User:Taxman/Biodiesel outline

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Some proposed restructuring and additions. Please don't edit it yet, just comment

  • 1. Lead section (same)
  • 2. History (same)
  • 3. Properties
  • Energy content flash point, lubricity, solvent, cold flow, viscosity, cetane, etc.
  • Some qualities vary depending on feedstock
  • Mainly straight chain 16 and 18 carbon esters (Over 90% typically)
  • More unsaturated FA’s give lower cetane and lower gel/cold filter plug point
  • More saturated FA’s give higher cetane and higher gel/CFP point
  • Mixes fully with petro diesel
  • Standards
  • Europe
  • US
  • 4. Benefits
  • Renewable. Energy is gathered from solar and can keep being produced after fossil fuels run out or become too expensive
  • Reduces petroleum import dependence
  • Less $ going overseas/reduce negative balance of trade
  • Can support domestic farmers
  • Emissions reductions (some of which are known carcinogens)
  • SO2
  • Particulates
  • Aromatics
  • CO (lifecycle or direct emissions?)
  • Lifecycle CO2 reduction
  • Only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the U.S. 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments
  • Higher cetane rating
  • Higher lubricity
  • Non flammable
  • Not an explosion risk like H2 and gasoline
  • Non toxic
  • Spill is not as much of a hazard
  • Still can’t consume large quantities
  • breaks down in stomach to methanol which is toxic
  • most things in too large quantity are toxic (water)
  • 5. Drawbacks and criticism
  • Price (EIA 2002- article 15)
  • Not competitive without subsidies
  • It is claimed petroleum already gets subsidized in various ways (Briggs PAA)
  • Not enough available (Von Gerpen)
  • Better solvent than petro, requires hoses and seals that can withstand that
  • Methyl esters are used as industrial solvents for that reason.
  • Storage properties a bit different (EERE 2004 Handling and use guidelines)
  • Degrades faster
  • Rates, etc
  • Additives can help (biocides)
  • Keeping water free is even more important
  • simultaneously an advantage-biodegradability
  • Pure biodiesel runs slightly differently in engines due to differing properties from petrodiesel
  • Viscosity can cuse problems in new higher pressure fuel injection systems
  • B20 avoids that, but offers lesser benfits
  • B100 is not certified to meet warranty standards in the US, is in Europe?
  • Because it is not certified, the engine warranty can be voided if the problem can be shown to be fuel related
  • Ethical dilemma – replacing food production- find most prominent source
  • Overfarming, fertilizer runnoff, pesticide, land use conversion
  • Cold flow
  • Additives needed, same petro additives (except kerosene) do not work, different esters need diff additives.
  • Not the perfect environmental solution
  • It is not 100% carbon neutral, methanol used, FF for trasnport, fertilizer, etc
  • Most inputs including methanol could be renewable, it would just increase the cost.
  • Still has emissions. Some, such as Nox higher or not reduced much
  • Usually used in mixed form in the US, which is only a slight improvement over pure petrodiesel. Some groups say because of this, promoting biodiesel promotes fossil fuels instead of better options
  • 6. Production
  • Feedstocks
  • Vegetable
  • Animal
  • Active research
  • Algae
  • Improve other crops for higher yields and or less input intensive crops such as Camelina.
  • General
  • Transesterification
  • base catalyzed most common.
  • Acid catalyzed trans. Does work, but not as efficient
  • Acid catalyzed direct esterification needed for high FFA feedstocks
  • Mostly methylester. Ethyl works, but not as well
  • Methods/Industrial
  • mix catalyst
  • reacting
  • centrifuge
  • Methanol recovery
  • drying
  • washing
  • Total production
  • Rapeseed – Europe, the most
  • 2004 2 million metric tons
  • mid 2006 estimate 4 million metric tons
  • Soy – US
  • 2004 production 30 million gallons est.
  • 2005 estimate 100 million gallons
  • Palm, Jatropha – Malaysia, Indonesia, India.
  • Brazil any others?
  • Growth in production
  • Homebrewing
  • Batch vs continuous flow
  • Use as heating oil (Cover here?)
  • Home
  • Navy study
  • Efficiency/economic
  • Cost of production
  • Use business estimates from the Von Gerpan paper
  • largest cost is the feedstock
  • high volumes could lead to more competition for more cost effective feedstocks and increasing research into those
  • Energy balance
  • 7. Availability
  • Retail availability
  • Not available at the pump everywhere, but
  • Over 450 U.S. retail pumps (NBB)
  • 1700 pumps in Germany (German Wikipedia)
  • Available for delivery in quantity in all 50 States
  • Most often used and sold as a mixture in US.
  • Is that true in Europe?
  • Fleet use
  • US armed forces use B20
  • Price
  • Tax incentives
  • Europe
  • set asides
  • Excise advantages too?
  • US
  • tax credit
  • up to a $1 per gallon for virgin biodiesel
  • up to $.50 per gallon for WVO biodiesel
  • EPACT
  • 8. Confusion around the name
  • Though alkyl esters is the standard, most common, and even codified usage, some people are confused and use the term for any bio based fuel that can be burnt in a diesel engine. The confusion comes from some sources that are bio based, but any useage other than alkyl esters is innacurate and potentially confusing.
  • Examples
  • TDP fuel
  • SVO

--liza 02:54, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

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