BIOFEUL BIOFUEL,PROS,CONS & METHOD OF PRODUCTION

What is Biofuel? Biorganic fuel - biofuel - is any combustible plant or animal material that can be used as an energy source. The simplest biofuel is wood; wood-burning as a heat and light source has been popular for millennia. Other common biofuels are made from corn, sugar cane, soybeans, algae, vegetable oils, and even manure

Primary Advantages of Biofuels Cost: Once the technology is widely available, biofuels can be significantly less expensive than gasoline and other fossil fuels, particularly as worldwide demand for oil increases, therefore increasing oil and gasoline prices to unheard of levels. Source Material: Whereas oil is a limited resource that comes from specific materials, biofuels can be manufactured from a wide range of materials including crop waste, manure, and other byproducts, making it a efficient step in recycling.recycling Renewability: It takes thousands of years for fossil fuels to be produced, but biofuels are much more easily renewable as new crops are grown and waste material is collected.

Primary Advantages of Biofuels Security: By reducing dependence on foreign fuel sources, countries can protect the integrity of their energy resources and make them safe from outside influences. Economic Stimulation: Because biofuels are produced locally, biofuel manufacturing plants can employ hundreds or thousands of workers, creating new jobs in rural areas. Biofuel production will also increase the demand for suitable biofuel crops, providing economic stimulation to the agriculture industry. Biodegradability: Biofuels are easily biodegradable and far safer to handle than traditional fuels, making spills less hazardous and much easier and less expensive to clean up. Lower Carbon Emissions: When biofuels are burned, they produce significantly less carbon output and fewer toxins, making them a safer alternative to preserve atmospheric quality and lower air pollution.

Disadvantages of Biofuels Energy Output: Biofuels have a lower energy output than traditional fuels and therefore require greater quantities to be consumed in order to produce the same energy level. Production Carbon Emissions: Several studies have been conducted to analyze the carbon footprint of biofuels, and while they may be cleaner to burn, there are strong indications that the process to produce the fuel - including the machinery necessary to cultivate the crops and the plants to produce the fuel - has hefty carbon emissions. High Cost: To refine biofuels to more efficient energy outputs and to build the necessary manufacturing plants to increase biofuel quantities will require a high initial investment.

Disadvantages of Biofuels Food Prices: As demand for food crops such as corn grows for biofuel production, it could also raise prices for necessary staple food crops. Water Use: Massive quantities of water are required for proper irrigation of biofuel crops as well as to manufacture the fuel, which could strain local and regional water resources. Availability: Biofuels are not widely available for consumer purchase and most vehicles are not equipped to run on biofuel products. Limited availability reduces the desirability of biofuels as alternative energy sources. Smell: Biofuel production produces heavy smells depending on the type of materials used, and those smells are generally undesirable near large communities. While manufacturing plants can be isolated, this will add to the carbon emissions necessary to bring fuel to population centers.

What is Biodiesel? Alternative fuel for diesel engines Made from vegetable oil or animal fat Meets health effect testing Lower emissions, High flash point (>300F), Safer Biodegradable, Essentially non-toxic. Chemically, biodiesel molecules are mono-alkyl esters produced usually from triglyceride esters Fatty Acid Alcohol Glycerin Vegetable Oil Biodiesel FA

Biodiesel can be used in existing Diesel Engines Pure Biodiesel (B100) or blended with petroleum diesel (B20, BXX). Rudolf Diesel: peanut oil. Little or no engine modifications Use existing fuel distribution network. Available now

Environmental Issues Burning fossil fuels increases atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide Fossil fuels are a finite resource Graph taken from USF Oceanography webpage Biodiesel’s Closed Carbon Cycle 30% Increase

Relative Greenhouse Gas Emissions Gasoline CNG LPG Diesel Ethanol 85% B20 Diesel Hybrid Electric B100 Data from “A Fresh Look at CNG: A Comparison of Alternative Fuels”, Alternative Fuel Vehicle Program, 8/13/2001 B100 = 100% Biodiesel B20 = 20% BD + 80% PD

Biodiesel Samples

Chemistry of Triglycerides Biodiesel is made from the combination of a triglyceride with a monohydroxy alcohol (i.e. methanol, ethanol…). What is a triglyceride? Made from a combination of glycerol and three fatty acids:

Transesterification While actually a multi-step process, the overall reaction looks like this: CH2OOR1 catalyst CH2OH |  | CHOOR2 + 3CH3OH  3CH3OORx + CHOH | CH2OOR3 CH2OH Triglyceride 3 Methanols Biodiesel Glycerin R1, R2, and R3 are fatty acid alkyl groups (could be different, or the same), and depend on the type of oil. The fatty acids involved determine the final properties of the biodiesel (cetane number, cold flow properties, etc.)

