Biodiesel producers support bill to define renewable diesel

Stakeholders in the biodiesel industry are rejoicing now that a bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to protect biodiesel producers from losing out to big oil. But the battle over federal tax credits is not over yet.
Federal lawmakers – primarily on the Democrat side of the aisle – want to close loopholes in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that allow large oil companies to qualify for tax credits intended for small businesses in the biodiesel industry.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-TX, introduced the Responsible Renewable Energy Tax Credit Act of 2007 on May 17, to protect the original intent of the tax credits, which was to promote growth in the production of renewable fuels.
Big oil companies wedged themselves into the program by blending biofuel into their petroleum supplies. That qualified them for tax credits intended for biodiesel producers.
“Unless the abuse of this tax credit is prohibited, it will have the exact opposite effect of what Congress intended – it will discourage the creation of real renewable diesel fuel – and all on the taxpayer’s dime,” Doggett, senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee said in a statement released by the National Biodiesel Board. “Green energy initiatives must not be converted into public boondoggles.”
With 58 co-sponsors consisting of 56 Democrats and two Republicans, the bill aims to disallow the tax credit for companies that practice “co-processing,” literally mixing bio material – not refined biodiesel – into petroleum diesel. Although the result of co-processing includes renewable fuel sources, the tax credit is intended for biodiesel producers to bring their products to market.
An example of what the bill aims to stop is a recent deal struck between ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods to co-process chicken fat into petroleum diesel and call it biodiesel.
National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe said fixing the problem is sound energy policy.
The tax incentive for producers has already helped grow the industry, doubling production each year since 2004 from the starting point of 25 million gallons per year, according to the biodiesel board.
Biodiesel plants around the country grew from a handful to more than 80, with another 25 under construction. U.S. production of biodiesel will soon top 864 million gallons of fuel per year, Jobe said.
Doggett’s bill – HR2361 – has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.


interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Could Glycerin -- A Biodiesel Byproduct -- Be Used As Cattle Feed?

Could Glycerin -- A Biodiesel Byproduct -- Be Used As Cattle Feed?

Biodiesel is in high demand. The byproduct of this alternative source of energy, glycerin, is next, according to an agriculture scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

In a study that began this month, Monty Kerley, professor of ruminant nutrition in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is examining the effectiveness of glycerin as cattle feed. Through November, the MU researcher will monitor the growth habits of 60 calves from various breeds to determine if bio-leftovers provide a healthy main course to cattle. The study has two main priorities: first, to determine if glycerin has a positive or negative effect on calves' growth performance, and second, to assess its impact, if any, on meat quality.
The cows have been separated into groups of three, each consuming differing amounts of glycerin during their daily diet. The amounts are 0, 5, 10 and 20 percent. In addition to monitoring feeding limits and growth patterns, Kerley also is analyzing how cattle metabolize the varying amounts of glycerin. Unlike the dry feeds they are accustomed to eating, Kerley said the glycerin is liquid based and comes mostly from the processing of soybean oil. He also said it meets stringent FDA regulations.
"We're really looking at the energy value and how it compares to corn," Kerley said. "When the animal consumes glycerin, it's absorbed, and the glycerin is used to make glucose. Actually, it's like feeding sugar to a cow. Because it's liquid, there are two things we worry about - one, how much can be used in the diet before it changes the form of the diet; and two, is there a limit to how much glycerin can be processed by the animal? We'll feed it to them for a period of 160 to 180 days."
Kerley said developing usages for glycerin necessitates this type of research. In recent years, academic scientists and private-sector companies have been racing to find solutions and applications for the byproduct. An alternative food source for cattle is but one possibility. However, it's likely only a short-term option for the cattle industry.
"We probably have a three- to five-year window to use this for animal feed at a reduced cost," Kerley said. "This glycerin is a wonderful starting compound for building other compounds that can be applied to numerous industrial purposes. After three to five years, you'll see industrial applications utilizing this glycerin, and that may price it out of the animal feed industry."
He said economics are another factor because glycerin is currently less expensive than corn, which is most commonly used as cattle feed. Glycerin is about 4 cents per pound; corn costs around 8 cents a pound.
"Originally, the biodiesel plants were concerned with just getting rid of this material, but data shows that glycerin has energy feed value equal to corn," Kerley said. "If you can get glycerin for less than corn, that's obviously a sizeable savings."


Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University of Missouri-Columbia.

Video of a Algae Bioreactor

Algae Bio reactors could be one of the best sources of algae for making bio diesel. They provide a supper accelerated growth region and in large plants, factories etc they could be deployed with ease.

An algae photobioreactor on the roof of MIT university.The clear polycarbonate tubes are approx 3 meters high, and 10-20 centimeters in diameter.It removes up to 86% of the NOx and 40% of the CO2 of the smokestack emissions that are bubbled through it. The algae are feeding on exhaust with 13% CO2 content. This size algae photobioreactor can't handle the entire exhaust emissions, it would need to be much larger for that.This photobioreactor you see here on the roof of MIT, has since been dismantled and reassembled in Naboomspruit (now called Mookgopong) South Africa at a biodiesel plant.

Another news:-(http://www.csrwire.com/News/8500.html)

GSPI demonstration facility is located in Montana and is one of the largest demonstration facilities in the world.Phase I objective in this project is to determine the ability of the GSPI Algae Process System to solve the daunting operational problems for microalgae production, which have plagued the algae production industry for years.Phase I now is complete and has been successful in controlling the most important variables in algae production, i.e. temperature of water in large systems, salinity

So at last algae is making moves in the bio diesel front

Spectacular Growth of the Green Energy Market

LONDON, May 23

The Green Energy sector is growing at breathtaking speed, driven by the challenges of climate change, surely unprecedented in our time.Globally, it has already become a multi-billion dollar industry, with very high growth potential which is attracting record investment. Over the last few years, eco-industries in the European Union have grown to such an extent that they have now become a prominent force across the entire European economy. Today they represent about 2.1% of its Gross Domestic Product and account for 3.5 million jobs.Frost & Sullivan Green Energy experts are analysing all the key segments of this market, both in Europe and globally. There is no doubt that this area is expanding at an extraordinary rate and - based on their research - Frost & Sullivan analysts forecast that revenues are set to double, triple or increase even more over the next few years.Biodiesel.Biodiesel is surely one of the fastest-growing areas in the chemical industry and in the Green Energy sector.

year in Europe we consumed 3.89 million tonnes of biodiesel, generating revenues of EUR2.93 billion. By 2013 the total EU biodiesel market is forecast to be 9.75 million tonnes in terms of unit shipments while revenues are forecast to be EUR7.46 billion, based on current biodiesel market prices. The average growth over the forecast period will be 14 percent.Renewable Energy.New analysis from Frost & Sullivan European Renewable Energy Market - Investment Analysis and Growth Opportunities reveals that this market earned EUR8.89 billion in 2005 and estimates this to reach EUR14.54 billion in 2010. Even in China, the Government feels there is an urgent need to take action and is stepping up efforts to accelerate the development of clean energy. Frost & Sullivan research analysts reveal that the Chinese Renewable Energy Markets earned revenues of $6.9 billion in 2006, and that these are likely to reach $17.9 billion by 2013. Amongst the market segments, solar PV will be one of the fastest growing renewable energy sources in China until 2013, with its growth exceeding even that of wind power.

