Bio diesel Suppliers Can buy oil from algae now

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwire - June 26, 2007) - PetroSun, Incorporated (PINKSHEETS: PSUD) announced today that the Company has initiated a program to provide existing biodiesel producers algal oil as an alternative to their present feedstock. The Company anticipates that the initial commercial production of algal oil allocated to this program will be available for delivery during the first quarter of 2008.
The Company plans to locate its initial production plants in Alabama, Louisiana, Arizona, California and Australia.
About PetroSun
PetroSun's current oil and gas operations are concentrated in the Ark-La-Tex region with plans to expand into New Mexico, Arizona and Australia in 2007. Algae BioFuels, a wholly owned subsidiary of PetroSun, is an emerging producer of biodiesel derived from the cultivation of algae. PetroSun is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona with field offices in Shreveport, Louisiana and Opelika, Alabama. For more information about PetroSun visit the company's website at http://www.petrosuninc.com.
Except historical matter contained herein, matters discussed in this news release are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties, which may affect the Company's business and prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements.

Contact:PetroSun, Inc.Investor RelationsEmail Contact(602)-487-6486

Indian Oil Corporation plans to produce biodiesel

NEW DELHI: Flagship refiner-marketer IndianOil Corporation has initiated steps to begin commercial production of biodiesel. The state-owned company has sought about 30,000 hectares of land from the Madhya Pradesh government for jatropha plantation.

Jatropha seed has been identified as the main source of making biodiesel and the company is talking to other states such as Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan for land to start plantations. "We have expressed our interest in getting land for jatropha plantation. We are waiting for the state's response and also waiting for government policy on biodiesel," said B M Bansal, the man in charge of finding new businesses for IndianOil and spearheading the green fuel initiative. Biodiesel is made by blending oil extracted from seeds like jatropha with diesel refined from crude oil. An internal note prepared by IndianOil Corporation reckons an annual demand of two million tonnes of biodiesel, with a 5% blending ratio.

It says this can eventually go up to 10% without making any modification in the engine. This indicates an annual consumption potential of four million tonnes. The note says popularising the use of biodiesel will increase energy security, protect the environment, create jobs for rural folk and develop wastelands. IndianOil has completed field trials with the fuel. The trial with Haryana Roadways showed a 10-15% reduction in emission from the 40-odd buses that used biodiesel. Trials have also been completed successfully with Tata Motors and Indian Railways which ran locos hauling high-speed Shatabdi and Jan Shatabdi trains to check the biofuel's performance regarding power, consumption and pick-up etc. The biodiesel plan may, however, come unstuck due to the government's policy on procurement price. The government has set a procurement price of Rs 26.50 for each litre of biodiesel, whereas each litre made out of imported crude palm oil costs Rs 35-40. Besides, the nature of jatropha plants allow oil extraction from seeds only after three years. That's why despite efforts by several state governments and corporates other than IndianOil, biodiesel will have to wait for sometime before it can rule our roads.

IndianOil is trying to use this time to put in place an integrated plan for the entire value chain of biodiesel — from plantation to blending and marketing. Its R&D Centre has optimised the process of synthesising oil from jatropha seeds to conform to standard fuel specifications.

It has also set up a biodiesel quality lab at the centre.



Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/IOC_plans_to_produce_biodiesel/articleshow/2148642.cms

