What are the differences between a batch process and a continuous process?
The biodiesel industry in the United States has realized significant growth over the past decade through large increases in annual production and production capacity and a transition from smaller batch plants to larger-scale continuous producers. The larger, continuous-flow plants provide operating cost advantages over the smaller batch plants through their ability to capture co-products and reuse certain components in the production process. Based on a recent study named “The Growth and Direction of the Biodiesel Industry in the United States” by Nick D. Paulson and Roger G. Ginder, dated May 2007, “The analysis shows that the larger plant realizes returns to scale in both labor and capital costs, enabling the larger plant to pay up to $0.015 more per pound for the feedstock to achieve equivalent return levels as the smaller plant under the same conditions.” A continuous process is critical to maintain a competitive edge in the biodiesel production industry and Methes revolutionary De
