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ARS Home » Plains Area » Lubbock, Texas » Cropping Systems Research Laboratory » Cotton Production and Processing Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #195080
Title: MULTI SCENARIO PELLET FUEL MANUFACTURING OPERATION UTILIZING COTTON WASTE

Author
item SIMONTON, JAMES - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item Holt, Gregory
item BERUVIDES, MARIO - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
item BARROSO, LUIS - TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/7/2008
Publication Date: 6/30/2008
Citation: Simonton, J., Holt, G.A., Beruvides, M., Barroso, L. 2008. Multi scenario pellet fuel manufacturing operation utilizing cotton waste. Journal of Cotton Science. 12:134-142.

Interpretive Summary: A process designed to add value to byproducts from cotton processing facilities, known as the COBY Process, has been evaluated in the manufacturing of livestock feed, mulch, and fuel pellets. This study was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of multiple processing scenarios to determine which would supply the best ROI (Return on Investment). The variables included: 1) various processing equipment, 2) three target production rates, 3) multiple work shifts, and 4) various fuel price ranges. Overall, using the scenario three with a target production rate of 15,000 tons per year produced the best results. The break-even point for this scenario and production rate was 5,991 tons. The ROI was 79.95% with a payback of 1.24 years.

Technical Abstract: Prior work demonstrated the economic feasibility of gin waste based pellet fuel operations. The goal of this project was expand the original economic model to include a multi-scenario manufacturing approach to improve the economics of the process. The objectives required a complete and comprehensive analysis of three different machine configurations for manufacturing of pellet fuel from cotton byproducts. The results concluded, within the parameters of the analysis, a scenario which excluded the use of extruders in the manufacturing process was the most economically feasible for producing pellet fuels from cotton byproducts. It was projected that the break-even production point for the selected scenario was 5,435 metric tons of finished product with a pay back period of 1.97 years. This equates to a return on investment of 49.51%.