Thermochemical ethanol via direct gasification and mixed alcohol synthesis of lignocellulosic biomass

Original publisher: Golden, CO : National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2009. OCLC Number: (OCoLC)429116248 Subject: Biomass gasification -- Research. Excerpt: ... Table 1. Chemical Engineering Magazine's Plant Cost Indices Year Index Year Index 1990 357.6 1999 390.6 1991 361.3 2000 394.1 1992 358.2 2001 394.3 1993 359.2 2002 395.6 1994 368.1 2003 402.0 1995 381.1 2004 444.2 1996 381.7 2005 468.2 1997 386.5 2006 507.2 1998 389.5 2007 525.4 Figure 4. Chemical Engineering Magazine's Plant Cost Indices Once the scaled, installed equipment costs were determined, overhead and contingency factors were applied to determine a total plant investment cost. That cost, along with the plant operating expenses ( generally developed from the Aspen Plus model's mass and energy balance results ), was used in a discounted cash flow analysis to determine the cost of ethanol production ( referred to as the Minimum Ethanol Selling Price, or MESP ) using a specific discount rate. For the analysis done here, the MESP is the primary value used to compare alternate designs. 8