Biodiesel

**biodiesel**
Specific gravity:	0.87 to 0.891
Kinematic viscosity@ 40°C:	3.7 to 5.81
Higher heating value(btu/lb):	16,928 to 17,9961
Sulfur, wt%:	0.0 to 0.00241
Cloud point °C :	-11 to 161
Pour point °C:	-15 to 131
Iodine number :	60 to 1351
Cetane Number:	46 to 701
Lower heating value (btu/lb):	15,700 to 16,7351
Tropical feedstocks:	coconut oil, oil palm, castor beans, jatropha, pongamia pinnata
Temperate feedstocks:	rapeseed, soy beans, sunflower seed
Other feedstocks:	algae, waste vegetable oil, Halophytes (Saltwater plants)
	1:EERE

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Bioenergy > Biofuels > Liquid biofuels > Biodiesel

Biodiesel (also spelled bio-diesel) is a diesel fuel produced from plant oils or animal fats. It is commonly sold blended with diesel derived from petroleum. Common blends include "B2" (2% biodiesel), "B5" (5% biodiesel), "B10" (10% biodiesel) and "B100" (100% biodiesel).

Biodiesel is a biofuel like ethanol, with which it is often confused. However, ethanol is made from sugar or starch, and is used in vehicles that run on gasoline. Biodiesel is made from oils and fats, and is used in vehicles that run on diesel fuel.

Biodiesel is also not the same as straight vegetable oil (also known as "SVO"). A normal diesel engine will eventually be damaged through the use of straight vegetable oil or straight animal fat fuel.

Biodiesel production

Biodiesel is made by chemically combining a vegetable oil or animal fat with an alcohol (such as methanol or ethanol) and a catalyst (usually sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) via a process known as transesterification. This produces an alkyl ester of fatty acid, containing an alcohol group attached to a single hydrocarbon chain comparable in length to that of diesel (C₁₀H₂₂ to C₁₅H₃₂)¹.

Co-products

Glycerin (C₃H₈O₃) (also called glycerol) is the primary co-product of biodiesel production.¹
- Glycerin can be used as soap, as well as in the cosmetic industry and its sale can offset the cost of biodiesel production.¹
"The 'meal' left in the seed after oil has been removed is currently sold as an animal feed."¹

Characteristics

Due to the wide variety of oils and fats that can be used to produce biodiesel, there is a greater range in the characteristics of biodiesel fuels than for ethanol fuel."¹
Some oils are shorter or more saturated - characteristics that affect the viscosity and combustibility of the biodiesel.¹
Biodiesel contains 88-95% as much energy as diesel fuel.¹
However, biodiesel can also improve diesel lubricity and raise the cetane value, meaning that in many cases diesel has a similar fuel efficiency.¹
"The alcohol component of biodiesel contains oxygen, which helps to complete the combustion of the fuel, reducing air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons."¹
Biodiesel contains practically no sulfur, so it can help reduce emissions of sulfur oxides."¹

Feedstocks

Biodiesel can be produced from any vegetable oil or animal fat, including waste vegetable oil produced by restaurants. There are also several experimental feedstocks including algae, which can be grown off of various types of waste.

In Europe, rapeseed oil is the major feedstock used to make biodiesel, with some sunflower oil also used.¹
"In the United States, biodiesel has generally been made from soybean oil as more of this is produced domestically than all other sources of fats and oils combined."¹
In tropical and sub-tropical countries, there are a wider variety of feedstocks being considered including both edible and non-edible oils.
- Edible oil feedstocks inclued palm oil and coconut oil.
- Non-edible oils include jatropha, castor beans and pongamia pinnata.

Making biodiesel

This YouTube video, "The Process of Making Biodiesel," provides one introduction to the topic:

Safe Chemical Handling in Biodiesel Production

Here is a YouTube video on biodiesel safety for small biodiesel producers.

Safety is extremely important, because while biodiesel itself is non-flammable and biodegradable, the chemicals used to make it can be very dangerous.

Methanol is colorless and tasteless, and can cause blindness or death if it enters the body through the nose, mouth, or skin. It is a cumulative poison: repeated, brief exposures can cause a toxic reaction. Methanol is also very flammable, and burns with an almost invisible flame, making the fire difficult to see. Methanol vapors are heavy, and can travel along the ground to a source of ignition.

Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are strong bases which can burn unprotected skin and kill nerve cells before pain can be felt. When sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is mixed with alcohol and stirred, a fine mist can be produced which can cause irritation to the respiratory tract.