The Biomass power industry has great revenue potential, not only because of sufficient Government funding but also due to the adequate availability of feedstock fuels.Green Buildings.Buildings are responsible for 40% of Europe's total carbon-dioxide emissions. Climate Change is the EU's top priority according to the European Commission and Member States are committed to cutting down on CO2 emissions to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets. Despite all their efforts, Member States keep on wasting a significant proportion of their energy due to inefficiency. Therefore, if the EU is to achieve its targets, reducing energy use in all buildings is essential. According to Frost & Sullivan, if more stringent standards are applied to new buildings and renovations, the EU will achieve a significant cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, any efforts will be in vain if they are not accompanied by a change in consumer behaviour.Hybrid vehicles.Reducing emissions below 140 g/km of CO2 will be possible mainly with the help of alternative fuels and hybrids (micro, mild and full). While original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are aware of this fact, further development or market acceptance of these alternative fuels and hybrids is restrained by the distribution network, availability and high implementation costs. According to Frost & Sullivan analysis of the Alternative Fuels and Hybrid Technologies, while advancements in engine technology have helped reduce emissions to an average of 160 g/km, hybrids, ethanol, biofuels, compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen and fuel cells are necessary to reduce them further. The main priority of OEMs today is to reduce emissions, which will require the help of local governments and fuel suppliers to promote alternative fuels and hybrids in a cost-effective manner.Waste Management and Recycling.An estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of waste is generated annually in the EU and this still continues to rise. The overall volume of waste is growing at rates proportional to the economic growth rate of the EU25. Amongst the various streams of waste generated, management of hazardous and municipal waste alone costs the EU an estimated EUR75 billion annually. This translates to the waste management and recycling industry earning huge revenues that are expected to increase enormously over the next few years. Frost & Sullivan finds that the European Waste Management and Recycling market earns total annual revenues of EUR100 billion.As we have seen, the market is growing and investments are accelerating dramatically. To face this new challenge Frost & Sullivan is combining its expertise across four Business Units - Energy, Environment, Chemicals and Automotive - to offer the broadest and fullest coverage of the Green Energy Sector."It is clear that this is a period of truly booming growth in the Green Energy sector and this is an issue that is here to stay," says John Raspin, Frost & Sullivan Energy & Environment Practice Director. "We are seeing double-digit growth in many segments of the market and companies of all shapes and sizes are positioning themselves to exploit the growth opportunities. Frost & Sullivan is uniquely positioned to have analyst teams working across the entire breadth of the Green Energy sector and we are extremely excited to be launching this new offering that pulls all of that expertise together into a single strategic platform."Frost & Sullivan

Source:-http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,110395.shtml

links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Bulgaria expat to invest in local biodiesel plant

A biodiesel plant will be built near Polski Trambesh, a city located in a major sunseed-producing region in Northern Bulgaria, the local press reported on Tuesday.The 15 mln euro project will be implemented by Zerol, a joint venture between the Polski Trambesh municipality and Sofia-registered company HR Management. The bulk of the investment financing will be provided by Koicho Belev, a Bulgaria-born emigrant living in Switzerland.The municipality will provide a 8.0 ha land plot for the construction of the plant in the village of Petko Karavelovo. The biofuel plant should be completed in 2 years and will employ 50.Investment in local biofuel installations is expected to triple from 2008, association of biofuel producers chairman Dimitar Zamfirov said recently.The existing 25 or so biodiesel and bioethanol plants operated at only a third of their capacity due to weak demand



links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

High school students produce biodiesel fuel

May 23, 2007 1:44 AM ET
PONTIAC, Ill. (AP) - Students at Pontiac High School in Pontiac are taking high gas prices into their own hands.
The teens in Paul Ritter's ecology class are converting vegetable oil in a biodiesel generator to create biodiesel fuel.
Ritter says they've already produced about forty gallons of fuel that's been used successfully in both a tractor and a pick-up truck.
He says the project is an important step towards relief at the pump. Gas prices across the state have reached new highs recently, with prices in the Pontiac area reaching about $$3-50-cents a gallon.
Ritter says he's hoping to continue the project next year.



links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Biodiesel Production from Algae Oil

Biodiesel Production from Algae Oil
The major problem associated with the use of pure vegetable oils as well as oil from algea as fuels for diesel engines is caused by high fuel viscosity (Viscosity – from Physics Hypertextbook) in compression ignition. Algal oil, as well as vegetable oils, are all highly viscous, with viscosities ranging 10–20 times those of no. 2 Diesel fuel. Amongst vegetable oils in the context of viscosity, castor oil is in a class by itself, with a viscosity more than 100 times that of no. 2 Diesel fuel (MSDS of No.2 Diesel Fuel – PetroCard). Due to their high viscosity and low volatility, they do not burn completely and form deposits in the fuel injector of diesel engines. Furthermore, acrolein (a highly toxic substance) ( Acrolein – from EPA) is formed through thermal decomposition of glycerol (Glycerol – from Info Please).

Dilution, micro-emulsification (Emulsions & Emulsification – from Wikipedia), pyrolysis ( Pyrolysis Definition from AFR) and transesterification are the four techniques applied to solve the problems encountered with the high fuel viscosity. Amongst the four techniques, chemical conversion of the oil to its corresponding fatty ester is the most promising solution to the high viscosity problem. This process - chemical conversion of the oil to its corresponding fatty ester, and thus biodiesel - is called transesterification.

Transesterification of Algal Oil into Biodiesel

Transesterification of algal oil is normally done with ethanol and sodium ethanolate serving as the catalyst. Sodium ethanolate can be produced by reacting ethanol with sodium. Thus, with sodium ethanolate as the catalyst, ethanol is reacted with the algal oil ( the triglyceride) to produce bio-diesel & glycerol. The end products of this reaction are hence biodiesel, sodium ethanolate and glycerol. This end-mixture is separated as follows: Ether and salt water are added to the mixture and mixed well. After sometime, the entire mixture would have separated into two layers, with the bottom layer containing a mixture of ether and biodiesel. This layer is separated.

Biodiesel is in turn separated from ether by a vaporizer under a high vacuum. As the ether vaporizes first, the biodiesel will remain. The biodiesel from algae is now ready for use!

Centrifuges

A centrifuge is a useful device for both biolipid extraction from algae and chemical separation in biodiesel.

Centrifuge Applications

There are several steps in the biodiesel production process where centrifugation is useful.

· Feedstock preparation - In this case, algae must first be separated from its medium, then the oil extracted from the algae.

· Separation of transesterification products – Biodiesel and glycerine must be separated, and any leftover reactants removed.

· Water wash – Biodiesel can be washed of soap and glycerine using a centrifuge.

· Magnasol solids removal - As an alternative to water washing, it may be possible to wash the biodiesel in Magnasol.

The parameters to be considered while evaluating the ideal algae processor are:

· Capacity/throughput of the system
· Speed/density



links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Renewable fuel producers urge Congress to close loophole that favors oil companies

Renewable fuel producers and oleochemical manufacturers urge Congress to close loophole that favors oil companies
Glenn Hess
Federal tax incentives meant to encourage the production of renewable biofuels are having the unintended consequence of threatening the continued existence of the U.S. oleochemical industry, according to an industry official.
Joined by small biodiesel refiners, oleochemical makers say they are under threat by large integrated oil companies that have gained access to a federal tax incentive designed to stimulate renewable diesel production. The two groups have teamed up to support legislation to stop oil companies from partaking in the tax incentives.
In early April, the Internal Revenue Service approved a request to expand the definition of "renewable diesel" in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include the addition of small amounts of biomass to conventional refinery processes. As a result, oil companies that add raw vegetable oils and fats at their existing refineries now qualify for a $1.00-per-gal tax credit.
"This is bad energy policy, bad agricultural policy, and bad fiscal policy," says Joe Jobe, chief executive officer of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). "If Congress lets this stand, our government will be handing over U.S. taxpayer money to some of the richest companies in the world."
"Ironically, a historically 'green' industry is facing elimination by the subsidization of a new one," says Dennis Griesing, vice president of governmental affairs for the Soap & Detergent Association (SDA), referring to the oleochemicals industry.
SDA and NBB are backing legislation introduced on May 17 by Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) that would overturn the IRS ruling and prevent big oil from cashing in on the federal subsidy.
Doggett says the credit was originally designed to encourage the production of "clean-burning, biodegradable diesel fuel that is fully independent of petroleum products." Under his bill, producers making biodiesel solely from renewable agricultural resources would continue to be eligible for the credit.
"Unless the abuse of this tax credit is prohibited, it will have the exact opposite effect of what Congress intended. It will discourage the creation of real renewable diesel fuel—and all on the taxpayer's dime," Doggett says. "Green energy initiatives must not be converted into public boondoggles."
NBB says the ruling was made to benefit ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods. On April 16, the two companies announced an agreement to make a "renewable" diesel fuel by adding beef, pork, and poultry by-products and animal fat to the oil refining process (C&EN, April 23, page 25). ConocoPhillips said the fuel would not be commercially viable without the tax break.
Jobe says the bill already has 50 cosponsors, including many members of the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who is drafting a companion measure, asserted at an April 19 Senate Finance Committee hearing that ConocoPhillips and Tyson tried to "go around" Congress and that the tax credit needs to be "reexamined."
SDA is backing the legislation because it is concerned about the future availability of animal fats for oleochemicals production. Griesing says the legislation is a step toward "restoring a balance between biofuel production and other green industries, such as the domestic oleochemical industry, which have historically relied on some of the same raw materials."
Griesing says government subsidies for biodiesel and ethanol production have driven up the cost of tallow more than 80% since late 2006 by diverting the key raw material away from its traditional uses. In the U.S., oleochemicals such as fatty acids are primarily based on tallow, an animal fat. Unlike the production of corn and soybeans, the main raw materials for ethanol and biodiesel, tallow production is relatively fixed, usually fluctuating less than 2% from year to year, according to SDA.
"From what we can determine, subsidized ‘coproduction renewable diesel' on the part of large oil companies poses the greatest issue because it directly threatens the availability of tallow, not just its price," Griesing says.
"While there has been a great deal of attention on the impact of biofuel subsidies on food prices, the oleochemical industry is also being hurt," he adds. "If tallow becomes unavailable, the oleochemical industry will be lost to overseas producers, and the U.S. will lose yet another traditional industry."