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

Indian Standard for 100% Biodiesel Blend

ISO 15607 For Biodiesel

Property	Unit	Minimum	Maximum	Test Method
Ester Content	% (m/m)	96.5		prEN 14103
Density @ 15 °C	kg/m2	860	900	EN ISO 3675EN ISO 12185
Viscosity @ 40 °C	mm2	3.5	5.0	EN ISO 310
Flash Point	°C	Above 101		ISO / CD 3679
Sulfur Content	mg/Kg		10
Carbon Residue(10% Bottoms)	% (m/m)		0.3	EN ISO 10370
Cetane Number		51.0		EN ISO 5165
Sulphated Ash Content	% (m/m)		0.02	ISO 3987
Water Content	mg/Kg		500	EN ISO 12937
Total Contamination	mg/Kg		24	EN 12662
Copper Strip Corrosion(3hr @ 50 °C)	rating	Class 1	Class 1	EN ISO 2160
Thermal Stability
Oxidation Stability, 110 °C	hours	6		pr EN 14112
Acid Value	mg KOH/g		0.5	pr EN 14104
Iodine Value			120	pr EN 14111
Linolenic acid methyl ester	% (m/m)		12	pr EN 14103
Polyunsaturated (>= 4double bonds) methylesters	% (m/m)		1
Methanol Content	% (m/m)		0.2	pr EN 14110
Monoglyceride Content	% (m/m)		0.8	pr EN 14105
Diglyceride Content	% (m/m)		0.2	pr EN 14105
Triglyceride Content	% (m/m)		0.2	pr EN 14105
Free Gylcerol	% (m/m)		0.02	pr EN 14105pr EN 14106
Total Gylcerol	% (m/m)		0.25	pr EN 14105
Alkaline Metals (Na + K)	mg/Kg		5	pr EN 14108pr EN 14109
Phosphorus Content	mg/Kg		10	pr EN 14107

ASTM D-6751 standards for biodiesel

Flash point (closed cup) 130°C min. (150°C average)
Water and sediment 0.050% by vol., max.
Kinematic viscosity at 40°C 1.9-6.0 mm2/s
Ramsbottom carbon residue, % mass 0.10
Sulfated ash 0.020% by mass, max.
Sulfur 0.05% by mass, max.
Copper strip corrosion No. 3 max
Cetane 47 min.
Carbon residue 0.050% by mass, max.
Acid number -- mg KOH/g 0.80 max.
Free glycerin 0.020 % mass
Total glycerine 0.240% by mass, max.
Phosphorus content 0.001 max. % mass
Distillation 90% @ 360°C

Construction Industry Going Green

Construction Equipment world over are responsible for a huge amount of fossil fuel usage. Now many construction companies have started going for bio diesel as a fuel source. Recently there was a news about Destiny USA going for Biodiesel. Early in 2006, 'Case construction USA' started using 5 % Biodiesel for its equipments. Destiny is using a 100% bio diesel in their equipments.

Even though the number of companies switching are very few, the trend is surely catching on. There is also a news about countries going to make it mandatory for construction companies to use green fuels in their equipment. The construction industry is a very high profit sector where profits may go up to 100 % or sometime, even more of what they spent initially. Now its only reasonable that this Industry pays its dues.

Another news about construction industries going for biodiesel is from Rwanda where the National University of Technology is pushing the government to run its construction vehicles and maintenance vehicles on Bio diesel which is expected to be produced in the near future by farmers who where previously engaged in subsistence farming. Similar campaigns are also taking shape in other east African Nations. Rwanda usually leads the East African Nations in going green. They where the first to ban plastic bags completely in a whole country in Africa, so may be, they might just do this too.

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently released a report that identified construction equipment as one of the largest sources of diesel pollution.

Biodiesel producers world over are trying to sell their fuel directly to companies with large diesel needs so, we might start hearing more news of Construction Industries Smelling like French Fries soon.




links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Mobile networks to be Powered by Biodiesel in India

In a resent press release by Ericson, they have said that, the Indian mobile operator Idea Cellular, Ericsson and the GSM Association's Development Fund have teamed up to develop biodiesel as a source of power for wireless networks in rural India. In a pilot project in Pune, Maharashtra, the three organizations will begin using biodiesel to power mobile base stations located beyond the reach of the electricity grid. This revolutionary idea will help rural farmers and entrepreneurs. They are also providing help to these people so as to start production of the same.

They have released photos showing the equipment









This photo shows some workers transferring bio diesel.





