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Biodiesel Basics

Biodiesel Basics. What is Diesel?. Diesel is not a fuel Diesel is a compression ignited internal combustion engine Spark ignited internal combustion engines (gasoline) burn high distillate fuels Diesel engines burn middle distillate fuels. Diesel Engine and Biomass Fuels.

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Biodiesel Basics

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  1. Biodiesel Basics

  2. What is Diesel? • Diesel is not a fuel • Diesel is a compression ignited internal combustion engine • Spark ignited internal combustion engines (gasoline) burn high distillate fuels • Diesel engines burn middle distillate fuels

  3. Diesel Engine and Biomass Fuels • Invented in 1890’s by Rudolf Diesel • Designed as engine for the people • Farmer friendly • All diesels ran on biomass fuels until the 1920’s • Diesel engines will burn just about anything • Most fatty acids or hydrocarbons from plant, animal or fossil sources

  4. What is Biodiesel? • Biodiesel is a fuel comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats • Biodiesel is typically produced by a reaction of a vegetable oil or animal fat with an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol in the presence of a catalyst to yield mono-alkyl esters and glycerin www.nbb.org

  5. What is Biodiesel? • Slightly modified vegetable oil (or animal fat): • 90% vegetable oil : 10% alcohol • With glycerin (waxy stuff) removed • Biodiesel improves the cold flow properties (viscosity and gel point) and reduces emissions compared to straight vegetable oil (SVO) • Methyl ester most common • Ethyl ester may offer some advantages

  6. Current Primary Feedstocks • United States: Soybean Oil • Europe: Rapeseed Oil (RME) • Germany and France • Australia: Rapeseed and Mustard Seed Oil • Many other feedstocks used to a lesser degree throughout the world

  7. Biodiesel in a Nutshell • Made from renewable resources • Clean burning • Greenhouse gas neutral • Domestically producible in most regions • Highly biodegradable • Non-toxic • Flashpoint over 300°f • No odor to pleasant odor (French fries) • High lubricity • High solvent characteristics

  8. BiodieselSolution or Problem Difficult to find peer reviewed negative conclusions published in the last five years

  9. Biodiesel vs. Food • Biodiesel produced from feedstocks such soybean oil: • utilize a valuable food resource • compete for space on highly productive land • Are not efficient producers of oil (Pimentel and Patzek, 2005) • Soybeans and other similar feedstocks are likely not the long-term future of biodiesel

  10. Biodiesel and Energy Balance • Pimentel and Patzek (2005) reported a negative energy balance for biodiesel produced from soybean oil and sunflower oil • 0.8 for soybean oil • There are problems with this study • Did not include full value of soybean meal • Included costs not normally included in energy balance studies • Does not mention gasoline energy balance is 0.8

  11. Biodiesel and Subsidies • Current biodiesel production requires government subsidies in order to be price competitive with petroleum fuels (IRS, 2005; EO 13149, 2000) • It currently does, but is this a problem • Capturing externalities (the incomplete market) • A newly emerging industry (Tyson, 2005)

  12. Alternative Feedstocks and $ • One of the most promising feedstocks for large scale biodiesel production is high-lipid algae, but after 20 years of research US DOE concluded it was not commercially viable (Sheehan, et al., 1998) • Private firms utilizing new technology are coming to a different conclusion (Huntly, 2005 (pending publication))

  13. Technical Problems • Biodiesel increases nitrous oxide emissions (NOX) • Biodiesel has a higher gel point and viscosity than petrodiesel • Both of the above are being successfully addressed through technological advances

  14. References EO 13149. 2000. Greening of the Government Through Federal Fleet and Transportation Efficiencies: Executive Order 13149. Federal Register/Vol 65, No. 81/ Wednesday, April, 2000 IRS. 2005. Fuel Tax Credits and Refunds. Publication 378. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service. NBB. National Biodiesel Board. www.nbb.org Pimentel, D., and Patzek, T. 2005. Ethanol Production Using Corn, Switchgrass, and Wood; Biodiesel Production Using Soybean and Sunflower. Natural Resource Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 Sheehan, J., et al. 1998. A Look Back at the US Department of Energy’s Aquatic Species Program-Biodiesel from Algae. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Golden, Colorado Tyson, K. 2005. DOE Analysis of Fuels and Coproducts from Lipids. Fuel Processing Technology, Vol. 86

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