When making biodiesel, manufacturers usually use huge containers for mixing of the fuel components. Likewise, if the tanks are huge the other equipment used must be industrial sized. There are a number of biodiesel tank mixers, biodiesel tanks, drum mixers, biodiesel processing and storage plants. Energy balance is another important environmental attribute of fuels. For every one unit of energy needed to produce biodiesel, 3.24 units of energy are gained. On the other hand, it takes 2 units of energy to produce a single unit of petroleum diesel energy, and even more for gasoline. This information is not available for hydrogen fuel cell technology; however hydrogen gas steam reforming operations do use natural gas and electricity to make steam, so it’s likely to be high. So, for overall efficiency of energy in fuel production, biodiesel is about six times better than petroleum diesel and even more for gasoline.

The 20% blend level is also required for the fuel to be recognized as an “alternative fuel” under the federal Environmental Policy Act. Biodiesel is slightly heavier than petroleum diesel. Therefore, it is typically splash blended on top of petroleum diesel to ensure proper mixing. Safety characteristics: Biodiesel has a higher flash point than gasoline and petroleum diesel and does not produce explosive vapors, making it one of the safest fuels to use, handle and store. In addition, because it is biodegradable and non-toxic, biodiesel does not pose the soil and water contamination concerns associated with gasoline and diesel fuels. The percentage of biodiesel used in a blend well effect these characteristics.

Biodiesel is derived from domestic, renewable resources such as animal fats and plant oils. The manufacturing process converts oils and fats into chemicals called long chain mono alkyl estrs in a chemical process called transesterification. Transesterfication uses an alcohol such as methanol and a catalyst such as sodium hydroxide to convert raw fats and oils into a stable product, biodiesel. Different fats and vegetable oils produce somewhat different biodiesel fuels, but they all must meet the same biodiesel fuel standard. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but is typically blended with petroleum-based diesel to create a biodiesel blend between 2-20%, although it can be used up to 100% in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with no major modifications.

Palm Oil Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from Palm Oil. Palm Oil Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Palm Oil Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

B100 biodiesel and biodiesel blends may dissolve or dislodge the accumulated sediments in diesel storage tanks, pipes, fueling systems and engine fuel tanks. Dissolved or dislodged sediments can plug fuel filters and cause fuel injector failure. Existing tanks and transfer systems should be cleaned, dried, and inspected prior to introducing high percentage blends into the tank.

Biodiesel is produced from renewable resources such as vegetable oils (e.g. These feedstocks are used to manufacture a mixture of chemicals called fatty acid methyl esters (biodiesel). The chemical process is called “transesterification” (this should not be considered “refining” in same sense that petroleum is refined) and has been around since 1820’s. Majority inputs are 90% vegetable oils and animal fats and 10% alcohol. The majority outputs are 90% biodiesel and 10% glycerin.

With gas prices increasing and growing environmental awareness, the need to consider alternate energy and fuel sources are becoming a necessity. One alternative is the use of Biodiesel fuel, which is becoming more and more popular today. Because Biodiesel is a cleaner burning diesel fuel, made from 100% natural, 100% renewable vegetable sources, its uses in today’s society may surprise you. Below are nine ways Biodiesel is being used. Some of which you may never have realized.

1) Biodiesel Car Rental – Yes that’s right. A Maui and Los Angeles car rental rents cars that run on Biodiesel. These cars get between 400 and 800 miles per tank! Not bad when consider the price of gas these days.

2) Home heating fuel – More people are taking a look at Biodiesel as an alternative for heating their home. Most oil-fired or boiler furnaces can use Biodiesel (B20), which is a fuel made of 80 percent traditional heating oil and 20 percent Biodiesel. Some people are getting their furnaces adapted to be able to burn B100, a fuel made entirely of vegetable oils, which burns much cleaner than traditional heating oil.

3) Electricity Generation – Diesel generators that produce electricity are now running on Biodiesel fuel. A superior alternative to the typical coal burning electricity generating plants currently being used in the United States. Running on Biodiesel is an inexpensive, clean and renewable way of creating electricity.

4) Trucking Industry – More and more truckers are switching from diesel fuel to Biodiesel fuel. The benefits are numerous not to mention the advantage of helping the environment and reducing our dependency on foreign oil, while saving money.

