Lesser Emission of Carbon dioxide
Fossil fuels are the largest contributors to emission of carbon dioxide in the air and the consequent global warming that is adversely impacting the climate of the earth. Compared to fossil fuels, production and use of biodiesel contributes far less carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The actual extent of the release of this gas is however dependent on the process used to produce biodiesel and the effects considered for the calculation to determine the extent of release. Such calculations usually include the cost of growing the plant for biodiesel, transporting the feedstock to the production unit and the processing cost of converting the feedstock to biodiesel. Effects that are left out in the calculation are the cost incurred due to cultivating feedstock for biodiesel and not food crops, transportation cost for carrying biodiesel to the site of use from the factory, the extent of efficiency of biodiesel over the petroleum diesel and the benefits derived from the byproducts generated in the process of making biodiesel like glycerin. The carbon dioxide produced and released in the air from the tailpipe can be more in respect of biodiesel and this effect is also excluded from the calculation.
Less Pollution
As a substitute fuel for petroleum diesel in the USA, the requirements for effects on health have been met by biodiesel under the Clean Air Act of 1990. Presence of aromatic hydrocarbons has been reduced considerably in biodiesel. Benzopyrene has been reduced by 71% and benzofluoranthene by 56%. Performance of biodiesel in reducing tailpipe emission of particulates is better than diesel with low sulfur content and the extent of reduction may be as high as 20%. However this is applicable for vehicles using particulate filters. The particulate emissions during production of fossil fuels are higher by 50% compared to such emissions from the biodiesel production. Petroleum diesel has cetane less than 40 whereas it is higher in biodiesel. This factor enhances performance of the engine and reduces emission. Health hazards posed by biodiesel are insignificant compared to normal diesel. Effects on inhaling the gas or coming into skin contact with it are negligible though emission from biodiesel may cause eye irritation.
Non-toxic & Biodegradable
The easy biodegradability and non-toxicity have made biodiesel a fuel that causes much less pollution than the fossil fuels. Degradation rate of petroleum diesel is reduced by about 50% when blended with biodiesel due to co-metabolism. The degradation rate of biodiesel is in fact 5 times higher compared to normal diesel and same as dextrose control. When tested in soil, biodiesel has been found to degrade in soil at a rate two times faster than petroleum diesel. Unlike the normal diesel, biodiesel degrades completely and leaves no intermediates that degrade at a low rate. As regards the toxic effects, biodiesel has been found to have very low effects on the animals experimented with no report of animal mortality. While petroleum diesel with equal concentration also did not result in mortality, toxic effects were clearly visible on the animals in the form of discoloration of urine and loss of hair.
Biodiesel is fast replacing petroleum diesel for use in car engines as it is found to be more friendly to the engines as well as to the environment as this biofuel emits less smoke and toxic gases in the air. 100% biodiesel or B100 can be used to run a vehicle. Alternatively this fuel can also be blended in any proportion with diesel in the diesel engines of modern automobiles. However gaskets and hoses made with natural rubber as found in automobiles made up to the early nineties tend to be degraded more by biodiesel than by petro-diesel because of certain solvent properties of biodiesel. Modern engines however use FKM in place of rubber as it does not react with biodiesel. The transition from petro-diesel to biodiesel may be made gradually since the latter is often found to disintegrate the residual petro-diesel deposit on the fuel tanks resulting in clogging of the fuel filters. A blend of the two types of fuels in appropriate proportions should be resorted to before switching over fully to biodiesel to reduce this possibility. A better option while using biodiesel is to replace the fuel filters on the auto engines and heaters.
Availability
Applications and productions of biodiesel are rising in Europe, USA and Canada. It is being used in mixture with diesel in automobiles and the growing demand for this fuel has made it available in the fueling stations in the above countries. Petroleum diesel is although cheaper at present than biodiesel, perishable nature of the former cannot keep its cost down in the long term. While man cannot restore the gradually depleting oil reserve, more and more agricultural subsidies will be made available to encourage production of biodiesel ultimately bringing down its price.