Biofuel Producers: Ethanol and Biodiesel Not Enough to Meet Bush's Targets

May 21, 2007


Leading producers of ethanol and biodiesel Friday says their industries face serious barriers to meeting the 2017 growth targets outlined this week by President George W. Bush to reduce dependency on gasoline. "The current solutions won't get you there," Jeff Trucksess, executive vice president of Green Earth Fuels LLC, a biodiesel developer, told an industry gathering here Friday morning. Following up on prior pledges on energy policy, Bush Monday outlined additional measures to boost alternative energy development, limit gasoline consumption and comply with a recent Supreme Court ruling on global warming.

plan included a goal to produce 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuel by 2017, many times above current levels. A Bush administration official Friday defended the viability of the president's goals, but the discussion at the Houston event underscores the magnitude of the challenge facing the U.S. as it struggles to feed its growing energy needs in an increasingly carbon-limited world.

I've yet to meet anyone who thinks more than half could be from ethanol and biodiesel," Pearce Hammond, an analyst at Simmons & Co. International, says of the targets. He says total production of ethanol and biodiesel could reach 17.5 million gallons by 2017. Hammond says there could be other solutions to the conundrum, such as coal-to-liquids technology or the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel. But Hammond, who emceed some of the sessions Friday, also warned that U.S. gasoline demand is forecast to grow by some 35 million gallons a day over the next decade. "It just touches on how big the challenge is to penetrate and change the fueling habits," he says. Friday's event was heavily attended by finance and energy professionals, underscoring the growing interest in alternative energy in Houston.

gathering was sponsored by the law firm Haynes & Boone. Speaking with reporters after a luncheon address, Paul Dickerson, an Energy Department official, says the administration's goal is realistic. He pointed to other fuels under development, as well as to leading-edge technologies being funded chiefly by private-venture capital. "We're more bullish on the output than some of the folks here," says Dickerson, the chief operating officer for the department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Looking at our new reality, what's really needed is to get our new technology off the shelf and to the businesses," he says. "The market can handle a lot of what we're trying to do." Bill Spence, president of Standard Renewable Energy, which owns a stake in a Galveston biodiesel facility, predicted U.S. biodiesel production would climb from today's level of under 1 billion gallons a year to 2-4 billion. "Our basic problem is there isn't enough feedstock," says Spence, whose plant runs on soybean oil. Scientists are looking at genetically modified crops as a possible feedstock, but it will take a "game-changing" technological breakthrough to significantly boost output, he added. Pamela Beall, a vice president at Marathon Petroleum Corp., pointed to industry statistics that show ethanol production rising from 5 billion gallons a day in 2006 to 8 billion in 2008 and potentially up to 15 billion by 2017.

says that the industry's ability to grow beyond 15 billion gallons would be constrained by feedstock limitations and infrastructure concerns. Producing 15 billion gallons a year can be reached "easily" - even before the deadline, she says. But going beyond that requires identifying feed stocks other than corn, testing conventional automobile engines to identify the maximum amount of ethanol that can be successfully blended with gasoline and building infrastructure so that the southeastern U.S. can access the fuel.



links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Biodiesel From Pig Excreta.

Researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, led by Dr. Yuanhui Zhang, have developed a system that converts pig manure into crude oil on an industrial scale. This development is the culmination of a ten year research and development project that, in effect, makes a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

The technology works by a thermochemical process that uses heat and pressure to break down the pig manure hydrocarbon chains. The end product consists of methane, water, carbon dioxide, water, and oil. The new pilot plant allows the conversion of pig manure in a continuous process, rather than a batch at a time, making the production of “pig oil” more feasible.

Pig manure has advantages over raw materials, like wood sludge, because the pig has already done most of the work. The pig has already biologically done most of the necessary processing.

A typical hog on a modern American farm produces about six gallons of body waste per day. While some of this product is used for fertilizer, the storing and processing of the stuff has been a major environmental problem on modern hog farms. When manure leeches into a water supply due to runoff it harms aquatic life by decreasing the oxygen available to fish, water plants, and other organisms. And, of course, the smell can be just overpowering.

If Dr. Yuanhui Zhang is correct, a typical hog would be able to produce 3.6 gallons of crude oil per day using his process. With a hundred million hogs on American farms, it takes very little math to determine that “pig oil” could make a significant dent in the energy needs of the United States. And a farmer could add up to ten dollars of profit per pig.

Dr. Yuanhui Zhang and his team now propose to build a pilot plant to test the conversion system, to make sure that his numbers in the lab can be replicated on the farm. Research is also ongoing to find out if other farm animal manure, cow and chicken for instance, could be used in the process. Human waste is already chemically similar to pig manure and could be used in the process without too much trouble.

While a process has been tested to refine the “pig oil” into something resembling diesel oil, more research is also necessary to see if the “pig oil” can be refined into other petrochemical products. The “pig oil” is similar, but not identical to the kind of oil that is pumped out of the ground.

Growing algae in huge tube for Biodiesel

PHOENIX - Algae may seem like one of life's little annoyances, but researchers hope the green, slimy stuff will one day replace one-third of the natural gas used to power an electric plant run by Arizona Public Service.
For a year, researchers watched algae multiply in huge, bubbling test tubes beneath the hot Arizona sun so they could find just the right strand of the microscopic single-celled plant.
The experiment has been so successful that it's about to expand into greenhouses on the plant grounds, and in time, be grown in such large quantities that it could be converted into fuel, cutting down on harmful greenhouse gases

It works like this: Algae ingests carbon dioxide and releases oxygen in the photosynthesis process. Algae is laden with oils that can be used to produce biodiesel, starches that can be transformed into ethanol and protein that could have a market niche in cattle and fish feed.
Rocket scientist's ideaThe idea was born three years ago, when Isaac Berzin, a rocket scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was experimenting with growing algae on the International Space Station.
GreenFuel Technologies of Cambridge, Mass., which Berzin founded, then struck a deal with Arizona Public Service to conduct a demonstration project beginning last year.
"There is lots of sunshine, plenty of land, and since algae doesn't need potable water to proliferate, we were in business," said GreenFuel CEO Cary Bullock.
Construction is about to begin on a series of greenhouse-like buildings about 30 feet wide by 500 feet long that will house the algae.
"Our scientists think that we can get maybe even 200 tons of algae per acre annually during mass production," Bullock said, adding that commercial production is expected to begin in 2008 in Arizona and other sites in Australia and South Africa that the company has targeted.
Obstacles on algae roadBut before the unique fuel can be produced on a mass scale, there are a few problems, including figuring out how to provide enough light to maximize algae growth and how to get the carbon dioxide in the water, where algae grows, fast enough to allow for maximum growth.
Qiang Hu, an assistant professor of applied biological sciences at Arizona State University, worked for two years on what Japanese scientists had hoped would be an algae-to-energy project in the late 1990s.
"I wish GreenFuel all the best," Qiang said. "But there were many technical problems in Japan, the most serious of which being that the algae would attach to the microfibers that were necessary to produce more light for growth inside the growth containers ... Much more energy was wasted and it turned out that the costs were just too great."
Bullock said he thinks those problems have been worked out during the past year of experiments but declined to discuss what he called "trade secrets."

