Biodiesel: Fuel Your World!
A sustainable way to drive
What Is Biodiesel & How Does It Work?
Biodiesel is a fuel used in place of petroleum made of agricultural & vegetable oils, animal fats, and recycled food grease. A process called transesterification makes these materials into usable vehicle fuel. It's often used in blends of biodiesel and regular petroleum fuel, known as B2, B5, and B20.
Where & How Is Biodiesel Used?
Replaces situations where workers may be exposed to diesel exhaust for long periods
Used in school bus fleets to prevent inhalation of harmful emissions
Used in locomotives that face restricted use unless emissions can be reduced
Works as a fuel additive - as little as 1% biodiesel mix could increase lubricity (greasing that reduces friction) of diesel fuel by up to 65%
- Replacement for harmful petroleum-based lubricants
Advantages
Domestically produced
Uses renewable resources
Compatible with most diesel engines
Produces less air pollutants in general
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions (B20 reduces by 15%)
Biodegradable (can be decomposed with natural bacterias and substances)
Non-toxic
Safer to handle than other fuel sources
Creates 78% less carbon dioxide emissions
Eliminates sulfur oxide and sulfate emissions
Combustion of biodiesel provides 56% reduction in hydrocarbon reductions
Reduces carbon monoxide and soot much more frequently than common petroleum-based fuels
Reduce carcinogen properties of diesel fuel by 94%
Lubricates (greases) better than petroleum-based fuel
Conventional diesel fuel may leave deposits/sediments in fuel lines, storage tanks, etc., whereas biodiesel dissolves these sediments and creates no new deposits while cleaning
Materials Needed for Production/Use
- Vegetable oil/animal fat/waste
- Peanut, sunflower, cottonseed, mustard seeds
- Soybean oil and “yellow grease” from palm, canola, soy, etc (most common materials)
- Methanol
- NaOH or KOH catalysts (speed up process of making fuel)
Cost, Maintenance, and Longevity
How much does biodiesel cost?
$2.41/gallon (B200)
$3.21/gallon (B99-B100)
How is biodiesel maintened and how long does it last?
Very suitable for diesel engines
Very safe to handle and transport
Is as biodegradable as sugar
10 times less toxic than table salt
Requires only very high temperatures in order to burn
20 million gallons/year
- Capacity to make 50 million gallons/year
Disclaimers
Sources
http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/biodiesel_basics.html
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/pdfs/basics/jtb_biodiesel.pdf
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/biodiesel.shtml
http://www.twinfilter.com/main-markets/industrial-and-process/vegetable-oil/biodiesel
https://www.biodiesel.orghttp://biodiesel.org/images/default-source/homepagetabs/news.jpg?sfvrsn=0