Uses
The debate continues over which one is a better car fuel- petroleum diesel or biodiesel. Producers of petroleum driven by their vested interests try to establish that petroleum diesel is better for car engines. The producers of biodiesel claim that pure biodiesel in fact increases the life of the engine by reducing its wear and tear. This is supported by independent bodies also. Fuel stations sell biodiesel produced with standards set by the authorities regulating production and use of the fuel and the consumers are satisfied with performance of this fuel. However the higher cost still encourages the consumers to opt for the petroleum diesel fuel for their car engines or blending small proportion of biodiesel with the traditional oil. Use of less than 5% of biodiesel in the blend was initially advised by car dealers like Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler in the USA to secure lives of their car engines but the recommendation has since gone up to 20%. Even 2% addition of biodiesel in the mixture reduces the viscosity of petroleum diesel and increases the lubricity of the mixed fuel. The standard proportion of biodiesel now followed most widely is 5%. World’s first biodiesel train by Richard Branson, the famous British businessman, was run on 20% biodiesel. Branson’s first commercial aircraft to run on biodiesel in February, 2008 signaled the important role this fuel is going to play in future aviation.
Using alternative fuel sources is not just a matter of environmental responsibility. It is not just about calming down the little voices screaming in your head. It makes good sense and a solid investment for the future. Although most of us are either ignorant or can’t care less, the fossil fuels which form the backbone of our world economy are dwindling quite rapidly, even as we go about our daily business in our cars. Just look at the rocketing oil prices reported all over the media and you’ll get a feel of how severe the problem actually is. Once the big oil crash happens (like another major war in the Middle East or the OPEC just decides to sit on its oil reserved doing nothing), it will be a huge crisis for those who are unprepared to use an alternative fuel source. There will be a run on biodiesel vehicles, and an even greater demand for electric vehicles, causing skyrocketing prices, and shortages. Although few Americans use an alternative fuel source to commute, those who do are soon going to be at an advantage. If your alternative fuel source is your feet, whether through walking or bike riding, you are already at an advantage, paying nothing to move from one place to another and training your body at the same time. However, even if you can not get around solely on your feet, it makes sense to start planning your life around alternate fuel sources now, before it becomes too late.
In addition, many areas will probably not be adequately prepared to work with an alternative fuel source. There may be no where to even refill your biodiesel cars, and that will make things quite hard. People will have become so used to the convenience of their gas powered vehicles, that they will not be able to really get around this formidable-looking problem. But if you plan your life around an alternative fuel source, you will have no trouble adjusting. The most fool-proof alternative fuel source is your own two feet, but since not all of us have athletic bodies or enjoy walking hours under the sun and snow, the real solution is public transport. If you live in an area where public transportation is already in place, and runs on electric vehicles, then congratulations. I bet that your local economy will suffer far less damage from the fuel crisis. The public transit, driven by an alternative fuel source, will be able to pick up the extra passengers who have been forced to suddenly give up their cars, and there will be minimal inconvenience. If you have an electric vehicle, you will similarly be in a good position, as electricity will always be a good alternative fuel source. No matter how bad the fuel crises gets, the government will know better than letting the national power grid collapse. Therefore, electricity makes a lot of sense.
Glen B. Porter provides readers with up-to-date commentaries at entertainment-resource-directory.com
The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel dates back to 1895 when Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. He demonstrated his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and described an experiment using peanut oil as fuel in his engine. Because used vegetable oil may contain a number of food particles and other contaminants, a biodiesel conversion kit also contains a special filter mounted near the engine block. This filtering process ensures that only heated vegetable oil reaches the engine, reducing the risk of clogged fuel lines and contamination of the engine block. Biodiesel fuel blends containing both petroleum and organic materials have already been filtered, so that fuel is not sent through the filter. Biodiesel blends also use oils which have been processed to remain liquefied regardless of air temperature.
The used vegetable oil mixed with the fuel drawn from the fuel tank 3 via the fuel line 4 and the throughflow quantity meter 20 is transferred via the fuel filter 5 and the temperature sensor 21 to the fuel pump 14. Because of the fuel return lines present in Diesel engines–the fuel pump delivers considerably more than the engine consumes, so-called dual line system in order to avoid used oil accumulations in the tank, the return line 18 must be carried back directly into the fuel line 4. The functions of the dual line system cooling and ventilation of the fuel can also be assumed by other known ventilation systems, if necessary.