Biocrude? Algae-to-oil project.

Sandia National Laboratories researcher Todd Lane withdraws a sample for analysis from a
A California company and a Department of Energy research lab have announced that they're teaming up to make oil out of algae — a potential fuel source that would be low on greenhouse gas emissions tied to warming.
LiveFuels Inc. says it will fund dozens of projects at Sandia National Laboratories with the aim of producing economically feasible "biocrude," aka biodiesel, by 2010.
Sandia's investment in related research goes back five years, says Grant Heffelfinger, a senior manager at the lab, providing time to build up expertise in "the challenge of understanding how and under what conditions" the process will work.


Algal oil is similar to soybean oil, which can also be used to produce biodiesel, but can be grown on marginal lands unsuitable for food crops and even in brackish water, LiveFuels said.
The company estimates that all U.S. oil imports could be replaced by biocrude grown on 20 to 40 million acres of marginal lands that exist across the country.
Sandia spokesman Mike Janes echoed that view. "Recent studies using a species of algae show that only 0.3 percent of the land area of the U.S. could be utilized to produce enough biodiesel to replace all transportation fuel the country currently utilizes," he said.
"In addition, barren desert land, which receives high solar radiation, could effectively grow the algae, and the algae could utilize farm waste and excess carbon dioxide from factories to help speed the growth of the algae."
Prices still prohibitiveBut not any algae will work. The cost-effective kind — as in making biocrude for less than $60 a barrel — is high in fats.
Commercially grown algae like Spirulina are high in protein and starch but low in fat. A few high-fat species of algae are promising, LiveFuels said, but the fats — at prices around $1,200 a pound — are cost prohibitive.
"'Fat algae' doesn't sound like a biocrude oil feedstock, but the petroleum we use today is derived from prehistoric biomass (including algae)," LiveFuels said in a statement announcing the joint venture. "Nature's biomass decomposition process occurred over millions of years under conditions of enormous heat and pressure. Much of the petroleum we use today began some 200 million years ago in the Carboniferous Period. The deposits of oil pumped from the North Sea, for example, consist partly of decomposed haptophyte algae called coccolithophorids."
"The challenge," LiveFuels said, "will be growing and transforming algae cheaply into biocrude within days rather than millennia."
LiveFuels Chief Executive Officer Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones says her company hopes to "grind down costs" across the process — from finding the right strains, to harvesting and final production.
"Other countries are ahead of the U.S. in biocrude research, but other countries were once ahead of us in the space race too," she said in announcing the venture. "America put a man on the moon in eight years, and America can make its own biocrude in four."
Greenhouse, biodiesel benefitsJanes said that algae offers environmental benefits in terms of greenhouse gases and as a more efficient fuelstock than biodiesel from crops like soybeans.
“The amount of greenhouse gasses generated are relatively small since most of the carbon dioxide emitted during the burning process is simply recycling that which was absorbed during plant growth," he said.
As for other biodiesel sources, Janes said that "a complete transition to biofuels could require boundless amounts of land if traditional crops are used."
But algae breaks that barrier. "With an oil-per-acre production rate 250 times the amount of soybeans," he said, "algae offers the highest yield feedstock for biodiesel."
Source:-http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15250836/

Algea: Utah State University

Utah State University researchers are using an innovative approach that takes oil from algae and converts it to biodiesel fuel.

USU is currently conducting research on algae and plans to produce an algae-biodiesel that is cost-competitive by 2009. Algae, plainly referred to as pond scum, can produce up to 10,000 gallons of oil per acre and can be grown virtually anywhere.

“This is perhaps the most important scientific challenge facing humanity in the 21st century,” said Lance Seefeldt, USU professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

“There are several options for solving the world’s energy problem, but at this point, none of them are realistically viable for long-term use.”

Biodiesel is a clean and carbon-dioxide-neutral fuel that is becoming more popular, but most of the current product comes from soybean and corn oil. As supply and demand grows, so does the price of soybeans and corn. People and animals rely on soybean and corn as a food commodity, eventually causing competition between commodities and growing enough product. Meeting this demand would require the world to use virtually all of its arable land, said Seefeldt.

The world today relies on fossil fuels to supply much of its energy, and there are currently 13 terawatts of energy used per year. A terawatt is 1,000 billion watts, and Seefeldt said usage is predicted to double to 26 terawatts by the year 2050. Fossil fuels are expensive, finite and generate greenhouse gasses that many believe are harming the environment, said Seefeldt.

“This has moved from a purely environmental issue to a global economics issue,” said Seefeldt.

Sir Nicholas Stern, chief economist for the World Bank, said that climate change presents a unique challenge for economics and that it has the potential to be the world’s greatest and widest ranging market failure ever seen.

“Business as usual will result in a five-to six-degree warming of the Earth by 2100,” said Stern. “This will result in a five to 10 percent loss in global gross domestic product, having a direct impact on human health and environment.”

Seefeldt, along with several fellow USU professors, formed the Biofuels Program to develop new and emerging technologies that will produce methane, biodiesel, hydrogen and alcohols from renewable, carbon-dioxide-neutral energy sources, such as consumer and agricultural waste and sunlight.

The state of Utah sees so much promise in the research that it has given the USU Biofuels Program $6 million for five years through the Utah Science and Technology Research Initiative. USTAR makes highly-selective, strategic investments in research with the potential to benefit Utah’s economy.

The research has already set in motion several spin-off and industry relationships, and one patent has already been issued, with four others pending.

“We are looking toward the world’s future energy solutions and USU is part of it,” said Seefeldt.

The research takes a tremendous amount of investment and energy, but the payoffs will be worth it, he said

Making a Methanol Recovery System at home

What we have with us is a Mixture of liquids with different boiling points.In Such a mixture of liquids the boiling point of the mix will lie somewhere in the middle, and this will depend on the relative concentrations of each liquid. Pure water boils at 100 deg C, and pure methanol boils at 64.7 deg C, but a mixture of water and methanol will boil at some point in between. The major point about distillation is that when a mixture like that boils, then the vapour given off is richer in the most volatile component, and when that vapour condenses then the resulting liquid has a lower boiling point than the mix it came from. By repeating this boiling and re condensation process up a column, using packing to hold the condensed liquid at each stage, you can separate the components to higher grades of purity.

When you heat the mixture, it will heat up until the new intermediate boiling point is reached. When you first start a distilling run, the packing in the column will be at room temperature, so vapour given off by the boiler condenses on the first cool packing it reaches. In condensing, the vapour gives up a lot of heat, and this warms that packing until the liquid on it boils again. However, this liquid is richer in volatiles than the mix in the boiler, so its boiling point is lower. When it does boil again, from the heat given off by more condensing vapour, what you get is even richer in those most volatile components.

This process of boiling and condensing continues up the column and, because the condensed liquid is always getting richer in volatiles, the temperature gradually falls the higher you go. The temperature at any point is governed solely by the boiling point of that particular liquid mix. You'll notice that once boiling, the temperature of the vapour at the top of the column gradually increases, this is because the mixture is being slowly depleted of the most volatile components.

This temperature needs to be monitored constantly so as to keep purity of methanol at its best.
Ready made distilling columns can be bought, otherwise you can use common stuff to device one. The quality of the methanol can be increased by repetition of the process over and over again.

Reusing key components will help reduce the overall cost of Bio diesel produced.

This same process can be used to separate Methanol before wash or after wash. The dynamics will vary though.

Algae can produce 50 to 100 times more oil per acre than oil crops

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Star Products, Inc. (OTC:GSPI) (OTC:GSPI.PK), announced that biodiesel from agricultural crops can only replace a small percentage of the World’s increasing need for diesel.
Algae can produce 50 to 100 times more oil per acre than oil crops (i.e. oil from soybean, corn, cotton, hemp, euphorbia, mustard seed, sesame, safflower, rice, tung oil tree, sunflower, peanuts, rapeseed, olives, jojoba, jatropha, coconut, palm oil, Chinese tallow, etc.). You can hear the interview by using the following link http://www.wallst.net/audio/audio.asp?ticker=GSPI&id=3382.

