Renewable feedstocks biodiesel

The development of biobased products is part of the current initiative to support the sustainable agriculture movement and to replace petrochemical substrates with renewable feedstocks. These activities provide the incentive to convert or incorporate agricultural biomass, co-products, and similar low-value materials into more valuable materials that benefit both growers and consumers. Glycerin obtained from the production of biodiesel presents a versatile substrate for the development of new products, and complements the biobased initiative. 

The prominence of lipids in the chemical industry is growing year on year and they are now one of the major renewable feedstocks used in a chemist s synthetic toolbox. They are readily obtained in different parts of the planet and can be easily modified to produce a wide range of chemical precursors for polymer production. However, many associate the commercial use of lipids in areas such as biodiesel, lubricants and paint formulations and not with the largely investigated use of polymers. This chapter aims to define loosely what a lipid is, and highlight the main areas where they have been employed in bioplastics production to date. 

Borugadda, V.B., Goud, V.V., 2012. Biodiesel production from renewable feedstocks status and opportunities. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 16,4763-4784. 

Biodiesel is a fuel derived from renewable natural resources such as soybean and rapeseed and consists of alkyl esters derived from transesterification of triglycerides with methanol. In spite of all the advantages of biodiesel, such as low emissiotts, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and lubricity, the major hurdle in penetration of biodiesel is its high cost because of the expensive food grade refined vegetable oil feedstock. 

Considerable attention is currently being focused on the use of renewable vegetable oils as feedstocks for the production of biodiesel. The latter has obvious benefits in the context of green chemistry and sustainability (i) since it is plant-derived its use as a fuel is C02-neutral, (ii) it is readily biodegradable, (iii) its use results in reduced emissions of CO, SOx, soot and particulate matter. 

The sky-rocketing crude oil prices in recent years and the continuous exploitation of fossil fuels demand that we make serious efforts toward sustainable biofuel and bioenergy production. Renewable energy derived from plant-based feedstocks, organic residues, and biowastes is expected to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance the rural economy (Schmer et al., 2008). In the United States, liquid biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are primarily derived... 

To this list should be added renewable ethanol (i.e. from crops) and biodiesel which are more easily substituted for liquid fuels. These can be used to displace fossil fuels used in the furnace and hence lower the carbon emission. Unfortunately, in the opinion of the author, these fuels often involve major ecological impacts elsewhere such as displacement of food producing agricultural land (ethanol) or destruction of native forests (biodiesel) for the production of a favoured feedstock -palm oil. 

Haas, M.J., K. M. Scott T.L. Alleman R.L. McCormick. Engine performance of biodiesel fuel prepared from soybean soapstock a high quality renewable fuel produced from a waste feedstock. Energy Fuels 200, 15, 1207-1212. 

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