Texas has become the leading state for biodiesel capacity. The states plants report they could produce 96 million gallons of biodiesel should demand rise. The states biodiesel industry has garnered headlines for its growth, such as when Austin Biofuels and Triple S Petroleum opened 33 new B20 pumps. In the wake of this activity, the state will host its first Texas Biodiesel Conference and Expo. The Biodiesel Coalition of Texas (BCOT) will hold the event September 27-29 in Austin. The conference will cover the latest regulatory, agricultural and technical developments in the Texas biodiesel industry. Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), as well as other industry experts, will address the conference. A trade show is included.
Texas has some of the worst smog problems in the United States. In order to combat smog, the Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) program was created to regulate NOx and VOC emissions from diesel. TxLED regulates B20 because it meets the program’s definition of diesel fuel. Pure biodiesel does not fall under TxLED’s jurisdiction because it does not meet that definition. The TxLED program has a required composition that diesel fuel must meet. There is currently no biodiesel fuel that is TxLED-certified. Now that the decision has been delayed, the industry has another year to develop a fuel that can meet TxLED requirements.
The headline refers to environmental officials in Texas who decided to delay a proposed biodiesel fuel ban, pending further studying of the biofuel’s emissions. The main suspect is NOx emissions, which the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is worried might be higher than those allowed under a 2005 law when blends higher than B20 are used. As WIRED points out, different studies have shown different NOx emissions from biodiesel. The TCEQ voted on Dec. 23rd to put off a decision for another year. Call it a Christmas present to the biodiesel industry Texas, since the state is the second largest consumer of biodiesel in the country (behind Iowa).
Biofuel is an alternative energy that can be produced from renewable resources and are meant to be a climate friendly substitute for fossil fuels. There are various types of biofuels but the most common that are being mass-produced are made from corn, sugarcane, soybean, and palm oil. At the moment, yellow corn is one of the largest sources of biofuel in North America. It is converted into ethanol and emits approx. less greenhouse gases than gasoline when used as fuel. Butanol (called “biobutanol” if derived from biomass) is an alcohol similar to ethanol but with a higher energy density. Despite this and other advantages butanol is currently more expensive to produce than ethanol.
However the environmental costs associated with biofuel’s production weigh much higher. In the October 2007 issue of National Geographic, Joel K. Bourne writes in the article Green Dreams that the process of making ethanol from corn is a losers game, requiring more carbon-emitting fossil fuel than it displaces. He states this because the process involves industrial farming methods such as the use of diesel machinery to drive the distillation process from corn to ethanol, and the fertilizer that is required to grow the corn emits nitrous oxide that is 300 times more insulating than the most common carbon dioxide.
A series of guidelines, plans, and strategies were undertaken to invigorate the production of biomass energy since 2005. To ensure the steady development of the domestic biodiesel industry, China is likely to continue having a stern regulatory control on the biodiesel industry from 2007 to 2010, while the more advanced bioethanol segment already has regulations governing it,” says the analyst. This stringent national control over the bioethanol industry has dissuaded foreign investment.” However, investors could gain favourable policy outcomes and government support by liaising extensively with government branches. They also need to conform to the Chinese regulatory environment and establish alliances with local manufacturers instead of setting up wholly funded branches.
Please take a look at these Biodiesel Videos. Biodiesel, made from vegetable oils or animal fats, can be blended with diesel fuel at any level. Unlike diesel, biodiesel is non-toxic, biodegradable, non-flammable and inexpensive to transform. The most dangerous part of making biodiesel is from the time the methanol is purchased to the time the methoxide is completely introduced into the oil. This is when the majority of the accidents have happened.
This is the time to be safety focused more than at any other time. A conservative approach would start with small quantities of biodiesel made with clean, unused oil, to test the process and practice. Make sure you read, re-read, and comply with all safety precautions and practices! After you practice making biodiesel in small quantities, you can start to think about setting up a larger processor, anywhere from 20 to 100 gallons, and making it in larger quantities.