A documentary on the same.

China-India to exchange technology in Jatropha cultivation

Chennai, May 18: To enhance renewable energy business ties with India, the Chinese government has chalked out a new plan to exchange technology and ideas on Jatropha cultivation in both the countries.In this connection, a 13-member business delegation from China, headed by Dachang Lu, deputy director general of Guizhou development and reform commssion, was here today to explore the possibility of cultivating Jatropha in both the countries in order to produce bio-diesel.During an interactive session with the South India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) Mr Dachang Lu said that this was a follow up of the recent visit of Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Dr Montek Singh Aluwalia to China. Mr Ahluwalia had signed an agreement on renewable energy with the Director General of land reforms commision of China.He pointed out that Jatropha and Pongamia trees were excellent to produce non- edible oils and capable of producing high caliber lubricant oils.''We already cultivated Jatropha in China in an area of two lakh acres, which could produce between 10,000 tonnes and 20,000 tonnes biodiesel annually'', he said, adding ''our visit is mainly to enhance the Jatropha project both in China and India to produce high quality bio-diesel''.''Bio-diesel fuel is bio-degradable and hence does not produce any ecological waste, which will also help to earn carbon credit'', he said.


Source:-http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=30980
You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Zimbabwe to have Biodiesel

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has so far disbursed $2,9 billion for the national biodiesel project from the $3 billion availed by Government last year.
Responding to questions from parliamentarians in Harare yesterday, RBZ governor Dr Gideon Gono said a total of $2,937 billion has so far been disbursed for the biodiesel project leaving a balance of $62 million.
The Government allocated $3 billion for the national biodiesel project in March last year.
Finealt Engineering, a registered company wholly owned by the Government, is running the project, said Dr Gono.
Said the central bank governor: "Disbursements have been allocated to plant design equipment, vehicle expenditure, recurrent expenditures, salaries, office furniture and stationery and consultancy fees."
He further noted that site preparation, which included soil tests, site clearing, environmental impact assessment, topographical survey and erection of the site offices had been completed.
"Civil works at the site are in progress. However, there is a challenge of financial resources to pay the contractor.
"Procurement of equipment, which includes steel vessels, oil expellers, lab and workshop equipment, earthing and pumping material have been delayed largely due to shortages of foreign currency," added Dr Gono.
A total site area of 102 hectares, which includes 50 hectares targeted for the production of seedlings and the Jatropha plant has been set aside.
Finealt Engineering has also applied for clearance to plant Jatropha cuttings along the major roads of the nine districts in Mashonaland East from the Department of Works in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development in an effort to increase national production of the high oil-yielding plant.
Currently, Finealt is in the process of purchasing Jatropha seed for processing once the plant is set up.
Relevant Links Southern Africa Zimbabwe Energy Sustainable Development Economy, Business and Finance Since 2005, the Government through the Ministry of Energy and Power Development and the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe has been stepping up efforts to promote the production of the Jatropha curcas plant as an alternative source of biodiesel to avert fuel shortages in the country.
Apart from extracting biodiesel fuel from Jatropha, the Government is also collaborating with Triangle Limited to reopen the ethanol blending plant which is expected to reduce the country's fuel imports by 10 percent when it becomes operational later this year.
Currently, farmers are selling a tonne of Jatropha seeds for $60 000 but they would earn more when the price of a litre of the processed biodiesel is equated with that of crude oil.

Source:-http://allafrica.com/stories/200705180176.html

Biodiesel from Soyabean Oil not for India

Rapidly expanding production of bio-diesel from Soybean oil is contributing to a projected 6 per cent increase in domestic soy oil disappearance.
Bio-diesel production is projected to use 19 per cent of total soy oil production for 2007-08 as compared with 13 per cent in 2006-07.

Soy oil is widely used in the US for bio diesel production. An interesting fact is that:-

One of the most important characteristics of diesel fuel is its ability to auto ignite, a characteristic that is quantified by a fuel’s cetane number or cetane index, where a higher cetane number or index means that the fuel ignites more quickly.7 U.S. petroleum diesel typically has a cetane index in the low 40s, and European diesel typically has a cetane index in the low 50s.
Graboski and McCormick8 have summarized several experimental studies of biodiesel characteristics. The reported cetane number for bio diesel ranges from 45.8 to 56.9 for soybean oil methyl esters, with an average of 50.9. In comparison the cetane index for petroleum diesel ranges from 40 to 52. They imply that careful production control could result in bio diesel products with cetane numbers in the high end of the range, whereas petroleum diesel tends toward the low end of the range.

In India soybean ranks third in oil seeds after groundnut and rapeseed/mustard.Soybean is considered to be a most economical and valuable agricultural commodity as, it has good adaptability towards a wide range of soil and climate. On an average dry matter basis, Soybean contains about 40% protein and 20% oil.But the down side to using Soybean is that it is very nutritious - the protein and oil components in soybean are not only in high quantity but also in high quality. Soy oil contains high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, so it is also a healthy oil using some thing like this for producing oil when we still need more oil to feed the nation wont be justifiable. But if we can have new farms cultivating soybean for the sole purpose of bio diesel it can be a little more attractive option but in the overall picture it can turn out to be negative by leading to increase cost of Soybean oil for the common man.

So the last word would be that we have better options like Jatropha, algae, rubber seed and many other types of lower nutritional or inedible oils. In India due to its population we cannot think of using food to make bio diesel unlike what they do in The EU or US.

interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Biodiesel and Indian Energy Security

Development of biodiesel as an alternative fuel holds significant advantages for the country in the field of agriculture besides ensuring energy security
A target to meet 5 per cent of energy needs through bio diesel could generate 2.4 million jobs besides ensuring cultivation of 2.8 million hectares of waste land and an additional combined yearly farm income of Rs 42 billion from the fourth year onwards, a CII-Rabobank report has said.
Biodiesel initiatives can lead to considerable improvements for the rural population. Deploying wasteland for bio diesel production in the country in a micro business unit model should be given more importance as that will help in reducing the gap between the poor and the rich as currently the worlds fuel revenue are enjoyed by a very small group but if from the start we can promote the production, conversion and sale of bio diesel in a small scale industry model that can be achieved. I would say a system like what we have for milk production and distribution should be followed.

The US Agricultural Department puts India's 2006-07 oilseed productions at 29.5 million tonnes, which includes rapeseed, soybeans and sunflower seed. India is among the largest soybean producers in the world at 7.3 million tonnes.

The Planning Commission has also said with 7 million hectares, a potential bio diesel production of 7 million tones could be realised, equal to more than 10 per cent of the country's projected diesel consumption in 2011-12. The planing commission should decide now itself (when this industry is still in infancy) to promote it in a decentralised manner. Such a decision will have far reaching effect , it will give India fuel independence and also will help reduce the influence of people controlling the current fuels assets as the country will be producing the fuel as a whole and not companies producing fuel.


find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Earthrace back at sea after rejecting Indian biodiesel

Earthrace back at sea after rejecting Indian biodiesel
Thursday, 17 May 2007
ROSS GIBLIN/Dominion Post
BAD RUN: NZ trimaran Earthrace captain Pete Bethune and crew are still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in their global record bid.
Related Links

The NZ trimaran Earthrace is still battling bad luck and bureaucracy in its bid for a global record for circumnavigating the world.
It left Cochin on India's west coast today, three days later than expected, after being let down by its biodiesel supplier in India.
It is on a 2592km trip to Salalah in Oman to refuel for a 3611km leg to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
At Cochin, the boat had to fill up with conventional diesel, for the second time during its trip, after rejecting a truckload of biodiesel which did not meet specifications for the boat.
A spokeswoman for the project, Devann Yata, said the crew had to battle monsoon headwinds all the way from Indonesia to Cochin, and arrived exhausted from sleep deprivation.
During the trip Earthrace suffered further mechanical failures, the most serious being three broken mounts on the starboard engine, for it to travel for a full day on one engine at reduced speed.
Within a day of arriving in Cochin on Sunday, the crew repaired the mounts with help from a local dealer for the engine, but found that the biodiesel fuel had not even left Hyderabad, 1000km away.
"We were assured it would be here a week before our arrival," captain Pete Bethune, of Auckand, said. To compound things, three team members, including the captain, fell ill, suffering diarrhoea, vomiting, muscle aches and lethargy.
After days of frustrating phone calls, the truck left Hyderabad, but bureaucratic red tape at customs stopped it entering Cochin province. When it arrived at the port three days later, "it was of such poor quality that crew were forced to reject it," Ms Yata said.
"This is despite the fuel apparently coming with paperwork indicating it meets quality standards".
Earthrace has to return to San Diego by June 21 to break the 75 day record for a global circumnavigation.



