| Abstract: | Most geochemical engineering projects aim at commercial application. The proper economical analysis during the initial stages of the engineering process are of the utmost importance for the successful realisation of such projects. Many of the costs are committed at this stage. Important issues are: the scale of the project, the product quality and the choice of raw materials. For chemical plants, the Zevnik/Buchanan method is often used to make a rough estimation of the economic viability in an early stage. After the preliminary design of a geochemical process or other application has been completed, a more accurate estimation can be made by means of an economic balance. Guidelines for various costs are given in this article. Generally two criteria are used by companies to make a decision about further commercial realisation. One is the return on investment (R.O.I.), the annual profit divided by the total investment. The other is the pay-out time, the inverse of the R.O.I., the time needed to earn back the invested sum. This article provides geochemical engineers with some basic tools, that can be used to make an estimation of the economic potential of new geochemical engineering methods. |
