maintained at all times when the sludge dewatering process is carrying out and
sludge is being stored in the Sludge Room.
The sludge container will be properly covered with metal flip doors or
tarpaulin before the roller door of the Sludge Room is opened.
The
purified trap grease, WCO, PFAD or other feedstock will be pumped to the transesterification unit.
Each batch of transesterification process will
use a mix of available feedstock according to pre-programmed recipes. Here, the oils will be mixed with an
alcohol-catalyst (methanol and potassium hydroxide).
After
the transesterification process, biodiesel (the fatty
acid methylester or FAME) and glycerine will be
formed. The biodiesel will be purified
and excess methanol will be recovered by centrifuge. The methanol recovered will be reused in the
transesterification process. The biodiesel will then be fed into the
biodiesel distillation tank for polishing in order to improve its quality. The final products from the distillation tank
are the biodiesel (up to 303 tpd) and the bioheating oil (about 27 tpd) ([8]).
The biodiesel will be sampled for laboratory testing to ensure that its
quality meets the specification requirements.
The biodiesel will be stored in the biodiesel storage tanks (2 nos.,
with a total capacity 3,700 m3).
The glycerine separated during the transesterification
process will also contain unused catalyst (ie
potassium hydroxide) which will be neutralised with sulphuric acid to form
fertiliser (about 7 tpd). The fertiliser will be sold to the local and
international markets. The free fatty
acids in the glycerine phase will be separated by decanters and fed back to the
transesterification process. The glycerine will be purified and dewatered
by an evaporation process to remove the trace amount of methanol and
water. The methanol will be reused in
the transesterification process while the water will
be pumped to the wastewater treatment plant for treatment. The purified glycerine (at about 80% purity,
up to 21 tpd) will be sold to the local or
international market. It is estimated
that about 9,600 m3 per year (or about 30 m3
d-1 or 30 tpd) of wastewater
(depending on the characteristics of the feedstock) will be generated in the
biodiesel production processes.
No solid waste will be
generated from the biodiesel production process.
To minimise potential odour
emissions from the biodiesel process, the material storage and processing tanks
will be enclosed and the vent gas will be cleaned by an air scrubber (except
for the storage tanks of acid and base which will not cause potential odour nuisance) and then diverted to the wastewater
treatment plant for use as the ventilation air for the enclosed treatment tanks
or the air intake for the aeration tanks.
All vessels/tanks machinery and all other equipment
for the biodiesel production plant will be designed to international safety
standards and to comply with mechanical, technical and safety standards for
biodiesel plant design and local regulations.
The entire production process will be program-controlled. The process visualization allows the
monitoring of the process and intervention by the manual mode, if
required. The process equipment for the biodiesel production
line (such as vessels, machines, pipelines, instruments, etc) will be made of
stainless steel or other resistant materials fulfilling the respective
mechanical, technical and safety standards.
The vessels and pipelines will be insulated by aluminium plate. All vessels will be equipped with agitators and
with a manhole. All pumps for methanol
will be sealed with a magnetic coupling.
All other pumps will be equipped with single-acting mechanical
seals. All pumps will be monitored by a
fully automatic process control system (PCS) to prevent dry running.
The process equipment will be mounted in a steel
structure building which is open inside.
The building will be covered with metal sheet cladding. The following plant sections will be situated
in a separate building:
·
Building
for process equipment;
·
Building
for steam boiler, chilling and air compressor;
·
Building
for materials storage, workshop, spare parts, control and electrical control
room and office;
·
Building
for trap grease preparation;
·
Tank
farm (including loading and unloading systems);
·
Wastewater
treatment plant; and
·
Outdoor
utility plants (ie air cooling tower).
The
steam boiler system will make use of the biogas generated from the IC Reactor
and bioheating oil and biodiesel produced from the
biodiesel production process as energy sources for heating. If necessary, it will be supplemented with
gas oil and town gas. The Project
Proponent is committed to use an appropriate fuel or a mixture of fuels which
will comply with the new emission limits stipulated in the Air Pollution Control (Fuel Restriction) (Amendment) Regulation
taking effect on 1 October 2008. It is
estimated that fuel consumption equivalent to about 21.5 tpd
of biodiesel will be required for the boiler system. The emissions from the boilers (2 nos.)
will be discharged to the atmosphere via a single stack of 31 m high.