You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Student make Biodiesel for less than 5 Rs/l

Students experimenting with biodiesel
By LAURA TODE Of The Gazette StaffThe gray 1973 Mercedes in the Skyview High parking lot isn't your ordinary teenage project car, even though it has a snazzy blue, fire-winged falcon decal on the hood and metal-flake painted wheels.The old car has the characteristic knock and rattle of a diesel engine, but it has undergone a major transformation that for the past two years has been the work of about 20 Skyview students and two dedicated teachers.Students converted the vehicle to run on the biodiesel they make from used cooking oil, alcohol and potassium hydroxide.The project began two years ago with a simple chemistry formula. About 10 students in chemistry teacher Fred Michels' class got together after school several days a week to research and design a biodiesel processor, which Michels built last summer.45 cents a gallon After testing the processor and running more than 250 batches, students found they could efficiently make biodiesel for about 45 cents a gallon."In chemistry class you can do only so much in school and for this we got to do actual applications rather than just experiment in a lab," said Kevin Laborda, 18.Standardizing biodiesel Laborda took chemistry as a sophomore and is ready to graduate. He plans on pursuing a career in chemical engineering and, if he can, continuing to work on making biodiesel a standard in the automotive industry.This last year, when it came time to put the biodiesel to use, another team of 11 students jumped on board. Trevor Brown, a Skyview senior, took the lead in the mechanical conversion. He's hoping to go into welding and has been taking classes at the Career Center. He figured the challenge would be fun."It sounds silly, but I heard that the exhaust smells like french fries and I wanted to smell it - and yes it does," said Brown.The car was donated by Bob Dillon, and 17 local businesses provided materials and expertise in making biodiesel and converting the car.


The students worked on the project after school, and tech ed teacher Kurt Wosley and Michels were not paid for the time they spent with the students."It's real science," said Michels. "It's true problem solving. It's not learning content out of a book and filling it in on a test. It's trial and error and problems come up constantly, and you're trying to learn new solutions to problems as you go."The biodiesel gels at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So to make the engine work in Montana's climate, the students designed the car to start on regular diesel. The biodiesel is sent through a warming coil in a tank in the trunk. When the fuel is warmed, the driver flips a switch and the vehicle runs exclusively on biodiesel.The biodiesel car will make its first public appearance Wednesday at the Laurel Aviation Week at Laurel High School. After that, it should be a regular at Skyview sporting events, parades and other events to promote biodiesel."We're hoping that the project will turn some heads in the community toward alternative energy and help them make up their minds to move forward on it," Michels said.



Source:-
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/05/08/news/local/30-biodiesel.prt

You might make your own biodiesel, but have you got what this 15-year-old's got?

Steven Henderson, a 15-year-old "hopeless" student who learned about climate change in school, decided to do some serious extracurricular activity: he built a large biodiesel processing system in his family's barn.

That barn is now more like a warehouse full of biofuel processing equipment , according to the BBC reporter who went to meet Henderson. The boy's biofuel powers his father's farm equipment. Henderson makes about 1,000 liters a day out of waste oil from local restaurant kitchens.

What prompted a kid to get his dad to spend about £10,000 for all the equipment - six huge tanks, pumps, etc. - to make biodiesel using the tank settling method?

"I was worried about global warming and climate change," he said. "And it saves quite a bit of money."

The family Land Rover was the first "victim" for the young man's biodiesel, and his dad was worried at first about running it in a vehicle. Now, though, the father says the engines run better on biodiesel.

Even though the waste oil is free, and the Henderson's don't sell the biofuel, they still have to pay 27.1 pence tax on each liter they make. Still, the family saves between £300-400 a week compared to buying diesel at the pump. Also, Steven pumps hot water from the barn processing facility into the house; now the family's hot water bills have dropped to nothing.

What's next? Henderson says he "would like to be a really big oil producer" (which BBC thought deserved the Dallas theme music as an underscore).

You can listen to Henderson's story on BBC 4 Radio or read it over at the The Evening Chronicle. The mostly right-wing crowd (check their signatures) over at the Free Republic sees Henderson as an example of why home schooling beats public education and a Brit who is not a "mind-numbed Socialist."

Farmer's Take on Bio Diesel

A farmer explains his views on bio diesel

Bioethanol Production

Ethanol can be produced from biomass by the hydrolysis and sugar fermentation processes. Biomass wastes contain a complex mixture of carbohydrate polymers from the plant cell walls known as cellulose, hemi cellulose and lignin. In order to produce sugars from the biomass, the biomass is pre-treated with acids or enzymes in order to reduce the size of the feedstock and to open up the plant structure. The cellulose and the hemi cellulose portions are broken down (hydrolysed) by enzymes or dilute acids into sucrose sugar that is then fermented into ethanol. The lignin which is also present in the biomass is normally used as a fuel for the ethanol production plants boilers. There are three principle methods of extracting sugars from biomass. These are concentrated acid hydrolysis, dilute acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis.

Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Process
The Arkanol process works by adding 70-77% sulphuric acid to the biomass that has been dried to a 10% moisture content. The acid is added in the ratio of 1.25 acid to 1 biomass and the temperature is controlled to 50C. Water is then added to dilute the acid to 20-30% and the mixture is again heated to 100C for 1 hour. The gel produced from this mixture is then pressed to release an acid sugar mixture and a chromatographic column is used to separate the acid and sugar mixture.
Dilute Acid Hydrolysis
The dilute acid hydrolysis process is one of the oldest, simplest and most efficient methods of producing ethanol from biomass. Dilute acid is used to hydrolyse the biomass to sucrose. The first stage uses 0.7% sulphuric acid at 190C to hydrolyse the hemi cellulose present in the biomass. The second stage is optimised to yield the more resistant cellulose fraction. This is achieved by using 0.4% sulphuric acid at 215C.The liquid hydrolates are then neutralised and recovered from the process.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis
Instead of using acid to hydrolyse the biomass into sucrose, we can use enzymes to break down the biomass in a similar way. However this process is very expensive and is still in its early stages of development.
Dry Milling Process
The dry milling process involves cleaning and breaking down the corn kernel into fine particles using a hammer mill process. This creates a powder with a course flour type consistency. The powder contains the corn germ, starch and fibre. In order to produce a sugar solution the mixture is then hydrolysed or broken down into sucrose sugars using enzymes or a dilute acid. The mixture is then cooled and yeast is added in order to ferment the mixture into ethanol. The dry milling process is normally used in factories producing less than 50 million gallons of ethanol every Year.
Sugar Fermentation Process
The hydrolysis process breaks down the cellulostic part of the biomass or corn into sugar solutions that can then be fermented into ethanol. Yeast is added to the solution, which is then heated. The yeast contains an enzyme called invertase, which acts as a catalyst and helps to convert the sucrose sugars into glucose and fructose (both C6H12O6).The fructose and glucose sugars then react with another enzyme called zymase, which is also contained in the yeast to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. The fermentation process takes around three days to complete and is carried out at a temperature of between 250C and 300C.

Fractional Distillation Process
The ethanol, which is produced from the fermentation process, still contains a significant quantity of water, which must be removed. This is achieved by using the fractional distillation process. The distillation process works by boiling the water and ethanol mixture. Since ethanol has a lower boiling point (78.3C) compared to that of water (100C), the ethanol turns into the vapour state before the water and can be condensed and separated.

What are the benefits of Bioethanol?