One thing to note is that such initiative will be more beneficial in spreading the word about biodiesel than the actual impact it will have. India is a country with vast potentials for biodiesel because it has highest number of personal diesel vehicles. The popularity for bio diesel is low as of now in India and such Initiatives will be very beneficial for the same.

In another view such initiatives should be taken up by other providers world over. The communication networks of the day are consuming a very large amount of power mostly made from fossil fuel (due to remote locations etc). Operators shifting to bio diesel will be a very positive move. For the companies the amount of money involved in the shift is not very large because the amount of modifications required is very little. Thus it is just the question of wanting to change. The move by the Aditya Birla group's Idea cellular should be taken as an example by other providers world over.

Cost Key to Biodiesel Popularity

The most important thing that will determine whether or not biodiesel will come to limelight in the near future is its price competitiveness. Simply put, if its cheap people will start using it and also start talking about it thus gaining the mainstream popularity.

Hydrogen , Hybrid or some of those SciFi type fuels have a special feeling towards it as though they are great human advancements so they get mainstream attention very easily. Biodiesel lacks this hue, not because it is inferior in any way , in fact its superior to all those in many ways but most are not seen by the lay man in his first look.

The simple fact that it can be used in cars as they are with no or very few modifications if any is a very important advantage it has over these other alternative fuels.

Now is Biodiesel not as popular as these other fuels? To get facts straight, except for the Initiated (those who are into biodiesel) the lay man doesn't know what Biodiesel is
that is fact.
A simple method to know this is do a Google search on Biodiesel and then on Hydrogen and the other fuels the number of results will be your answer.

So how can biodiesel be more popular? To the common man (we are talking about an average of the Third world common man and the Developed world common man) cost of something talks easiest. So the key is keeping Biodiesel cheaper than other alternative fuels in the market this itself will be the biggest push it can receive.This will include utilising all products from biodiesel and proper sourcing of feedstock and so on.
Another important factor making Biodiesel unattractive is the fact that in the developed world the number of personal vehicles running on diesel is small, but unlike the developed world most developing countries have a huge number of personal transport running on diesel. Thus another key point in biodiesel popularity is that it should be made popular in developing con tries too. There the cost of Biodiesel will talk better than environmental factors.
So we should working on finding and developing sources process etc that will make Biodiesel cheaper.

Even at current prices Bio diesel is cheaper than other alternative fuels in most parts of the world and this is a key reason behind it gaining popularity at a very fast pace. IT is cheaper than conventional fuels only in few areas and we should learn from them to make it cheaper than conventional fuels.

links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

10 Safety Tips While working with Methanol?

Methanol as we all know is a poisonous substance that can in the worst cases even cause death and even in small doses result in serious ailments. One thing that we should understand is that any poisonous substance can be handled safely if we maintain some safety code. Here are 10 important things that you should observe when using methanol.

1. Methanol should be handled only in a heavily ventilated area. It can be an enclosed area but it should be cross ventilated with exhaust fans has a CFM rating of more than 1500. (This is will vary according to room size.This is rating recommended for a 20 * 20 *15 feet room)
2. The containers contain methanol should be 100% leak proof if leak is suspected change container immediately
3. The containers containing methanol should be kept in well ventilated areas at all time. This is to avoid dangers of inflaming and concentrated inhaling in case of leakage.
4. The area where methanol is stored should be fitted with Industry grade non spark and low heat electrical equipment. These are not very expensive contrary to popular belief, in some countries they are even subsidised.
5. Clear sings indicating no smoking and other enforcement tools like smoke detectors etc should be installed near methanol storage. Even home brewers should follow this because many people might come to see your home brewing equipment and so the danger level is high.
6. Use gloves , masks , aprons etc while handling methanol as studies have shown that methanol can be assimilated into the blood stream through ones skin.
7. Have fire extinguishers in handy locations, if budget allows install a fire detection and auto extinguisher, in case of a fire when you are not around. These are relatively expensive but if you look around you could get something that fits your budget.
8. The containers should be clearly marked as to be containing methanol, as accidental intake can cause even death. so keep in distinguishable containers. Preferably coloured ones so that they cant be mistaken for water. Never keep methanol in containers that resemble you house hold water bottle. SUCH INCIDENTS OF ACCIDENTAL INTAKE ARE FREQUENTLY REPORTED.
9. Methanol vapour is equally dangerous, so as soon as the required methanol is taken close and keep back the methanol bottle to storage area.
10. Finally buy as little methanol as possible, this might not be economicall but this is the safest solution. As accidents can happen however careful you are.

