Biofuels Processing Technicians

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Collect biofuels samples and perform routine laboratory tests or analyses to assess biofuels quality.
• Monitor and record flow meter performance.
• Inspect biofuels plant or processing equipment regularly, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
• Inspect biofuels plant or processing equipment regularly, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
• Preprocess feedstock in preparation for physical, chemical, or biological fuel production processes.
• Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust biofuels production.
• Operate equipment, such as a centrifuge, to extract biofuels products and secondary by-products or reusable fractions.
• Clean biofuels processing work area, ensuring compliance with safety regulations.
• Calculate, measure, load, or mix refined feedstock used in biofuels production.
• Operate valves, pumps, engines, or generators to control and adjust biofuels production.
• Coordinate raw product sourcing or collection.
• Collect biofuels samples and perform routine laboratory tests or analyses to assess biofuels quality.
• Monitor and record flow meter performance.
• Inspect biofuels plant or processing equipment regularly, recording or reporting damage and mechanical problems.
• Calculate, measure, load, or mix refined feedstock used in biofuels production.
• Rebuild, repair, or replace biofuels processing equipment components.
• Assess the quality of biofuels additives for reprocessing.
• Monitor stored biofuels products or secondary by-products until reused or transferred to users.
• Rebuild, repair, or replace biofuels processing equipment components.
• Process refined feedstock with additives in fermentation or reaction process vessels.
• Perform routine maintenance on mechanical, electrical, or electronic equipment or instruments used in the processing of biofuels.
• Monitor batch, continuous flow, or hybrid biofuels production processes.
• Calibrate liquid flow devices and meters, including fuel, chemical, and water meters.
• Operate chemical processing equipment for the production of biofuels.
• Calculate, measure, load, or mix refined feedstock used in biofuels production.
• Monitor and record biofuels processing data.
• Measure and monitor raw biofuels feedstock.
• Monitor and record biofuels processing data.

Skills

• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.

Abilities

• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.

Knowledge

• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

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Education and Training Opportunities

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Pay

Washington Annual Salary

82040/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

39.44/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

210

Yearly Projected Openings

20

Personality

Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Cooperation
• Integrity
• Adaptability/Flexibility
• Concern for Others

Tools

• Adjustable widemouth pliers
• Adjustable wrenches
• Air compressors
• Air conveyors
• Air dryers
• Air samplers or collectors
• Alarm systems
• Ball valves
• Belt conveyors
• Benchtop centrifuges
• Binocular light compound microscopes
• Clock timers
• Control valves
• Deionization or demineralization equipment
• Desktop computers
• Digestion systems
• Distillation pipings or columns or fittings
• Ear plugs
• Evaporative coolers
• Filtering machinery
• Flow transmitters
• Forklifts
• Front end loaders
• Gas chromatographs
• Gate valves
• Globe valves
• Grinding mills
• Hand pumps
• Handheld refractometers or polarimeters
• Heat exchangers
• High pressure liquid chromatograph chromatography
• Hoists
• Hydrometers
• Infrared imagers
• Laboratory crushers or pulverizers
• Laboratory evaporators
• Laboratory flasks
• Laboratory graduated cylinders
• Laboratory mechanical convection ovens
• Laboratory mixers
• Laboratory sifting equipment
• Level sensors or transmitters
• Mixers or agitators
• Moisture balances
• Moisture meters
• Pallet trucks
• Personal computers
• Plant samples analysis equipment
• Pressure transmitters
• Protective gloves
• Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
• Respirators
• Reverse osmosis equipment
• Safety harnesses or belts
• Screwdrivers
• Skid steer loaders
• Spill kits
• Standard fermentation units
• Temperature transmitters
• Test sieves
• Titration equipment
• Two way radios
• Vacuum or mercury vapour equipment
• Viscosimeters
• Water samplers
• Water tube boiler
• pH meters

Technology

• Analytical or scientific software
• Business intelligence and data analysis software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Facilities management software
• Industrial control software
• Inventory management software
• Object or component oriented development software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software