5) Agriculture – Not only a producer of Biodiesel, but also a consumer. Tractors, reapers, tillers, pickers, conveyors, generators, pumps, and irrigation systems which normally uses diesel fuel, now use Biodiesel to fuel their work, bringing agriculture full circle from producer to consumer.

6) Marine Vehicles – Commercial fleets such as ferries, recreational yachts, sailboats, and motor boats are all candidates for Biodiesel. For example Pacific Whale Foundation, located in Hawaii, use Biodiesel in their boats.

7) Tax Incentive – The IRS is offering tax incentives to anyone that produce and use Biodiesel fuel. The US Government is working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by giving producers of Biodiesel fuel government funds. The tax incentive works to help tax paying customers by lowering the cost of the fuel bill.

Lubrication Additive – Because Biodiesel is a better lubricant than current low-sulfur petroleum, fuel injectors and other types of fuel pumps can rely on Biodiesel fuel for lubrication. With the right additives, engine performance can also be enhanced, making engines last longer. Other numerous applications can also make use of it’s lubricate properties, such as concrete forms and asphalt trucks. Its solvent properties also make it a safe parts cleaner, reducing skin and eye irritation associated with other cleaners.

9) Cleaner Environment – Biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide exhaust emissions by up to 80%. Because of this, Biodiesel has the potential to reduce air toxics and cancer causing compounds. Something we all can live with! If spilled, it will quickly degrade into natural organic residues, without polluting the environment.

Mike Boyd – For the latest information on biodiesel fuel, vehicles, processors and making biodiesel visit at biodiesel.2clixs.com

There are many companies around the world that are involved in the production of biodiesel. The Biodiesel Company which is privately owned is one of them. The Biodiesel Company has many years of experience in the fields of sales and distribution. Based in Toronto Canada, The Biodiesel Company collects and renews fuel from the waste of cooking oil, non vegetable oils and also related feed stocks and then process them into biofuel. On of the Biodiesel Companies is Grease Brothers, they make their biodiesel from vegetable oil and change it into fuel, the ultimate biodiesel guide is a company that sells instructions on how to make biodiesel so that you will be able to heat your home. Tree Hugger is a new biodiesel company that produces biodiesel through algae which has been found to be a more efficient way to make fuel. They found that algae can produce 30 times more oil per acre then the current crops that companies use do.

Other biodiesel companies include Agra Biofuels which produces over 3 million gallons of biodiesel every single year. Bently Biofuels, produce biodiesel from the oils of seeds and restaurant grease. Biodiesel production companies are the new solution to the rising prices of fuel. The fuel can be used in any diesel without having to convert it which makes it quick to Descente grate.

They believe that it is important to have competitive prices because of the fact that people are not fully aware of it and do not fully understand they cannot sell it above market price. Their marketing strategy which should be the same marketing strategy of all biodiesel production companies is to have a strong emphasis on the quality and focus on their target markets.

Investment in the Asian biodiesel sector has soared in response to booming global demand for biofuels. With EU member states required to source 5.75pc of their road transport fuel from biofuels by 2010, Asian exports of biodiesel to Europe are set to increase as European buyers look to source competitively priced fuels and diversify supply. As most countries in the Asia Pacific region are net importers of fuel oil, several government-driven initiatives are encouraging domestic use of alternate fuels such as biodiesel to reduce dependence on imported oil. “In addition to providing licenses for biodiesel production, tax allowances, and capital grants, many governments are planning to introduce mandatory quotas for biofuels,” says the analyst of this research service. “The initiatives of governments are also evident in the conduction of consumer education campaigns regarding awareness and use of biodiesel.” The increased penetration of diesel-powered vehicles in many countries is expected to further help take biodiesel mainstream.

In another move to encourage production of biodiesel, several biodiesel producers have been publicly listed in 2005 and 2006, notes the analyst. These listings and the subsequent media attention have not only helped biodiesel gain public attention, but have also increased investor confidence in the sector and stimulated further investments in new capacities and necessary infrastructure for the distribution of blends.