Drawbacks

"Biodiesel blends are sensitive to cold weather and may require special anti-freezing precautions, similar to those taken with standard number-2 diesel."¹
"Long-term storage of biodiesel can be a concern because it may oxidize, although additives can ensure stability."¹
"Biodiesel acts like a detergent additive, loosening and dissolving sediments in storage tanks and also causing rubber and other components to fail; these concerns are typically minimal at low-level blends of biodiesel, and at higher blend levels problems can be avoided with some attention to the materials used in engine fuel injectors and the overall fuel handling system."¹

Biodiesel blend

Policy/issues

Biodiesel has become the focus of great interest by everyone from the Government of Myanmar to Willie Nelson due to its potential as a renewable, cleaner fuel. Still biodiesel production lags well behind ethanol production. Many countries have enacted targets or mandates for blending of renewable fuels.
However, biodiesel is only as sustainable as the systems used to produce the feedstocks.
- For example, 90% of the world's palm oil comes from Indonesia and Malaysia (citation needed), which are also home to some of the largest rainforests and greatest areas of biodiversity left on earth.
- Concerns that rainforests are being cleared to create oil palm plantations have led some in the European Commision to call for a ban on palm oil imports for biodiesel.
The use of food oils to produce fuel also has concerned many people.
- Countries like India, which has a demand for edible oils greater than supply, is worried about food vs fuel conflicts and is focusing on non-edible oils like jatropha.

According to the EPA's Renewable Fuel Standards Program Regulatory Impact Analysis, released in February 2010, biodiesel from soy oil results, on average, in a 57% reduction in greenhouse gases compared to fossil diesel, and biodiesel produced from waste grease results in an 86% reduction. See chapter 2.6 of the EPA report for more detailed information.

For more information on biodiesel sustainability issues, please see Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels and Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance.

Publications

See books, reports, scientific papers, position papers and websites for additional useful resources.

What is Biodiesel (pdf) by Shawn P. Conley and Bernie Tao; Purdue University, December 2006.
Biodiesel Quality: Is All Biodiesel Created Equal? by Shawn P. Conley and Bernie Tao; Purdue University, December 2006.
Is Biodiesel as Attractive an Economic Alternative as Ethanol? by Allan Gray Department of Agricultural Economics; Purdue University, December 2006.
Biodiesel 2020: A Global Market Survey (Published October 2006.)

News

Photos from Flickr tagged "biodiesel".

2010

US biofuels hurt if 2010 tax break expires-report, 9 March 2010 by Reuters: "U.S. fuel ethanol and biodiesel production would be cut by 10 percent if Congress allows biofuel tax credits to expire this year, a University of Missouri think tank said on Tuesday."
- "Biodiesel production would run roughly 10 percent lower without the tax breaks, or about 100 million gallons a year in 2012 to 2014," according to the study by the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI).[1]
- See the study, US Baseline Briefing Book - Projections for agricultural and biofuel markets (PDF file)'

Administration Support for Biofuels is Part of a Bigger Policy Need, 4 February 2010 blog post by 25 x 25 Alliance: "The final rule adopted by EPA this week to implement the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) set in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act correctly recognizes that high-efficiency, first-generation ethanol can, and will continue to, contribute to reductions in greenhouse gas emissions."
- "The agency and Administrator Lisa Jackson, a member of the working group, wisely broadened the scope of the research to cover wider spectrum of countries impacted by ILUC (from 40 to 160) and took into account more recent crop yield and land productivity numbers."
- "The latest research also saw an improvement in numbers for soy biodiesel, which now will be able to qualify for the advanced RFS subcategory, biomass-based diesel." [2]

Bad year for biofuel ends on a dour note, 1 January 2010 by AP/Washington Post: "A federal tax credit that provided makers of biodiesel $1 for every gallon expired Friday. As a result, some U.S. producers say they will shut down without the government subsidy."
- "Biodiesel's woes come on top of a year of problems for the fledgling biofuel industry - an irony given the push to cut down on greenhouse gases and ease the nation's need for foreign oil. A key driver for the alternative fuel - the high cost of oil - disappeared as diesel prices dropped 18 percent since the beginning of the recession. Then in March the European Union placed import-killing tariffs on biodiesel and other biofuels."
- "The biodiesel industry is now operating at only 15 percent of its potential capacity, according to the National Biodiesel Board, largely because the price of traditional diesel has collapsed. There are close to 180 biodiesel plants operating in about 40 states."
- "There is little chance that the U.S. will reach alternative fuel benchmarks of 36 billion gallons a year by 2022 in hopes of weaning the nation off foreign oil."[3]

2009

Senators scrap proposal to shield biofuels industry from EPA rules, 27 September 2009 by desmoinesregister.com: "Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Ia., and six other senators won't go forward with legislation that would have protected the biofuel industry from some proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules....The senators proposed an amendment to an agency spending bill that would have barred the agency from considering impacts on international land use in evaluating the carbon footprint of U.S.-produced ethanol and biodiesel."[4]

