Applications Biodiesel

Without the Biodiesel Standard, there would be no sustainable biodiesel market. The Biodiesel Standard guarantees that products are properly tested for blend properties, performance in engine use, and functionality with injection systems used in the modern common rail diesel engines. Many car manufacturers state that FAME used in commercial fuel must meet both standard references EN14214, the European Biodiesel Standard, and ASTM D 6751, the U. S. Biodiesel Standard (Table 3.1). Making biodiesel that complies with the applicable Biodiesel Standard helps guarantee the functionality and performance in transport engines. 

Let s have a look at these specifications and evaluate how they relate to functionality. We can then assess how they can be related to FAME composition, and how they could be used to calculate the Lowest Cost Blend of FAME, while still complying with the requirements of the applicable Biodiesel Standard. 

The Biodiesel Cost Optimizer (Fig. 3.2), built as a mathematical tool, has been developed to help the biodiesel industry find a least cost formula for making FAME compositions that perform within the specifications of the applicable Biodiesel Standard. The Excel Workbook Biodiesel Cost Optimizer contains three separate sheets ... 

Sivasamy, A., Cheah, K.Y., Fornasiero, P., Kemausuor, F., Zinoviev, S., and Miertus,S. (2009) Catalytic applications in the production of biodiesel from vegetable oils. ChemSusChem, 2 (4), 278-300. 

World-wide demand for glycerol is projected to be 0.2 Mt in 2007 and is forecasted to grow by 2.2% per year, driven mainly by personal care and food products [10]. If the target of the European Union directive is achieved, European biodiesel demand could increase to 10 Mt per year by 2010, resulting in 1 Mt of glycerol [2]. The price of glycerol has already fallen by 50% over the past ten years [10, 11]. Thus, the application of glycerol, obtained from the biodiesel process,... 

Methyl ester based biodiesel fuel is commercially produced in Europe as rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and fatty acid methyl ester (FAME). Use in diesel fuel at 5% by volume is the most common application for RME. In the United States, soybean methyl ester (SME or SOME) is typically blended into diesel fuel at 20% by volume and is known as B20. Blends of 5%, B5, 10%, BIO and also neat 100%, B100, biodiesel are becoming available. 

The reader should also be aware that some information provided in this section and in the sections below does not directly address the subject of biodiesel synthesis. Some discussions, for instance, are about the transesterification of simple esters or the production of monoglycerides by transesterification of vegetable oils nevertheless, the information provided is relevant to the topic of biodiesel synthesis since knowledge of catalyst reactivity in these systems is directly applicable to reactions involving TGs and FFAs. 

Fontaras G, Kousoulidou M, Karavalakis G, Tzamkiozis Th, Pistikopoulos P, Ntziachristos L, Stoumas S, Samaras Z (2010) Effects of low concentration biodiesel blend application on modem passenger cars. Part 1 feedstock impact on regulated pollutants, fuel consumption and particle emissions. Environ Pollut 158 1451-1460... 

Nowadays, glycerol finds application only for niche markets therefore the co-production of glycerine is becoming a burden for biodiesel producers and a bottleneck limiting the market of this biofuel. The economics of biodiesel depend heavily on using its co-product a high-value use for glycerol could reduce the cost... 

Buczek, B. and Czepirski, L. (2004) Applicability of used rapeseed oil for production of biodiesel. Inform, 15, 186. 

Fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) show large potential applications as diesel substitutes, also known as biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel fuel as renewable energy is an alternative that can reduce energy dependence on petroleum as well as air pollution. Several processes for the production of biodiesel fuel have been developed. Transesterification processes under alkali catalysis with short-chain alcohols give high yields of methyl esters in short reaction times. We investigated transesterification of rapeseed oil to produce the FAMEs. Experimental reaction conditions were molar ratio of oil to alcohol, concentration of catalyst, type of catalyst, reaction time, and temperature. The conversion ratio of rapeseed oil was enhanced by the alcohohoil mixing ratio and the reaction temperature. 

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