Biodiesel around the World

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This page describes the use and availability of biodiesel in various countries around the world.

[edit] Australia

The Fuel Standard (Biodiesel) Determination 2003 was signed by the Minister for the Environment and Heritage on 18 September. The determination sets out the physical and chemical parameters of the Biodiesel standard. It also sets out the associated test methods that the Government will use to determine compliance.

Biodiesel subsidies are to be phased out by 2011, after the passing of the Fuel Tax Bill 2006.

Australian Farmers Fuel (SAFF) has been retailing B100 to the public in South Australia since 2001 and now also sells B20 (marketed as "Premium Diesel") at some 52 service stations across 4 states.

All of the metropolitan trains and most of the metropolitan buses in Adelaide (capital of South Australia) operate on a B5 blend. The South Australian Government has stated that it will soon move to B20 or possibly higher blends.

Several councils (local Governments) across Australia are using B20 (including Townsville City Council, Adelaide City Council, Sydney City Council and Newcastle City Council).

In February of 2005 the first retail outlet for Biodiesel opened in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville. It offers B20 and B50 blends to the general public, and caters to qualified fleets wishing to utilize B100.

2006 saw the first rollout of Biodiesel by a service station network. Gull, a Western Australian based company, introduced B20 Biodiesel to several Gull service stations on April 3 which has since expanded to a total of 21 sites of purchase. In addition, pure Biodiesel (B100) along with other blends can be purchased in bulk. Gull is also involved with the Western Australian Government to provide B5 Biodiesel for use in Transperth buses. Eventually the fleet will be provided with B10 or B20 blends. Currently seven percent of Transperth's bus fleet is running Biodiesel.

More recent news is the launch of reeFUEL biodiesel in Sustainable Townsville, North Queensland. reeFUEL sells only B100 and at time of writing, September, 2006, was selling 50,000 litres per week into a community of about 160,000. This is believed to be the highest penetration of biodiesel per capita in Australia. See www.reefuel.com for more information.

[edit] Brazil

Brazil opened a commercial biodiesel refinery in March 2005. It is capable of producing 12,000 m³ (3.2 million US gallons) per year of biodiesel fuel. Feedstocks can be a variety of sunflower seeds, soybeans, or castor beans. The finished product will be currently a blend of gas oil with 2% biodiesel and, after 2011, 5% biodiesel, both usable in unmodified diesel engines. As of 2005, there were 3 refineries and 7 that are planned to open. These three factories were capable of producing 45.6 million of litres per year.

Petrobras (the Brazilian national petroleum Company) launch an innovative system, making biodiesel (called H-Bio) from the petroleum refinary. In Brazil, castor bean is the best option to make biodiesel, because it's easier to plant and costs less than soybean, sunflower or other seeds.

[edit] Belgium

In Belgium, there are refineries in Ertvelde (belonging to the company Oléon) and at Feluy.

[edit] Canada

Rothsay of Ville Ste Catherine, Quebec produces 35,000 m³ of biodiesel per year ^[1]. The Province of Nova Scotia uses biodiesel in some public buildings for heating as well as (in more isolated cases) for public transportation. Halifax Regional Municipality has converted its bus fleet to biodiesel, with a future demand of 7,500 m³ of B20 (20% biodiesel fuel mixture) to B50—reducing biodiesel content in low temperatures to avoid gelation issues—and 3,000 m³ split between B20 and B100 for building heat. The municipality forecasts a greenhouse gas reduction of over 9,000 tonnes CO₂ equivalents (4,250 tonnes from fleet use and 5,000 tonnes from building heating) if fully implemented. Private sector uptake is slower—but not unheard of—possibly due to a lack of price differential with petroleum fuel and a lack of federal and provincial tax rebating. Ocean Nutrition Canada produces 6 million gallons (23,000 m³) of fatty acid ethyl esters annually as a byproduct of its Omega-3 fatty acid processing. This surplus is used by Wilson Fuels to produce blended biodiesel for use as transportation and heating fuel. Wilson Fuels have also opened a biodiesel station in Moncton, New Brunswick. In Ontario, Biox Corporation ^[2] of Oakville is building a biodiesel processing plant in the Hamilton harbour industrial lands, due for completion in the first half of 2006. There are also a few retail filling stations selling biodiesel to motorists in Toronto and Unionville ^[3]. Manitoba has seen a rush of building in biodiesel plants in 2005 and 2006, starting in June 2005 with Bifrost Bio-Diesel in Arborg, Manitoba. In addition, biodiesel is made by individuals and farmers for personal use. BioFuel Canada Ltd has small scale affordable plants for farmers and off-road users. Along Canada's western-most coast, in British Columbia the cooperative association proves a successful structure for micro-economy-of-scale biodiesel production reaching the end-user. Vancouver Biodiesel Co-op, WISE Energy and Island Biodiesel Co-op are notable examples. [Cascadia Biofuels Inc.] (“Cascadia”) is an incorporated joint venture enterprise of Autogas Propane Ltd. and United Petroleum Products Inc., two B.C.-owned and operated companies who have been providing the British Columbia marketplace with quality fuel products and services for over 30 years. Collectively, the companies have a network of over 50 retail and cardlock locations throughout the province, Biodiesel was added to the corporate group’s fuel product mix in 2005, and is currently available at five locations in the province. Additionally, plans are in the works to expand the offering of this renewable, environmentally responsible fuel to other retail and cardlock locations in British Columbia, including sites in North Vancouver, Squamish, Abbotsford, and Kelowna.