Individual step of Transesterification First step, triglyceride turned into diglyceride, methoxide (minus Na) joins freed FA to make biodiesel, Na joins OH from water (from methoxide formation) to make NaOH. Other H joins the diglyceride. H O H | | | HCOR1 H HCO H O | | | | | HCOOR2 + HCONa +H 2 O  CHOOR2 + HCOR1 + NaOH | | | | HCOR3 H | | | | H O H O Triglyceride + Methoxide + H 2 O  Diglyceride + Biodiesel + NaOH

Pictorial by Graydon Blair of the Utah Biodiesel Cooperative

After Glycerin removal, biodiesel now just needs to be cleaned/purified before use:

Biodiesel Challenges Cold Weather Operation (Chemistry) Producing enough feedstock oil to replace a large portion of petroleum (biology, chemistry, physics, economics) Engine and emissions optimization (chemistry, physics)

Advantages of biodiesel It is made from renewable resources.It performs just as well as the normal diesel fuel.It causes less pollution as compared to diesel-powered engines.It is relatively less inflammable compared to the normal diesel.It can be mixed with normal diesel fuel. It is biologically degradable and reduces the danger of contamination of soil and underground water during transport, storage and use. It contains no sulphur, the element responsible for acid rain

Advantages of biodiesel There are no extra costs for the conversion of engines in comparison to other biological fuels. It is suitable for catalytic convertor.Engines last longer when using it. Its refineries are comparitively simpler and environmental-friendly in design than typical petrochemical refineries. It produces 78% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than normal diesel fuel. It has a higher cetane and lubricity rating than pure petroleum-based diesel fuel, which improves engine efficiency and operating life cycle

Disadvantages of biodiesel It is more expensive than normal diesel fuel.It tends to reduce fuel economy.It is less suitable for use in low temperatures.It cannot be transported in pipelines.It gives out more nitrogen oxide emissions.

Disadvantages of biodiesel It can only be used in diesel-powered engines.It can cause inner fuel tubes of older vehicles to lose their long-lasting qualities. It is more likely than petroleum diesel to attract moisture, which can cause problems in cold weather (fuel freezing, deposit of water in the vehicle fuel delivery system, fuel cold flow, clouding, and an increased corrosion, for example) and increase the risk of microbial growth (which can also clog engine filters).

JATROPHA

The cogent reasons are : Jatropha plants... Grow even on marginal/saline/acidic/alkaline soils and slopy lands. Develop without much care and irrigation. Suit even dry-land farming and survive drought. Provide live hedge for farms to arrest the menace of stray cattle. Generate rural employment for cultivation, seed collection and processing. Need hardly any application of pesticide.

The cogent reasons are : Jatropha plants... Generate net income for about Rs.10,000/acre, from 4th year. Improve soil fertility throughout their life-cycle.Provide fuel wood after 50 year's life-span.Possess medicinal as well as other multiple uses. Create green cover for long term ecological benefits. Enhance energy security for the country.

Why Jatropha Jatropha Curcas is resistant to drought and can be planted even in the desert climates, and it thrives on any type of soil, grows almost anywhere; in sandy, gravelly and saline soils. Jatropha needs minimal input or management

Jatropha has no inspect pests it is not browsed by cattle or sheep. Jatropha Curcas can survive long periods of drought. Jatropha Propagation is easy. Jatropha Curcas growth is rapid; forms a thick live hedge after only a month's planting. Jatropha Curcas starts yielding from the second year onwards and continues for 40 years.

The Meal after extraction an excellent organic manure Jatropha Curcas quickly establishes itself and will produce seeds round the year if irrigated. Other than extracting Bio diesel from Jatropha Curcas plant, the leaf and the bark are used for various other industrial and pharmaceutical uses. Localized production and availability of quality fuel restoration of degraded land over a period of time. Approximately 31 to 37 % of oil extracted from the Jatropha Curcas seed. It can be used for any diesel engine without modification.