The methanol will be stored in a 500 m3
steel storage tank. All process tanks
and machines will be designed to be gas tight and equipped with a gas
displacement system. The methanol in the
exhaust gas will be removed in an air scrubber and recovery system and hence
avoid discharging to the atmosphere. A
gas warning system measuring the 10% of the lower explosion limit (6% v/v) of
methanol (ie alarming level will be set at 0.6% v/v)
will be installed to monitor the methanol concentration inside the process
room. The plant will shut down
automatically and the emergency ventilation system will be activated if the
monitoring system detects a methanol concentration of 0.6% v/v inside the room.
The capacities
of the storage tanks for various materials are presented in the Table 3.2c.
Table3.2c Capacities
of Storage Tanks for the Biodiesel Plant
|
Tank
Number |
Description
of Storage Tank |
No. |
Capacity (m3) |
Capacity (Days) |
|
1 & 2 |
Raw GTW Tank |
2 |
1,500
each |
4.6
(total) |
|
3 |
Cleaned Trap Grease Tank |
1 |
1,000 |
10.3 |
|
4 & 5 |
Dewatered GTW
(Lipofit) |
2 |
150 each |
3.4
(total) |
|
6 |
Cleaned WCO Tank |
1 |
1,000 |
11.3 |
|
7 |
PFAD Tank |
1 |
1,500 |
16.1 |
|
8 |
Raw Animal Fat Tank |
1 |
500 |
11.2 |
|
9 |
Cleaned Animal Fat Tank |
1 |
500 |
11.2 |
|
10 |
Methanol Tank |
1 |
500 |
14.3 |
|
11 |
Sulphuric
Acid Tank |
1 |
50 |
12.5 |
|
12 |
Phosphoric
Acid Tank |
1 |
25 |
83.3 |
|
14 |
Additive
Storage Tank |
1 |
50 |
15 |
|
15 & 16 |
Biodiesel
Quality Tank |
2 |
500 each |
3.2 (total) |
|
17 |
Biodiesel
Storage Tank A |
1 |
2,500 |
14.2 |
|
18 |
Biodiesel
Storage Tank B |
1 |
1,200 |
9.2 |
|
19 |
Glycerine
(80%) Tank |
1 |
500 |
30.2 |
|
20 |
Fertiliser
Container |
1 |
20 |
2.6 |
|
21 |
Bioheating
Oil Tank |
1 |
200 |
7.5 |
|
22 |
Gas
Oil Tank (as back up fuel) |
1 |
100 |
8.3 |
|
23 |
Nitrogen
Tank |
1 |
25 |
16.5 |
|
24 |
Crude
WCO Tank |
1 |
1,200 |
- |
The biodiesel will be sold to potential buyers. It will be delivered to the potential buyers
by 1,000 tonnes barge. During
incremental weather, the biodiesel could be transported by 20 m3
road tankers similar to that currently used for petroleum diesel in
The
glycerine and fertiliser (Potassium Sulphate) produced will be sold to buyers, eg soap and fertiliser production factories, as raw
materials in
Based
on the operation experience of similar biodiesel plants, the staff requirements
for the operation of the proposed biodiesel plant will be 20 in day-time and at
least 8 at any time. If necessary,
external personnel will be hired for maintenance and repair works.
The stormwater runoff of the bunded
area (see Figures
3.2f and 3.2g) will pass through an oil
interceptor before discharge into the stormwater
drainage system of the TKOIE. The
preliminary drainage plan of the Project Site is shown in Figure 3.2h. The design of the oil interceptor and silt
traps is presented in Figure 3.2i.
The bunded area will be inspected regularly to ensure there is
no leakage of materials. Leakage
detected system will be installed to monitor any leakage of tanks. Any spillage of materials within the bunded area will be cleaned up immediately in accordance
with the procedures described in Sections
6.6.4 and 6.7.2.