NEVER ALLOW CHILDREN INTO WORK AREA.

Making Bio diesel using Ethanol

Making bio diesel using ethanol is a process that is comparatively more difficult than using methanol. The main reasons for this are :-

• Water sensitivity of the reaction
• Getting highly pure Ethanol that has less that .5 % water is difficult.
• This process is done better with KOH which too is not easily sourced
• The oil needs to be heated to 120 degree or more(Celsius)
• The amount of ethanol required is more
• Glycerin separation is a matter of luck (There are some ways to driving it to separate though)

Materials and Quality:-

Raw oil 100 L

Anhydrous Ethanol 27.4 L 199(99.5 % pure)

Potassium Hydroxide 1.30 Kg (85% or higher)

Ethanol in liters = 0.2738 x Amount of oil in liters

Amount of KOH in Kg = 0.013 x Amount of oil in liters

Process:-

Using a 100 liter batch of oil as an example, the KOH used reacts with 1.07kg of ethanol to produce 1.95kg of potassium ethoxide. This mixture now contains (27.4x0.789)-1.07 = 20.55kg of free ethanol and 1.07kg of ethanol as potassium ethoxide catalyst. Any water added to the entire system reverses the above reaction and quenches a proportional amount of the potassium ethoxide catalyst. One part of water can quench up to 84.15/18.02 = 4.67 parts of catalyst.The ethanol-KOH mixture is then poured into the oil(maintained at 60 degree Celsius) and the transesterification process occurs.

100 liters (91kg) of oil reacts with 13.1kg of ethanol. The 21.62kg (or27.4L) of ethanol used in the batch represents 21.62/13.1x100 = 165% of that required for complete transesterification of 100 liters of oil. (A 65% excess over the theoretical requirement). This values change according to the oil used and thus mastering of the process can take time.

Steps:-

1. Oil is measured.
2. The required amount of ethanol is placed into a small covered container.
3. The required amount of potassium hydroxide is quickly weighed.With minimum atmospheric exposure
4. The solid potassium hydroxide is added to all of the ethanol which is then vigorously stirred in the covered container until completely dissolved. At this point the dissolved KOH is presumed to have been converted to potassium ethoxide catalyst.
5. The ethanol-catalyst mixture is poured into the oil in the main reactor and stirred rapidly. Mixing is continued for 6 hours at 50+ temperature. The reaction mixture usually changes to a turbid orange-brown color within the first few minutes; then it changes to a clear transparent brown color; finally, as the reaction is completed, the mixture again becomes somewhat turbid and orange-brown colored due to the emulsified free glycerol which has been formed.
6. In the completed reaction, the glycerol begins to separate immediately upon cessation of stirring, and the settling mostly complete in one hour. After initial settling, the entire contents of the reaction vessel are again mixed together and stirred vigorously for 40 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of re stirring, water is added at 15% of the initial volume of oil used in the reaction. Stirring should continue an additional 20 minutes after the water is added for a total of 40 minutes of re stirring. This mixture is then allowed to settle. A longer separation time facilitates the washing process. Remixing the glycerol layer with the ester layer while adding water has the effect of collecting and removing impurities and products of incomplete reaction from the ester. The washing phase can then proceed at a more rapid pace than if the remixing stage were left out.
7. Wash the given mixture as usual

An entry on producing ethanol at home will be posted soon
links and news items on Bio Diesel on the right side

Biodiesel at The Oscars

BioBling company is, a biodiesel company that specializes in grabbing headlines with its forward-looking automotive technology.

