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Wood ChemistryPSE 406

Bioenergy-Biodiesel

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Agenda Why biodiesel? How to make it?

» Possible sources Cars

» Biodiesel » Bioethanol

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Rudolf Diesel

“The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today,” he argued, “but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal-tar products of the present time."

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Biodiesel is not the same thing as raw vegetable oil. It is produced by a chemical process which removes the glycerol from the oil.

Biodiesel» Domestic » Renewable » For diesel engines » Derived from natural oils and fats

Biodiesel

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Why biodiesel? Biodiesel

» Biodegradable» Non-toxic» Lower gas emission that diesel when

burned (reducing green house gases by at least 68%)

» Commercially available in Europe and USA

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Biodiesel 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 glycerol, which is removed.

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How? Tranesterification: alcohol + ester →

different alcohol + different ester » Base of acid as a catalyst » The oil is mixed with an alcohol, usually

methanol or ethanol, and separated into methyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerol.

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Transesterification

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Biodiesel technology

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Possible sources

Vegetable oil (soy, canola, coconut etc.) Recycled cooking oil (McDonald’s fryer) Animal fats (fish oil) Soybeans Algae

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Algae to biodiesel 1 acre of:

» Corn-300gallons of ethanol/year» Soybeans-60 gallons of biodiesel/year» Algae-5,000 gallons of biofuels/year (cost)

Greenfuels bioreactors

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Palm oil (1) Palm oil plantations is approximately 11

million hectares (2006) in the world» Conversion of tropical forest in Asia into palm

oil plantation– Habitat destruction and potential extinction of certain

endangered species (e.g. the orangutans in Borneo, the Sumatran tigers and Asian rhinoceros) no word on “Brazilian Pluto”

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Palm oil (2)

                                                  

FAOSTAT

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Palm oil (3) Palm oil is derived from the plant’s fruit

» A hundred kilograms of oil seeds typically produce 20 kilograms of oil

» Crude palm oil is extracted from the yellow parts of oil palm fruit

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Biodiesel cars The 86% fuel economy compared to

100% gasoline» A smoother running engine due to the

cleaning and lubricating properties of the fuel. 

» Other benefits– Better smelling exhaust (french fries or a warm

waffle iron).» Special materials required for fuel lines,

hoses, valves, gaskets

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Flexible-Fuel Vehicles (FFV)

Use E85 (85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) Cost of FFV is similar to traditional gasoline

vehicle 1gallon of E85 provides the same energy as

0.72 gallons of gasoline (lower E content) Special materials required for fuel lines,

hoses, valves, gaskets, fuel tank (corrosive ethanol)

Washington state more than 35, 000 of FFVs (U.S. over 4 million FFVs)» Ford Focus, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Stratus, Dodge

Caravan, Chevrolet Avalanche