The treated
effluent will be discharged to the existing public sewer at
As
the site has been formed, no major earthworks will be required for site
formation. All excavated materials
generated from foundations works and site levelling works will be reused on
site.
Metal
hoarding will be erected around the site prior to the commencement of the
foundation work. Driven steel H piles
with reinforced concrete pile caps will be used for the foundations of the
buildings. Piling will be carried out
during day-time. Reinforced concrete
slab and raft foundation will be built for the process area, tank farm area and
wastewater treatment plant. The process
and tank farm areas will be contained by perimeter bund walls. The pre-fabricated structural steelworks and
storage tanks will be assembled on site using hydraulic and tower cranes. The reinforced concrete buildings will be
constructed on site using ready-mix concrete and conventional construction
method. The pipes, gantries and biogas
flare in the wastewater treatment plant will be supported by structural
steelwork. Equipment installation will
begin on the completion of civil work.
The
jetty for reception of marine vessels during the operation phase will be
constructed by piled deck (see Figure 2.2b)
and no dredging of marine sediment will be required. Marine piles will be drilled through the
existing rubble mound seawall to competent bearing strata by a piling rig
mounted barge. Concrete infill to piles
will be undertaken prior to placement of trellis beam and pre-cast concrete
panels. It is estimated that the
construction of the jetty will take about 8 months, including 3 months for pile
installation and 5 months for jetty deck construction.
Figure
3.2j presents the
construction programme of the Project.
The
Project Proponent has appointed BioDiesel
International (BDI) to carry out the design of the biodiesel production
plant. Jacobs China Ltd was appointed as
the consultant responsible for the overall management of the engineering design
of the Project. Paques
Environmental Technology Co. Ltd was appointed to undertake the design and
construction of the wastewater treatment plant. CNCCC will undertake the detailed design of
the plant and equipment based on BDI’s requirements
and construct the facility. The development programme of the biodiesel
plant is outlined in Table 3.2e.
Table 3.2e Tentative
Project Development Programme
|
Activities |
Timeline |
|
Engineering design and equipment procurement |
April 2008 to March 2009 |
|
Commencement of the construction
of the Biodiesel plant and installation of equipments |
March 2009 to February 2010 |
|
Statutory Inspection |
February 2010 to April 2010 |
|
Commencement of testing and checkout |
April to June 2010 |
|
Commencement of the Biodiesel plant |
June 2010 |
Several
existing and planned projects have been identified in the Tseung
Kwan O area (see Table 3.3a). These are mainly roads and infrastructure
works and therefore it is anticipated that the potential cumulative
environmental impacts may arise only during the construction phase of these
projects. Based on the tentative project
development programme, the construction of the proposed biodiesel plant will be
completed by early 2010. The concurrent
projects during the construction of the biodiesel plant are the TKO Further
Development project which is located more than 2,000 m away from the biodiesel
plant, and the SENT Landfill and the TKO Area 137 Fill Bank which are located
more than 700m from the biodiesel plant.
Given a large separation distance between the TKO Further Development
site and the biodiesel plant, it is not anticipated that these concurrent
projects will cause adverse cumulative environmental impacts. The potential cumulative dust impacts with
the operation of the SENT Landfill and TKO Area 137 Fill Bank and the
construction of the TKO Further Development project are discussed in Section 4.4.3.
Table 3.3a Planned
Projects in TKO
|
Planned
Projects |
Distance
from Biodiesel Plant (m) |
Planned
Construction Date |
|
Cross Bay Link |
> 600 |
2013 – 2016 |
|
TKO - Lam Tin Tunnel |
> 1,800 |
2012 – 2016 |
|
TKO Further Development –
infrastructure works at Town Centre South and Tiu Ken Leng |
> 2,000 |
Mid 2009 – 2011 |
|
SENT Landfill
Operation |
700m |
Till end of 2012 |
|
SENT Landfill Extension |
> 1,000 |
2011 - 2018 |
|
TKO Area 137
Fill Bank |
>1,000 |
Till 2013 |
Other
major air emissions sources within 500m of the site boundary in TKOIE have been
considered in the air quality assessment.
Details can be referred to Section
4.
(1)