The Malaysian biofuel project, when fully implemented in 2008, is expected to absorb up to 500,000 tonnes of palm oil per annum. Malaysia has also agreed to set aside up to 40% (about six million tonnes) of the country’s total palm oil production for biodiesel. Sabah has the largest oil palm planted area at 1.24 million ha, accounting for 30% of Malaysia’s total oil palm planted area in the country. Matured areas stood at 3.5 million ha or 87.5% of Malaysia’s total planted area in 2006. Last year, Malaysia announced a mammoth plantation merger which will result in the largest listed palm oil company in Southeast Asia and the world. The combined entity is expected to have an estimated market capitalisation of RM75.5 billion, planted estates of 511,000 ha, plantation landbank of 578,337 ha and produces 5% to 6% of global CPO output.

Benefits of Using Biodiesel

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. Read more about the benefits of using biodiesel

Biodiesel: Applications & Uses
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. Read more about biodiesel applications

Biodiesel From Algae
Algae have turned out to be the most promising feedstock for producing biodiesel among all other feedstock available and being experimented with. This renewable energy feedstock has drawn worldwide attention as an economic source for biodiesel that can substitute petroleum diesel as engine fuel, a necessity warranted by fast diminishing fossil fuel reserves and global oil crisis. Read more about biodiesel from algae

Biodiesel: Fundamentals

All kinds of vehicles, appliances, equipments, etc. need not necessarily run on diesel which is exhaustible and can run out. They can as well run on fuels called biodiesel made from vegetable oils or animal tallow. Any vegetable oil like Soya oil as also oils used for frying can go to make biodiesel. Read more about biodiesel fundamentals

Biodiesel: History Of Biodiesel
Long before the advent of diesel engine, studies on conversion of vegetable oil into biodiesel were conducted in 1853 by the two scientists Duffy and Patrick. It was only on August 10, 1893 that Rudolf Diesel ran the first diesel engine at Augsburg, Germany and the day is still commemorated as the “International Biodiesel Day” every year in honor of that landmark event. Read more about the history of biodiesel

Biodiesel: Sources for Production
Biodiesel can be produced from many types of vegetable oils. The ones most commonly used are soybean and rapeseed oils. In the United States, 90% of biodiesel is produced from soybean oil. It can also be produced from crops such as Jatropha, field penny cress, sunflower, palm oil, mustard, etc. Other sources for biodiesel include Waste Vegetable Oil, animal fats like lard, yellow grease and tallow. Biodiesel can also be made from the byproducts derived in the process of making Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil. Read more about the biodiesel sources for production

1853-1976
Long before the advent of diesel engine, studies on conversion of vegetable oil into biodiesel were conducted in 1853 by the two scientists Duffy and Patrick. It was only on August 10, 1893 that Rudolf Diesel ran the first diesel engine at Augsburg, Germany and the day is still commemorated as the “International Biodiesel Day” every year in honor of that landmark event. In 1900 at the World Fair in Paris, Otto Company of France demonstrated a diesel engine that ran on peanut oil devised by Rudolf Diesel which was a pioneering effort in the development of biodiesel although strictly speaking it was not exactly biodiesel but biofuel since transesterification, the process for converting vegetable oil into biodiesel was unknown at that time. Rudolf Diesel being a visionary realized the important role the fuel made from biomass was going to play in future for running engines. However the makers of biofuel from vegetable oil were finding the process expensive and the petroleum industry took this opportunity to aggressively market petroleum diesel which was cheaper. Petroleum oil compared to vegetable oil was found to be less gelling and the diesel engines were modified accordingly by the manufacturers during the twenties to enable use of petroleum diesel. Biomass fuels like biodiesel as a result got shelved for many years and the manufacturing facilities fell into decay. In spite of this slump, the IC engines continued to use vegetable oil as fuel during the period from the twenties and up to the fifties in countries like the UK, France, Germany, Brazil, China and Japan. The first production of actual biodiesel was by Chavanne, a scientist at the University of Brussels in Belgium who got a patent for it in 1937. This patent was for the process of transesterification or alcoholysis by which vegetable oil was converted for use as fuel. The process involved treating vegetable oils with ethanol and methanol to replace glycerol with alcohol after separating fatty acid from the glycerol. This production process continued till the mid seventies.