Biodiesel is commercially available in most oilseed-producing states in the United States. As of 2005, it is somewhat more expensive than fossil diesel, though it is still commonly produced in relatively small quantities (in comparison to petroleum products and ethanol). Many farmers who raise oilseeds use a biodiesel blend in tractors and equipment as a matter of policy, to foster production of biodiesel and raise public awareness. It is sometimes easier to find biodiesel in rural areas than in cities.
In the United States, alcohol fuel was produced in corn-alcohol stills until Prohibition criminalized the production of alcohol in 1919. Interest in alcohol as an automotive fuel lapsed until the oil price shocks of the 1970s. Reacting to the high price of oil and its growing dependence on imports, in 1975 Brazil launched a huge government-subsidized effort to manufacture ethanol fuel (from its sugar cane crop) and ethanol-powered automobiles. These ethanol-only vehicles were very popular in the 1980s, but became economically impractical when oil prices fell – and sugar prices rose – late in that decade. In recent years Brazil has encouraged the development of flex-fuel automobiles, where the owner can use any mixture of ethanol and gasoline based on their individual cost and performance goals. In 2005, 70% of the cars sold in Brazil were flex-fuel.
Production of biodiesel, according to the University of Idaho report, is very efficient, with 4.2 BTUs of liquid gained for each BTU used in production and processing. They also found that, if “farmers were allowed to grow rapeseed as an energy crop on set-aside or CRP acreage, biodiesel would be used in agriculture. If the environmental advantages were fully understood, biodiesel would become the fuel of choice, even at a higher price, for many environmentally sensitive or pollutant-prone areas.” (Rapeseed is a winter annual producing about 2,000 pounds of seed per acre – yielding about 100 gallons of oil for fuel, and 1,200 pounds of meal). The Idaho report noted that transesterification (using an alchohol in the presence of a catalyst to chemically break the molecules) is needed before the rapeseed oil can be used in ordinary diesel engines. The Univeristy of Idaho used a 200-gallon batch reactor to produce methyl and ethyl esters from rapeseed oil.
A biodiesel kit is a great way to save a substantial amount of money on your fuel costs. The basic function of such a kit is to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel, a fuel source that can be used in vehicles that currently run on diesel fuel. It is important to note that not all car companies endorse the use of biodiesel fuel in their vehicles and will void the warranty if an engine is damaged by its use. Be sure to research this before buying a new vehicle with a diesel engine. For older diesel cars and trucks there are engine conversion kits that will make the change to cleaner burning biodiesel much easier.
Biodiesel kits are becoming very popular, especially with people who are using biodiesel exclusively. People who have large amounts of used vegetable oil at their disposal find a kit makes sense. It takes longer to make biodiesel using used oil then fresh oil, but it can still be done with the same outcome.
One of the best reasons for buying a biodiesel kit rather than building your own is that they have been designed by real engineers who have thought of things that may be you wouldn’t have thought about (such as safety features). One of the most important safety features you should be looking for when considering purchasing a biodiesel kit is a “closed system” processor which means that when the chemical reaction is taking place no fumes can escape, which is extremely important because if these fumes are inhaled they can be harmful to you.
The processing of biodiesel may require a number of biodiesel filters in order to ensure that the end product is of excellent quality. When you try to recycle waste vegetable or surplus corn oil and make them into biodiesel, you might need a biodiesel filter for your engine to make sure that contaminants can’t enter into the engine and damage it. Different biodiesel filters may be required for a number of different applications.
Biodiesel is made by chemically reacting vegetable oil or animal fat (or combinations of oils and fats) with alcohol (usually nearly pure methanol or 200 proof ethanol) and a catalyst (sodium hydroxide, or lye). The oil is chemically acidic; the alcohol is chemically a base. This chemical reaction breaks the fat molecules in the oils into an ester, which is the biodiesel fuel, and glycerol. This reaction is called transesterification. Since the biodiesel is less dense than the glycerol, it floats on top of the glycerol and may be pumped off, or the glycerol can be drained off the bottom. The fuel can then be filtered and used in heating or lighting applications. Some people use it in diesel engines without further processing, but others recommend removing impurities (soap, un-reacted alcohol, and sodium hydroxide) by a washing process. Cartridge biodoesel filters include spin on filters as well as filter components housed inside a permanent housing. Usually, a pump is used to feed these kinds of biodiesel filters.
