Some proposed restructuring and additions. Please don't edit it yet, just comment
- 1. Lead section (same)
- 2. History (same)
- 3. Properties
- Chemical 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)
- Reduces biodegradability
- Can be toxic themselves
- 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)