An Analysis of the Uses and Effectiveness of Biodiesel Fuel

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An Analysis of the Uses and Effectiveness of
Biodiesel Fuel

• ABE2062
• April 19, 2002
• Group 8
• Scott Blewer
• Henash Patel
• John Yasensky

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History

• What are Biodiesels?
• Diesel fuel, simpler HC than in fossil fuels
• Alkyl ester
• Waste cooking oil, vegetable oil, animal fat,
  algae
• Renewable, biodegradable, nontoxic
• clean burning

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History

• Diesel Engine
• Dr. Rudolf Diesel
• Paris, 1900
• Ran on peanut oil
• Petroleum was cheaper

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History

• Research in the U.S.
• Funded, Clean Air Act of 1992
• EPA, DOE regard biodiesels as alternative fuel
  for diesel engines

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History

• June 1999 Las Vegas tested efficiency in
  municipal fleet trucks
• May 2001 Nevada opened the first biodiesel
  public filling station
• Currently Nevada is implementing used cooking oil
  recovery plan
• 1,000,000 gallons per year

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Process

• Esterification Depends on feedstock
• Pretreat fatty acids
• Add alcohol and catalyst break up fats and oils
• Separate glycerol
• Separate alcohol
• Wash
• Dry

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Process

• Current research
• Animal fats
• Recycle industry waste
• Mustard seed/oil
• Left over mustard meal is valuable pesticide

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Pros Cons of Biodiesels

• Advantages
• Emissions
• Environment
• Performance

• Disadvantages
• Cost
• Incompatibility

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Advantages

• Emissions
• A. (example for 20 blend)
• -reduces carbon monoxide by 21
• -reduces particulate matter by 30
• -reduces total hydrocarbons by 47
• ozone forming potential biodiesel emissions
• is nearly 50 percent less than that of petroleum
  fuel

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Advantages

• C. Reduced emissions make biodiesel suitable for
  use in major cities where air pollution is a
  major problem.
• D. Lower emissions make biodiesel suitable for
  use in confined areas such as mines where
  ventilation is a concern.

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Advantages

• Environment
• A. Energy Efficient
• - Renewable For every one unit of fossil
• energy needed to produce biodiesel, 3.24
• units of energy are gained
• - Made from soybeans grown for fuel or
• recycled cooking oils from restaurants
• (excess of soybean production in US
  excellent way to utilize surplus)

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Advantages

• B. Biodegradable
• - less toxic than table salt
• - biodegrades as fast as sugar
• - when mixed with regular diesel,
• biodegradation is accelerated to
• approximately three times the normal
  rate
• of diesel fuel

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Advantages

• Performance
• (Best overall results are obtained with a 20
  blend of biodiesel)
• Lubricity
• -biodiesel provides significantly higher
• lubricity compared to conventional diesel
  fuel (High lubricity can decrease
• maintenance costs and reduce engine wear)
• -Adding 1 biodiesel can improve lubricity
• by as much as 65

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Advantages
Comparison chart of standard petroleum diesel,
recommended premium diesel fuel and biodiesel
fuel.
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Disadvantages

• Incompatibility
• Has been repeatedly known to damage rubber hoses
  in engines built before 1994.
• Biodiesel cleans dirt from the engine which then
  collects in the fuel filter, causing clogging.
  Which means fuel filters have to be changed after
  the first few hours of biodiesel use.

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Disadvantages

• C. Viscosity Biodiesel has higher viscosity
  than
• conventional diesel, making it less useful at
  lower temperatures.
• - Limits use in Canada, Northern US, and Europe
• - Must be used as an additive in a 5-10 blend

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Current Applications and Cases

• Government Applications

• Industrial Applications

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Background Information

• The Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires most
  federal, state and public utility companies to
  have a certain percentage of alternative fuel
  vehicles in their fleets.
• Fleets are limited to using biodiesel for 50
  percent of their credits

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Background Information

• We've increased our use of biodiesel and if
  the Energy Policy Act rules change, there is no
  doubt we will raise our use to the maximum
  allowable.
• Principal Engineer Richard Harper
  of Alabama Power

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Government Applications

• March 21, 2002- The Senate approved the Senate
  energy package
• eliminates a restriction that limits government
  fleets to using biodiesel for half of their
  alternative fuel requirements
• will more than double the amount of biodiesel
  that is produced

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Government Applications

• The Senate has also passed a provision that would
  give a one-cent reduction in the fuel excise tax
  for every one percent of biodiesel blended into
  standard diesel fuel-up to 20 percent total
  content

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Industrial Applications

• "Biodiesel has just completed ten years of
  testing, and has now made the transition from the
  research and development phase to the
  commercialization phase."
• Joe Jobe of
• NBB executive director.

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Industrial Applications

• County of Maui Solid Waste Division
• D8N Caterpillar Dozer operates on 100 recycled
  cooking oil.

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Industrial Applications

• County of Maui Solid Waste Division
• Generator is powered by biodiesel also

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Industrial Applications

• Marine use
• less harsh on marine environments
• easier for boaters to handle and store
• considered by NFPA to be non-flammable
• receive virtually no complaints about exhaust
  smells or eye irritations
• marine industry consumes about 10 percent of the
  petroleum diesel in the U.S.

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Industrial Applications

• Owned by the Missouri Soybean Merchandising
  Council

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Industrial Applications

• The Bio Bug
• VW Bug that has a diesel engine with no
  modifications
• Left Reno, Nevada on May 8, 2001 headed for
  Philadelphia
• Reached Philadelphia on May 13, 2001 averaging 44
  miles per gallon.

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In Conclusion

• With industry and government support, Biodiesels
  are becoming more commonplace
• Biodiesels is a solution to our rapidly declining
  supply of nonrenewable fuels
• Although expensive now, benefits easily outweigh
  the cost

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Any Questions???