BIODIESEL

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BIODIESEL!

• Marisol García-Reyes
• Sina Ferdosi
• Kenneth Rider
• Michael Rush

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Biodiesel WHAAA?!

• Fuel derived from vegetable oil
• Completely compatible with petro-diesel
• Cleaner burning!
• Can be produced at home!
• Cost-competitive! (considering rising diesel
  prices)
• (As low as .70 a gallon using waste vegetable
  oil)

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Sources of Biodiesel

• Commercial sources are not common, and more
  expensive than petro-diesel
• Most common feedstocks
• Virgin soybean and rapeseed oil
• Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO)

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Speaking of Vegetable Oil

• Cars CAN be converted to run on straight (virgin)
  vegetable oil, as well as WVO
• WVO requires more filtering
• Both require heating the oil to 160ºF to get a
  viscosity similar to diesel fuel
• Possibly cheaper overall
• Initial outset can be high BUT
• Save cost of processing to biodiesel

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How DOES one process biodiesel?

• Transesterification, of course!
• Substitutes alcohol for glycerin
• Basic process requires three ingredients
• Vegetable oil (most likely WVO)
• Methanol (CH3OH)
• Lye (NaOH or KOH)

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Basic Process Overview

• Check the oils pH (more FFA with dirtier oil)
• Calculate quantity of lye (and methanol) needed
• Mix methanol and lye to form METHOXIDE!!
• Add to oil and agitate
• Let settle and drain glycerin layer off bottom
• Top layer is biodiesel! Put it in your car!

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Output potential

• Fuel economy
• No. 2 Diesel 129,500 BTU/gal
• Biodiesel B100 118,296 BTU/gal
• Biodiesel B20 127,259 BTU/gal
• Gasoline 125,000 BTU/gal
• 8.65 less energy output (but only 5.3 less the
  gasoline)

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Advantages

• Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that have
  fully completed the health effects testing
  requirements of the Clean Air Act
• Cetane index for Biodiesel is higher than for
  petro-diesel, improving performance at the
  ignition
• Biodiesel has better lubricity than the
  low-sulfur petro-diesel

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Emissions compared to petro-diesel

• B100 B20
• Particulate matter -47 -12
• Carbon monoxide -48 -12
• Unburned hydrocarbons -67 -20
• NOx 10 2
• Sulfates -100 -20

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CO2

• 78.5 reduction in CO2 emission compared to
  petro-diesel
• Closed Carbon Cycle

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Diesel and Gasoline

• Overall biodiesel is about 2 less efficient than
  petro-diesel
• Gasoline is about 35 less efficient than
  petro-diesel

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Efficiency and Economics

• According to a study written by Drs. Van Dyne and
  Raymer for the Tennessee Valley Authority, the
  average US farm consumes fuel at the rate of 82
  liters per hectare (8.75 US gallons per acre) of
  land to produce one crop.
• Photosynthesis is known to have an efficiency
  rate of about 16 and if the entire mass of a
  crop is utilized for energy production, the
  overall efficiency of this chain is known to be
  about 1 .
• Additional factors must be taken into account,
  such as the fuel equivalent of the energy
  required for processing, the yield of fuel from
  raw oil, the return on cultivating food, and the
  relative cost of biodiesel versus petrodiesel.

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Efficiency and Economics

• A 1998 joint study by the U.S. Department of
  Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of
  Agriculture (USDA) traced many of the various
  costs involved in the production of biodiesel and
  found that overall, it yields 3.2 units of fuel
  product energy for every unit of fossil fuel
  energy consumed.
• Some have concluded that it is likely that the
  United States, with one of the highest per capita
  energy demands of any country, does not have
  enough arable land to fuel all of the nation's
  vehicles.
• More recent studies have concluded that as little
  as 28,000 km² or 0.3 of the land area of the US
  could be utilized to produce enough biodiesel to
  replace all transportation fuel the country
  currently utilizes.

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Biodiesel and Cars
Seattle area has the highest number of pure
biodiesel -- B100 -- users in the country
California's strict emissions laws don't allow
the sale of diesel passenger cars
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Biodiesel and Cars
VW Jetta The most common Diesel car used in the
U.S
2000 diesel Jetta
50 miles per Biodiesel gallon
Average Biodiesel will cost 3.50 per Gallon for
pure biodiesel, or B100. And it's only available
at a handful of stations Seattle Area
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Why People Use Biodiesel?
Biodiesel users say the fuel isn't just carbon
neutral and far less polluting in most emissions,
but they also point to its homegrown role in
improving national security by reducing
dependence on foreign oil. They like that it can
reduce the trade deficit, create jobs here and
support American farmers.
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Dan Freeman started selling B100 three years ago,
he had about 15 customers, who were all members
of the same car club. He now sells 130,000
gallons annually to about 800 biodiesel
customers, most of whom drive Volkswagen TDIs.
He plans to open up to four more pumps for the
fuel -- one at a coffee shop on Roosevelt Avenue
and in Snohomish, Vashon Island and Bellingham.
Freeman's customers set up an account and
pre-purchase the soybean biodiesel. Those who
pre-pay for more than 100 gallons get a discount
off the 3.47 per gallon price.
But most say the cost is offset by the high
mileage they get, even though biodiesel is
slightly less efficient then diesel.
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Some People Make their own Biodiesel
Rudensey, an educator at the University of
Washington's Department of Environmental Health
does that.
Cobbling together Internet information, and
through trial and error, Rudensey designed his
own processor for about 700. Numerous companies
sell do-it-yourself kits ranging from about 600
to 4,000.
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Production and Demand

• Current Biodiesel production is at 1.08 Million
  Barrels/day
• Transportation Diesel demand is currently 4.3
  Million Barrels/day
• Transportation gasoline demand is currently 13
  Million Barrels/day

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Commercial Production Plants
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• There are over 65 US Bio-diesel manufacturers
• A reported 50 new plants are due to open within
  the next two years

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Choices of Feedstock

• Yellow Grease (waste vegetable oil/fat)
• 1.10/gallon
• Limit is 100 million gallons/yr.
• Soybean oil
• 1.90-2.20/gallon
• Limit is gt200 million gallons/yr.
• Diesel Production Costs
• Petroleum 0.77/gallon
• Yellow Grease 1.38/gallon
• Soybean Oil 2.44/gallon

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Conclusion

• Uncompetitive with petroleum diesel
• Hybrid fuels like Bio-20 are feasible and
  advantageous
• We recommend Biodiesel to displace some diesel
  consumption, but not as a replacement.

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References

• National Biodiesel Board Web Page. Consulted
  05/31/06. www.biodiesel.org
• Energy Information Administration. Department of
  Energy. Consulted 06/03/06. http//www.eia.doe.go
  v/oiaf/analysispaper/biodiesel/index.html
• US. Environmental Protection Agency. Consulted
  05/31/06 http//www.epa.gov/OMS/climate/420f05001.
  htm
• US Biodiesel Development New Markets for
  Conventional and Genetically Modified
  Agricultural Products. Duffield et al.
  Agricultural Economic Report No. 770. September,
  1998.
• http//journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_mike.html
• Dr. Dan's Alternative Fuel Werks Web Page.
  Consulted 06/01/06. http//www.fuelwerks.com/
• Seattlepi Weekly Web Page. Consulted 06/01/06.
  http//seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/212626_biodies
  elfans18.html