Brazilian miner Vale signs $500M palm oil deal in the Amazon, 25 June 2009 by Mongabay.com: "Vale, the world's largest miner of iron ore, has signed a $500 million joint venture with Biopalma da Amazonia to produce 160,000 metric tons of palm oil-based biodiesel per year....Vale says the deal will save $150 million in fuel costs starting in 2014, with palm oil biodiesel replacing up to 20 percent of diesel consumption in the company's northern operations. The biodiesel will be produced from oil palm plantations in the Amazon state of ParÃ¡."
- "environmentalists...fear palm oil production could soon become a major driver of deforestation in the region. Cultivation of oil palm is a leading cause of forest loss across Southeast Asia, but has yet to be widely planted in the Brazilian Amazon, where deforestation is mostly driven directly by conversion for cattle pasture expansion and indirectly by expansion of industrial agriculture, including soy."

Biofuels do well as jet fuel, Boeing says, 22 June 2009 by The Oregonian: "Good news for the struggling biofuels industry: The plant-derived fuels perform favorably as jet fuel, a study by Boeing and others in the aviation industry has concluded."
- "In the [U.S.] Northwest, Imperium Renewables is banking on jet fuel to help drive up demand for fuel from its 100 million-gallon-a-year biodiesel plant near Grays Harbor, Wash. The plant is currently idled amid the economic downturn."
- "According to the study, a series of laboratory, ground and flight tests conducted between 2006 and 2009 indicated the test fuels performed as well as or better than typical petroleum-based Jet A fuel."
- "Each of the test flights used a different blend of biofuel sources: An Air New Zealand flight used fuel derived from jatropha; a Continental flight used a blend of jatropha and algae-based fuels; and a Japan Airlines flight used a blend of jatropha, algae and camelina-based fuels."[5]

Korean firms set to invest $475M on biofuel plants, 29 May 2009 by BusinessWorld: Manila, Philippines--local firms sign "an agreement with South Korean companies to put up two biofuel plants costing a combined $475 million."
- Two agreements signed for bioethanol and biodiesel production.
- "...bioethanol producer Enviro Plasma, Ltd. and Central Luzon Bioenergy Corp. will put up a 500,000-liter per day bioethanol plant worth $300 million in Clark, Pampanga with sugarcane feedstock from 46,000 hectares of plantation..."
- "South Korean biodiesel producer Eco Solutions Co., Ltd. and partner Eco Global Bio-Oils, Inc. will invest $175 million to put up a biodiesel plant capable of producing 100,000 liters of biodiesel per day...Eco Solutions had committed to invest at least 100,000 hectares to plant jatropha".

Weak oil and imports turn EU biofuel boom to gloom, 24 February 2009 by Reuters: "Many companies across the European Union have abandoned or halted biofuel projects and more damage will occur if oil prices do not rise significantly in 2009 and the bloc does not manage to protect its market, producers and analysts said."
- "European producers of biodiesel -- by far the main biofuel made in the bloc -- also blamed their troubles on cheap subsidized imports, mainly from the United States."
- These quickly became direct competitors for European makers, notably in France, Europe's second largest biofuel maker, where refiners must blend a fixed amount of the plant-based fuels to avoid paying a fine but do not have to buy the local product.
- "The European Commission, the EU executive, plans next month to propose imposing anti-dumping duties on U.S. biodiesel, a measure that could provisionally take effect a month later, sources familiar with the proposal told Reuters last week."[6]

2008

Tax hike would force German biodiesel closures, 30 July 2008 by The Guardian/Reuters: "Germany's crisis-hit biodiesel industry faces further closures if the government goes ahead with plans to further raise biofuel taxes, a biofuels industry leader said on Wednesday."[7]

2007

Australia's largest biodiesel plant puts production on hold from Biofuels International, 14 December 2007. As prices for palm oil have doubled within the past twelve months, the Australian company Natural Fuel Ltd. has put "production on standby at the country's largest biodiesel plant, pending lower feedstock prices."

San Francisco Fleet is All Biodiesel from the New York Times, 14 December 2007, the mayor announced that the city has completed a year-long project to convert its entire vehicle fleet to biodiesel created from midwestern soy oil.

Asia Pacific Region biodiesel sector buoyant says Frost & Sullivan Biofuel Review, 12 December, 2007: Strong support from regional governments has created a strong domestic market for biodiesel with consumption at 410,000 gallons in 2006 and a 50% expected increase by 2013.

Companies

See biodiesel production.

Organizations

European Biodiesel Board (Europe-wide)
Biodiesel Association of Australia - Industry organization representing Australian biodiesel producers.
National Biodiesel Board - USA Biodiesel industry organization
American Oil Chemists' Society (USA)
National Biodiesel Education Program, University of Idaho\
Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels
Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance

Educational resources/Tutorials

Collaborative Biodiesel Tutorial - "make your own fuel to run in diesel engines."[8]
Make Your Own Biodiesel - from the website Journey to Forever

Events