Biofuels Processing Technicians

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

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

Skills

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

Abilities

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

Knowledge

• 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.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• 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.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• 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.
• 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.
• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• 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.
• 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.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• 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

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:

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