1977-1989
A modified process of transesterification to produce biodiesel using ethanol was patented in 1977 by Parente, a Brazilian scientist. This process has since been recognized and accepted by the automobile industry as the standardized one for making biodiesel internationally. Another product ‘bio-kerosene’ by Tecbio owned by Parente has also been patented and certified by Boeing and NASA for use as aviation biodiesel. In 1979 a process was developed in South Africa whereby sunflower oil was converted to biodiesel by the process of transesterification. However it was not before 1983 that biodiesel suitable for use in automobile engine was produced, tested and accepted worldwide. The first plant using rapeseed oil to produce biodiesel at industrial scale was set up in 1989 by the Austrian firm Gaskoks.

1990-Present
Biodiesel plants started to be set up in many European countries from the early nineties. Continuous researches are being conducted to increase the proportion of the fuel up to 50% in combination with petroleum diesel. Service stations in Europe are selling 100% biodiesel. Minnesota in 2005 became the first state in the USA to stipulate minimum 2% biodiesel to be mixed in diesel fuel.

More articles:
Biodiesel Fundamentals – Biodiesel: Applications & Uses

Although alternative fuel sources are not sufficient and still not ready to take over, they are still better than nothing. As people already start worrying about their future, which seems to be darker and colder with each passing day, alternative fuel sources will become more and more popular. Their importance is not overrated at all as humanity has already exhausted half of the worlds oil reserves and it will not only become more and more expensive to extract smaller and smaller amounts of oil, but it will definitely come to its end one day. Unfortunately our economy now seems to be so dependent on gasoline that even if we switch to alternative fuel sources, and the sooner we do that the better for everyone, it might still not be enough to save our lives. Not being one of the major alternative fuel sources for cars, solar power is actually a very useful one and whats more it will always be available for us to use. The main application of solar power is in our houses where with a few solar panels we can provide all the heating and the hot water we will need. Apart from that there are other ways also of getting an entire house powered and running only using alternative fuel sources, although it is still an expensive option.

A large step towards switching to alternative fuel sources were the Hybrid cars. Technically they dont actually use alternative fuel sources, but they have found a way to optimize gas consumption to the unbelievable 50 miles per gallon or even more with the use of conventional gasoline. And thinking realistically this is way better than burning alternative, but still inefficient, fuels such as vegetable oils, Biodiesel, ethanol etc. of course those vehicles powered by alternative fuels free us from the dependence on oil, but they still pollute the environment with the smoke coming out of the exhausts. That is the main reason it doesnt make any sense to me. Why should we switch from one thing to another if the second one is not going to be any better than the first? Hydrogen and electricity seem to be the two most promising alternatives for fueling our future. They are very closely related as hydrogen is a highly efficient power storage option, and stored in the form of hydrogen in the car, the power is, when needed, being converted in electricity. In this way constructors avoid the need of huge and heavy batteries to store the energy. Losing the batteries on its turn, means that the car can be lighter and thus much more efficient and easier to run and maintain. These two alternative fuel sources might become the long awaited solution for the worlds fuel problems; however they need to be perfected first.

Oils
Biodiesel can be produced from many types of vegetable oils. The ones most commonly used are soybean and rapeseed oils. In the United States, 90% of biodiesel is produced from soybean oil. It can also be produced from crops such as Jatropha, field penny cress, sunflower, palm oil, mustard, etc. Other sources for biodiesel include Waste Vegetable Oil, animal fats like lard, yellow grease and tallow. Biodiesel can also be made from the byproducts derived in the process of making Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil.

Another important economical source for production of biodiesel is algae. Algae for producing oil for biodiesel can be sourced cheaply from sewage wastes thus obviating the need for land which can be utilized for growing food. Many people consider waste vegetable oil to be the most ideal source for production of biodiesel. But the volume of biodiesel required to be produced to meet the demands of the transportation and household sectors is too large to be met with the inadequate supply of waste vegetable oil. Similarly inadequate is the supply of animal fat to produce biodiesel. Use of petroleum diesel can however be reduced to some extent by using discarded animal fat to produce biodiesel. Discarded chicken fat that can be procured from local poultry firms can be a viable source for biodiesel. Around 3 million gallons of biodiesel can be manufactured from nearly one billion kg of chicken fat and this source is utilized by some plants in USA