Bioethanol has a number of advantages over conventional fuels. It comes from a renewable resource i.e. crops and not from a finite resource and the crops it derives from can grow well in the UK (like cereals, sugar beet and maize). Another benefit over fossil fuels is the greenhouse gas emissions. The road transport network accounts for 22% (www.foodfen.org.uk) of all greenhouse gas emissions and through the use of bioethanol, some of these emissions will be reduced as the fuel crops absorb the CO2 they emit through growing. Also, blending bioethanol with petrol will help extend the life of the UK’s diminishing oil supplies and ensure greater fuel security, avoiding heavy reliance on oil producing nations. By encouraging bioethanol’s use, the rural economy would also receive a boost from growing the necessary crops. Bioethanol is also biodegradable and far less toxic that fossil fuels. In addition, by using bioethanol in older engines can help reduce the amount of carbon monoxide produced by the vehicle thus improving air quality. Another advantage of bioethanol is the ease with which it can be easily integrated into the existing road transport fuel system. In quantities up to 5%, bioethanol can be blended with conventional fuel without the need of engine modifications. Bioethanol is produced using familiar methods, such as fermentation, and it can be distributed using the same petrol forecourts and transportation systems as before.

What is Bioethanol?

The principle fuel used as a petrol substitute for road transport vehicles is bioethanol. Bioethanol fuel is mainly produced by the sugar fermentation process, although it can also be manufactured by the chemical process of reacting ethylene with steam.
The main sources of sugar required to produce ethanol come from fuel or energy crops. These crops are grown specifically for energy use and include corn, maize and wheat crops, waste straw, willow and popular trees, sawdust, reed canary grass, cord grasses, jerusalem artichoke, myscanthus and sorghum plants. There is also ongoing research and development into the use of municipal solid wastes to produce ethanol fuel.
Ethanol or ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) is a clear colourless liquid, it is biodegradable, low in toxicity and causes little environmental pollution if spilt. Ethanol burns to produce carbon dioxide and water. Ethanol is a high octane fuel and has replaced lead as an octane enhancer in petrol. By blending ethanol with gasoline we can also oxygenate the fuel mixture so it burns more completely and reduces polluting emissions. Ethanol fuel blends are widely sold in the United States. The most common blend is 10% ethanol and 90% petrol (E10). Vehicle engines require no modifications to run on E10 and vehicle warranties are unaffected also. Only flexible fuel vehicles can run on up to 85% ethanol and 15% petrol blends (E85).




You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Biofuels Good Idea Bad Practice

The biofuel can come from non-edible tree crops jatropha in India, for example- grown on wasteland, which will also employ people. This fuel market will demand a different business model.
Now that the reality of climate change has been accepted even by its strongest sceptics, there is a rush to find answers. The latest buzz is to substitute the use of greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels with biofuels- fuel processed from plants.
Unfortunately, the way we are going about implementing this "good" idea could mean we are headed from the frying pan to the fire.
There are two kinds of biofuel: ethanol, processed from sugarcane or corn, and biodiesel, made from biomass. Climate-savvy Europe gave the first push to biofuel, mandating they should contribute 6 per cent of fuels used in vehicles by 2010 and 10 per cent by 2020. The bulk of biodiesel comes from domestically grown rapeseed. But to meet its growing needs, it is looking at importing soyabean-based fuel from Brazil and Argentina, and palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.
US President George Bush has this year called on his country to produce 132 billion litres of biofuel by 2017, to cut dependence on foreign fuel. The US' favourite biofuel is ethanol, which it produces from corn starch. Brazil, the world's largest ethanol producer, mostly uses sugarcane. It is estimated that ethanol plants will burn up to half of the US' domestic corn supplies in the coming few years. In addition, its biofuel industry is looking to make fuel out of soya and other crops to feed the automobile industry's growing hunger.
Already, the repercussions of this switch are beginning to show. Late last year, Mexico saw its tortilla wars, as people found the price of their staple-corn-had doubled. The hike was a result of the crop's new market as a source of vehicle fuel and the control over the crop and its uses by corporate USA. In this case, one company, Archer Daniels Midlands, has dominant interests in the corn and wheat market and is the largest ethanol processor in the region. In addition, it has a financial stake in a Mexican company that makes tortillas and refines wheat. In other words, the company benefits when corn price increases and consumers switch to wheat. Or when the switch takes place from food to fuel, they benefit.
Similarly, Cargill, the agribusiness multinational, is now the big name in the biofuel market. In this scenario, prices of other food commodities- wheat, soya, palm oil-are rising as well, in turn, impacting the poorest consumers globally. The projections are that food prices will increase between 20-40 per cent in the next 10 years or so because of this switchover.
The problem is compounded by the fact that this "switch" will do little to avert climate change. It is clear that all the biofuel in the world will be a blip on the total consumption of fossil fuel. In the US, for instance, it is agreed that if the entire corn crop is used for ethanol, it can only replace 12 per cent of current gasoline-petrol-used in the country. A recent paper in the US journal Foreign Affairs estimates that filling a 95-litre fuel tank with pure ethanol will require about 200 kg of corn, which has enough calories to feed a person for a year.
If we factor in the fuel inputs that go into converting biomass to energy-from diesel to run tractors, natural gas to make fertilisers, fuel to run refineries- biofuel is not an energy-efficient option. It is estimated that roughly 20 per cent of corn-made ethanol is 'new' energy. This does not account for the water it will take to grow this new crop. There is also evidence that rainforests will be cut to expand the cultivation of soya, sugarcane and palm oil, which in turn will exacerbate climate change.
Don't get me wrong: I am in favour of biofuel. But the question we need to ask is how to use it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, though we are only interested in maximising corporate profits, we believe rather naively that social objectives are being met.
Firstly, let us be clear that biofuels cannot substitute fossil fuels; but they can make a difference if we begin to limit the consumption of the latter.
If this is the case, governments should not provide subsidies to grow crops for biofuel, as is being done in the US and Europe, but spend to limit their fuel consumption by reducing the sheer numbers of vehicles on their roads. If this is done, biofuels, which are renewable and emit less greenhouse gases, will make a difference. Otherwise, we are only fooling ourselves.
Secondly, the question is where will the biofuels be used? Let us be clear that the opportunity for a massive biofuel revolution is not in the rich world's cities, to run vehicles-but in the grid-unconnected world of Indian or African villages. It is here that there is a scarcity of energy-electricity to power homes, fuel to cook, to run generator sets to pump water and to run vehicles. It is also here that the use of fossil fuels will grow because there is no alternative.
Instead of bringing fossil fuel long distances to feed this market, this part of the world can leapfrog to a new energy future- from no fuel to the most advanced fuel. The biofuel can come from non-edible tree crops- jatropha in India, for example- grown on wasteland, which will also employ people.
This fuel market will demand a different business model. It cannot be conducted on the basis of the so-called free market model, which is based on economies of scale and, therefore, demands consolidation and leads to uncompetitive practices. In today's model, a company will grow the crops, extract the oil, transport it first to refineries and then back to consumers.
The new generation biofuel business needs a model of distributed growth in which we have millions of growers and millions of distributors and millions of users. Remember, climate change is not a technological fix but a political challenge. Biofuel is part of a new future.
The writer is Director of Centre for Science & Environment

Source:-http://www.centralchronicle.com/20070509/0905301.htm


You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Bi-o-diesel: The San Francisco City announces B20 use, Biofuel Recycling Program