The Los Angeles company scours the market for rare Volkswagens, Cadillacs, and Mercedes-Benz cars and then reconfigures them for biodiesel fuel. These cars also get custom-outfitted. Previous orders have included razzle-dazzle paint jobs, fake fur interiors, and even flat-screen TVs.

But it's the red carpet at next year's Academy Awards that has BioBling on the industry radar. The company will supply biodiesel limousines to transport stars to next year's Oscars. You might not be able to tell that's happening just by looking at cars?if you're looking at the cars and not focusing on the dresses and tuxes worn by Hollywood's finest. And you can probably rest assured that those ritzy limos won't be running on vegetable oil. We can't have our silver screen legends showing up to get their statuettes while smelling like fast food, now can we?


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

Making Use of Glycerin

Glycerin is one of the most important by products of bio diesel. Now making use of it will reduce the actual cost of bio diesel produced in any given unit. The main problems that we face for utilising the Glycerin thus produced are the impurities. One of most problem making impurities is methanol. Other impurities are different salts, soap, water etc. Now there are different ways we can use glycerin in. These can be basically divided into direct use of crude glycerin and purified use. Now let us first consider how we can use it directly.

Direct Use:-
The easiest way to use this glycerin directly is to use it in bio digester's(bio gas plants) The thing to be care full about while using glycerin in bio plants is that it shouldn't be added in large quantities and more importantly it shouldn't be the only input to the plant. If you add a little by little to the plant then experiments have shown that it can increase the production of the plant by up to 10 -15%. This is a major way to utilise the glycerin thus produced. The bio gas can be utilised to power the Bio diesel Plants electricity needs to an extent. The thing to be remembered is that this is fairly easy to do but less rewarding that purifying it and then selling it.

Purifying and Utilising:-
Pure glycerin or glycerol is in great demand world over for different industries from cosmetics to pure industrial applications and some times even in IT industries. The transestirification can yield on average 5% glycerin (crude) for a given batch quantity. Thus around 30 liters of diesel could give you 1 liter fairly pure glycerin. The cost of 1 liter glycerin is around 300 Rs (8$). This price is directly dependent on the purity. Now let us see a process to get fairly pure glycerin.

Take Aqueous solution of glycerol which has to be acidic (if it's not, acidify with H2SO4). It's first treated with fine activated carbon, neutralised with NaHCO3 and boiled down. Majority of solid non organic salts is filtered off and the rest is removed by addition of alcohol followed by filtering. Evaporating clear solution and heating slowly to 180 degree C gives a clear, slightly yellow liquid thick at room temp. This is fairly pure glycerol. Warning, methanol is poisonous. When boiling down glycerol, there are produced acrolein (a poison and a mutagen). All procedures should be therefore done in a well ventilated area. The methanol evaporates at relatively low temperatures. Other methods like Flash distillation or vacuum distillation or chemical purification etc are much more expensive but will yield better quality glycerin.

Another suggestion would be to use ethanol instead of methanol. (A different process altogether)

The glycerin in crude form can be used as a degreaser but the methanol needs to be removed
Letting the by-product stand in an open container for a few weeks will NOT evaporate the methanol as it's often said it will, or not much anyway.
The best way to remove methanol is to heat it, but be care full not to heat it under direct flame.

Glycerin is an alcohol (glycerol) and is used as a preservative in the food industry, as well as a sweetener: it is very sweet, yet it contains no sugar. This makes it an ideal sweetener for patients who cannot take sugar. But this is not a callory free substitute. Do not attempt this until your are 100% sure that all methanol is removed.(we do not recommend this due to the high risk involved from methanol poisoning)

Some links to methods of purifying glycerin:-
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7126032.html