World Mobile Plants

Improved production process for environment-friendly biodiesel

About World Mobile Plants

World Mobile Plants (WMP) is the trading name of the South-African company Nampo Master Plant Limited. It is a small company, established by a Dutch entrepreneur named Carlo Bakker. The company has the ambition to create jobs and improve the health of people in South Africa. Among other things, their aim is decentralizing energy in rural areas and local communities by building transportable bio diesel plants. By producing biodiesel from various sources such as waste cooking-oil, WMP wishes to make a contribution to a cleaner environment. The social impact of WMP is: 

• local employment and income generation
• community involvement
• improving quality of life
• transfer of knowledge and skills
• positive environmental impact

Business case

In the near future WMP has the goal to optimize the biodiesel production process of the existing plant situated in Bothaville. To realise this goal, WMP asked SharePeople for the help of a team of experts with experience in the technical issues of production processes. WMP has found a partner in Imtech N.V., a European technical services provider in the fields of electrical engineering, ICT and mechanical engineering. A team of 4 Imtech professionals worked on the business case for 25 days over a period of 6 months, of which 14 days at location in South Africa. Together with the local partners, the team was asked to work on:

• Performing an audit on the existing plant in Bothaville and providing solutions for improvement of the plant
• Designing and if possible, constructing a filter installation to pre-process the used cooking-oil
• Researching the re-usability of the biodiesel production by-products
• Assessing the possibility of local manufacturing of similar plants

Results

Analysis

Analysis regarding optimization of the plants performance pointed out that the plant still has a lot of shortcomings that need to be taken care of in order to assure the safety and the performance of the plant. The team analysed these shortcomings and summarized them in four categories:

• Not fit for use, has to be fixed before it's safe enough to use the plant
• Not fit for use, must be replaced to prevent system failure
• Improvements that will contribute to better plant performance
• Improvements that are not economically feasible for the existing plant but should be considered when building the next plant

Also, the team was able to assess the possibility of local production of similar plants, and had meetings with large locally based companies. The team talked to research institutions to find solutions for the use of by-products such as glycerol and methanol.

Advice 

• Improvement of the plant: The Imtech team advices to first carry out the improvements in the first category before continuing the production. Also, the team advices to carry out the improvements in the other three categories in order to improve the performance of the plant substantially. 
• Local production: The team concludes that new plants can be manufactured and commissioned locally and found a suitable partner not only in manufacturing, but also in providing the means for the training of plant operators. The team recommends continuing the negotiations with the identified parties, regarding the possibilities of building new, safer plants.  
• Dealing with by-product: Soap water is one of the major by-products of biodiesel production. The team recommends using dry-washing as a purification process, because this will not produce soap water. 

Impact on the overseas partner

The advice of the team has given WMP important input in order to improve the performance of the plant. Also, it has given WMP interesting new business contacts in South Africa. But except for these practical and technical results, Imtech has also given the entrepreneur moral support.

‘With the support of Imtech, a dream is becoming true because an initiative that was originally just a dream of one individual, has become a shared dream of many other people. Imtech, SharePeople and other involved parties, have given an important push to this project. It is very motivating to experience that so many people believe in the same dream' (Carlo Bakker, Owner WMP)

Impact on the European professionals

This programme has contributed to the personal development and strengthening of leadership capacities for the Imtech professionals as well. Also, it gave them the opportunity to be involved in socially responsible business activities.

 ‘I have learned a lot about project management. How do you decide in a group of equals? During the project I got the opportunity to practice my co-ordinating skills.' (Bram Smulders, Software Engineer, Imtech) 

Impact on the European company

The programme has stimulated employee engagement and has given an opportunity to concretise Imtech's CSR-programme. Also, it has created PR opportunities for Imtech regarding image building amongst

stakeholders, clients and possible employees.

‘It is relatively unique for a technical company such as Imtech to provide active support to a CSR project of this size. Nearly 50 Imtech employees are involved in this initiative, either directly or behind the scenes. Our goal is to underline Imtech's CSR policy, to mobilise employees to get involved in other CSR initiatives, to further expand our know-how regarding environment-friendly biodiesel production and to present Imtech as a modern, involved employer' (René van der Bruggen, Chairman Imtech)

Follow up

WMP has taken the recommendations of the Imtech team very serious and has temporary closed the existing plant in Bothaville, while they work on improvement of the safety conditions. Also, negotiations continue regarding local manufacturing of future plants.