The City of San Francisco is now the largest city to use a 20
percent blend of biodiesel (B20) fleet-wide. This announcement, made by Mayor Gavin Newsom
at a biodiesel retail pump today, appropriately comes just two days after Earth Day.
“Every City bears responsibility for taking local action to address our global climate crisis, and
vehicle emissions are a major source of greenhouse gases,” said Mayor Newsom. “When it comes to
the use of alternative fuels, renewable energy sources and greening our city fleet, San Francisco is
demonstrating leadership and commitment on every front.”
“The city of San Francisco departments have announced various strategies using biodiesel to
reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases, and to use local resources to produce biofuels,” said
Randall von Wedel, a biochemist representing the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) in state
regulatory affairs, based in the San Francisco area. “We are grateful to Mayor Newsom for his
initiative,” said von Wedel, “and we hope that San Francisco will serve as a model for other
large cities on how to make a difference in reducing air pollution, greenhouse gases and
dependence on petroleum fuel.”
The city’s “Biofuel Recycling Program,” also announced today, will collect waste grease and
cooking oil from area restaurants. Regional biodiesel plants will process the separated cooking
oils into biodiesel, while the grease will be fed to anaerobic digesters to produce methane gas for
electric power generation at the city’s waste water treatment plant.
The city started the pilot program using B20 in various locations such as the San Francisco
International Airport and the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) in 2006. The program
tested the fuel in the Bayview Hunters Point area, which has some of the poorest air quality in
San Francisco. This B20 use complies with the mayoral directive, “Climate Action Plan,” for city
diesel vehicles to run on B20. So far, all the public works vehicles, street sweepers, utility trucks
and more are running on B20. The city also announced all 325 of the waste management
company’s trucks are running on B20. That is in addition to the 2,000 city-owned vehicles that
will be running on B20 by the end of this year.
Other plans to increase biodiesel use in San Francisco include an EPA grant program, through
the City College of San Francisco and local biodiesel firms; to train distributors and fleet
managers. New biodiesel retail pump stations are set to open, with several other initiatives as
well. Partners in the city’s goals have included the Region 9 Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and various city agencies. Today’s biodiesel announcement is part of a series of
environmental initiatives touted by the Mayor at yesterday’s Annual Mayor’s Earth Day
breakfast.
Representatives of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, EPA and the San Francisco
Department of Environment spoke at today’s event, held at the Olympian fleet fueling station at
3rd Street and 23rd. In previous years, this station served as the nation’s first B100 (pure
biodiesel) retail pump in the continental United States. Tellurian Biodiesel, a member of NBB,
now manages the distribution of B20 to the station, part of a network of new B20 stations
planned for that pollution-impacted area of the city.
"The city of San Francisco has made great progress on its goal of converting 100 percent of its
diesel fleet to B20 by the end of the year,” said Eric Bowen of Tellurian. “It is ahead of schedule
with almost 40 percent of the fleet already running on biodiesel. San Francisco is leading the
way toward a more sustainable future," he said.
During the National Biodiesel Conference held in February in San Antonio, NBB honored
firefighters from the San Francisco department for their personal influence in starting SFFD on
B20. Mike Ferry and Brie Mathews received NBB’s “Inspiration” award for their efforts.
Mathews used biodiesel in her personal vehicle and Ferry developed and managed the B20 pilot
program for city fire engines and emergency vehicles, on the committee instituting city-wide
B20 use.
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can run in any diesel engine in blends of 20 percent or lower,
blended with diesel fuel. It can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat through a chemical
process that removes the glycerin. Biodiesel has added fuel refining capacity to the U.S. with
more than 105 biodiesel plants operating currently. Biodiesel significantly cuts harmful
environmental emissions, including carbon monoxide and life cycle carbon dioxide. Production
tripled between 2005 and 2006, from 75 million gallons to about 250 million gallons.Source:-http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/pressreleases/fle/20070425_sanfranb20.pdf

Korea Makes Strides in Bio-Fuel Technology

In Korea, interest in renewable resources is growing amid record international oil prices.
As global awareness of the need to develop sustainable energy is growing due to global warming, Korean industries are taking their first steps in the development and production of bio-diesel. April 13 saw the launch of the ¡°Seoul Eco Station" in Sonjeon-dong, Seoul. The gas station provides biodiesel 20 (BD 20) which is blended from 80 percent diesel and 20 percent bio-diesel made from soybean oil.

The black, pine-nut-sized seeds of the Jatropha tree are a source of bio-diesel. 156 official vehicles including garbage trucks and construction vehicles in seven districts will run on BD 20. The city government is considering a plan to convert all 2,000 of its cars to run on bio-diesel. Bio-diesel cars can reduce emissions of poisonous pollutants such as formaldehyde and carbon gas by between 13 and 21 percent compared with ordinary diesel cars. Other local governments are also considering introducing BD20.

Domestic businesses have started producing bio-diesel sources in Korea. Three local governments -- the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island -- started growing rape on 4.95 million sq.m of idle farmland. The local government plans to purchase all rape produced by local farmers with national and local government funds of W2.6 billion (11.8 Crore Rs) over the next three years.
Some Korean businesses are turning overseas to secure bio-diesel sources such as Cassava and Jatropha. Cassava(Tapioca) is a root vegetable similar to sweet potato; the starchy root is used to produce bio-ethanol. Jatropha, whose seed is a source of bio diesel, grows in tropical parts of India and Africa.

It is a Korean company that developed technology to enhance the productivity of the Jatropha tree. Oh Jea-chun, president of a horticulture company Namuworld is quoted to have said, "We have developed a technology to increase the fruit-bearing productivity of Jatropha. Jatropha trees are prone to six or seven kinds viruses, and we remove all of them by tissue culturing methods. We are ahead of Indian companies in this sector."


You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Korea Makes Strides in Bio-Fuel Technology

In Korea, interest in renewable resources is growing amid record international oil prices.
As global awareness of the need to develop sustainable energy is growing due to global warming, Korean industries are taking their first steps in the development and production of bio-diesel. April 13 saw the launch of the ¡°Seoul Eco Station" in Sonjeon-dong, Seoul. The gas station provides biodiesel 20 (BD 20) which is blended from 80 percent diesel and 20 percent bio-diesel made from soybean oil.

The black, pine-nut-sized seeds of the Jatropha tree are a source of bio-diesel. 156 official vehicles including garbage trucks and construction vehicles in seven districts will run on BD 20. The city government is considering a plan to convert all 2,000 of its cars to run on bio-diesel. Bio-diesel cars can reduce emissions of poisonous pollutants such as formaldehyde and carbon gas by between 13 and 21 percent compared with ordinary diesel cars. Other local governments are also considering introducing BD20.

Domestic businesses have started producing bio-diesel sources in Korea. Three local governments -- the Jeolla provinces and Jeju Island -- started growing rape on 4.95 million sq.m of idle farmland. The local government plans to purchase all rape produced by local farmers with national and local government funds of W2.6 billion (11.8 Crore Rs) over the next three years.
Some Korean businesses are turning overseas to secure bio-diesel sources such as Cassava and Jatropha. Cassava(Tapioca) is a root vegetable similar to sweet potato; the starchy root is used to produce bio-ethanol. Jatropha, whose seed is a source of bio diesel, grows in tropical parts of India and Africa.

It is a Korean company that developed technology to enhance the productivity of the Jatropha tree. Oh Jea-chun, president of a horticulture company Namuworld is quoted to have said, "We have developed a technology to increase the fruit-bearing productivity of Jatropha. Jatropha trees are prone to six or seven kinds viruses, and we remove all of them by tissue culturing methods. We are ahead of Indian companies in this sector."


You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Wanna find JOBS in the bio diesel Industry ???

This is the place you should be goin to

http://www.biodiesel-jobs.com/



You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

India's Big Plans for Biodiesel

Researchers are developing new methods for cultivating a plant called jatropha.
By Michael Fitzgerald
Biodiesel could be an important renewable substitute for fossil fuels. And, in certain parts of the world, governments and some corporations consider the jatropha plant, common in hot climates, one of the most promising sources of biodiesel. The plant can grow in wastelands, and it yields more than four times as much fuel per hectare as soybean, and more than ten times that of corn. But the commercial-scale cultivation of jatropha, which has not previously been grown as a crop, raises several significant challenges. ........................
Read complete article on:- http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/17940/






You will find interesting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Vedio of methanol recovery system for biodiesel.

Want to know what Bio Diesel is ? Click Here
You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

A test to see how well reacted Biodiesel is using nothing more than biodiesel and methanol.

The 3/27 Methanol test is an easy test to see how well reacted Biodiesel is using nothing more than biodiesel and methanol.

What is bio Diesel? click here to find out



You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

A News Video on how 4Refuel is saving Canadian businesses millions of dollars every year.

What is bio Diesel? click here to find out

Bio Diesel in Duncan:Video on The city of Duncan Going Enviroment Friendly

What is bio Diesel? click here to find out


You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Video on Bio Diesel in Myanmar

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1415492764876671607&q=bio+diesel
Want to know what Bio Diesel is ? Click Here


You will find intresting links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side