Biodiesel: An Environmentally friendly fuel.

What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is a renewable substitute for petroleum diesel which is produced reaction of vegetable oil or animal fat with an alcohol (methanol or ethanol). Chemical engineers address it as long chain fatty acid methyl (or ethyl) esters, while most people just say biodiesel. The oils that are used in the formation of biodiesel are called triglycerides, as they have three long chain fatty acids (tri-) connected to a glycerin molecule (-glyceride). The kind of oils used for the formation in united states are soybean, recycled cooking oil, and animal fat.

Why Biodiesel?

With the development of this fast-growing world is also growing the demand for energy, which leads to import of energy resources from other countries. Everyone who thinks about biodiesel to a good alternative for diesel comes from different backgrounds. While some are concerned about the environment; others find it to be economical; whereas, some want to support agriculture; and some want to make their nation energy independent.

Environmentally friendly

A study by the U.S. Department of Energy has showed that biodiesel produces 78.5 percent less Co₂emissions in comparison to regular diesel. Carbon dioxide produced is used by crops such as soybeans which are used to make biodiesel and then emitted when biodiesel is combusted. Biodiesel is the fuel that offers the greatest reduction of atmospheric carbon and leads to a cleaner air to breathe.

Agriculture

Farmers are second highest consumers of fuel and they would want a fuel that has more benefits for them other than just powering the engine. Biodiesel may cost them a little extra which is worth paying for the benefits that come along. The most important benefit of biodiesel is lubricity that doesn’t only make the engine quitter but also leads to less maintenance which means less expenses. Also, biodiesel is produced from feedstock, so farmers will not only have a long-lasting machine but also more demand for their produce. Three main feedstocks are soybean, animal fat and recycled cooking oil. Recycling of cooking oil also helps to treat a major problem of disposing these oils.

Production of biodiesel

There are several techniques that are used for the production of biodiesel such as ultrasonication, microwave irradiation, oscillatory flow reactor and supercritical technology etc. the common method of the production of biodiesel remains the same the process called transesterification. Transesterification is a process in which triglyceride (fat/oil) reacts with an alcohol to produce esters and glycerol. The reaction is a green reaction as it is the reaction of oil and alcohol. Also, in some situations a catalyst can be used to speed up the production of biodiesel. Different ratios of reactants, different techniques , change in temperature are all the variables that affect the production. Figure 1 shows the mechanism of reaction involved in forming biodiesel.

Figure1. Transesterification reaction ^[1]

Additional Characteristics of Biodiesel

• The fuel mileage of B20(20% biodiesel and 80% regular diesel) is similar to regular diesel whereas, the petroleum diesel has 1-2%more energy content. Most field evidence show that they have similar results.
• During winters petroleum diesel can get frozen and takes time to heat up and get the machine running, whereas biodiesel can be treated so that it doesn’t freeze at low temperatures.
• Flashpoint of petroleum diesel is 117^oF whereas biodiesel has a higher flashpoint of 260^o This makes biodiesel safer to transport with less probability of catching fire.
• In May 2000, Biodiesel became the only alternative fuel to clear EPA’s Tier 1 and 2 of health effects testing under Clean Air Act.
• Biodiesel degrades about four- times faster than petroleum diesel making it more environmentally friendly.
• Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that is biodegradable, non-toxic and has no bad effect on human health.

References

1. SANDHYA, R., VELAVAN, R., & RAVICHANDRAN, J. (2018). Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil Assisted by Ultrasonication for Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil Using Copper Doped Zinc Oxide Nano catalyst. Journal of the Balkan Tribological Association,24(3), 571–577
2. Hatcher, C. L. (2004). Biodiesel as a Renewable Energy Source: A New Direction? Spectrum: Journal of State Government,77(3), 13–16.

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