Not Enough to Replace Fossil Fuel
To produce soybean and animal fat in a scale than can produce enough biodiesel to substitute petroleum diesel as fuel is practically not possible. The enormous quantity of vegetable oils required to be produced towards making biodiesel would need very large scale farming with use of pesticides and fertilizers. People all over the world might object to such large scale diversion of agricultural land for producing vegetable oilseeds instead of food cultivation. As per the estimates of the Energy Information Administration of the US Department of Energy, consumption of diesel as engine and heating fuel is around 160 million tonnes in USA. Production of vegetable oils and animal fat in the country is estimated to be around 11 million tonnes and 5.3 million tonnes respectively that indicate the inadequacy of the production of these substances to produce biodiesel in sufficient volume to replace petroleum diesel.

From Algae
To produce biodiesel from soybean oil to meet the estimated consumption in USA of 160 million tonnes of fuel would require the total cultivable land of the country. This impractical prospect can be eliminated by the alternative option of using algae from sewage wastes that is economical and does not require much land. According to the estimate of the Department of Energy, to meet this fuel need, only 15000 square miles of land is required for growing algae. Algae can be grown in arid lands including in desert and marine conditions and can yield more oil for biodiesel than other plants. The energy yielded by algae per acre is estimated to be 30 times more than crops grown on land like soybean.

More articles:
Biodiesel From Algae – History Of Biodiesel

Vegetables for Vehicles
All kinds of vehicles, appliances, equipments, etc. need not necessarily run on diesel which is exhaustible and can run out. They can as well run on fuels called biodiesel made from vegetable oils or animal tallow. Any vegetable oil like Soya oil as also oils used for frying can go to make biodiesel. In diesel engines, one can either use biodiesel fully replacing diesel or combination of diesel and biodiesel in any proportion. The fuel tank can be filled with just diesel, just biodiesel or diesel-biodiesel at any ratio.

Why Biodiesel?
Demand for fuels like diesel or petroleum is so overwhelming that most of the countries have to import them. On the other hand, biodiesel can easily be manufactured indigenously. Thus precious dollars which would otherwise have gone to a foreign country can be saved and dependence on them for fuels reduced. While biodiesel manufacturing would create job within the country, reduction of import would strengthen the balance of trade. Isn’t that great? Apart from these economic considerations, the other weighing factor is that the oil is not going to last forever. Oil is non-renewable and also a pollutant. Biodiesel is ever renewable and without any toxic effects. As it is made from vegetable oil, it is no pollutant of air. We all know how rampant use of carbon fossil fuels is contributing to global warming and climatic change. The air is foul with carbon emissions. With biodiesel which is almost free from carbon, emissions warming the globe are almost gone and we can take a deep breath in a cleaner air. The wear and tear of automobile engines is far less when diesel is replaced by biodiesel. Even a small addition of biodiesel to the diesel increases the lubrication which means longer engine life. Less noise and less smoke- that’s what clinches the deal for biodiesel. Anyone who has abhorred the belching smoke and the engine noise of a diesel run automobile would heartily welcome the soothing biodiesel.

Minuses
Biodiesel is also not without its disadvantages. In spite of steadily rising availability, biodiesel is still to be available readily across the country. The consumption for biodiesel is increasing by leaps and bounds (gone up 5 times in 5 years between 2001 and 2006) and the indigenous production can hardly keep pace with this growth in consumption. Using biodiesel in fuel tanks hitherto using diesel clogs the fuel filter by peeling off the accumulated diesel on the tank wall. This may be a problem for the fuel injectors. Biodiesel is more gelling than diesel and at a temperature below 32 degrees Fahrenheit may get a little sticky. The problem can be overcome by keeping the proportion of biodiesel to 20% and mixing the fuel with 80% diesel. This combination is most widely used having a gel point of 15 degrees Fahrenheit. In extreme cold climates, additives like kerosene in the diesel-biodiesel mixture can further bring down the gel point. While biodiesel poses no problems for new cars, rubbers used in fuel lines of old cars may get eroded with use of biodiesel. The NOx emissions from biodiesel cause smog but reductions of greenhouse gases far outweigh this small disadvantage.

More articles:
History of biodiesel – Biodiesel: Applications & Uses