1. Biodiesel Production: Lifecycle of Biodiesel Production
Barry Latham, M.A.Ed.
Biodiesel Production & Curriculum
Chemistry & Physics Instructor
Chicago Heights, Illinois

2. Vegetable Oil Sources (Small Scale)
In the U.S., most biodiesel is made from soybean oil or recycled cooking oils
Typically collected as waste oil from restaurants
Restaurants pay to have it removed, but you remove it for free
Times are changing, though, and waste oil is getting expensive (regionally dependent)
Animals fats, other vegetable oils, and other recycled oils can also be used to produce biodiesel
Blends of all kinds of fats and oils may be used to produce biodiesel
If your cafeteria has oil fryers, you already have an excellent source of oil. They may even give you a few gallons of virgin oil to do your initial tests.

3. Vegetable Oil Sources (Acreage Yields)
Crop
US Gal/acre
oil palm
635
coconut
287
jatropha
202
olive
129
rapeseed
127
peanut
113
cocoa (cacao)
110
sunflower
102
safflower 83
sesame 74
linseed (flax) 51
hazelnut
soybean 48
hemp 39
corn (maize) 18
If your cafeteria has oil fryers, you already have an excellent source of oil. They may even give you a few gallons of virgin oil to do your initial tests.

4. Soybean Oil Extraction Plant
“Biodiesel Production Technology.” NREL/SR , July 2004.

5. What Type of Vehicles Can Use Biodiesel Blends?
Blends such as B2 and B5 can be used safely in any compression-ignition engine
Light-duty and heavy-duty diesel cars
Trucks, tractors, boats
Electrical generators
Any diesel engine can use any percentage of biodiesel
<1994 engines need updating (1st year of use)
Viton fuel lines, frequent fuel filter changes
Biodiesel will corrode natural rubber
>1994 engines only need filter changes

6. Biodiesel Uses Beyond Diesel Vehicles
a corrosion preventative
a parts cleaner and degreaser
a graffiti remover
a paint and resin cleanup
a hand cleaner
a crop adjuvant
a metal working lubricant
a screen printing ink remover
aircraft fuel
home heating oil
a lubricity additive for diesel fuel
an adhesive remover
a mold release agent
an asphalt cleanup agent
an oil spill cleanup and bioremediation agent
an auto wax remover
Can be used in place of products like GooGone or WD-40.

7. Environmental Benefits
Only alternative fuel in the country to have successfully completed the EPA-required Tier I and Tier II health effects testing under the Clean Air Act (2000)
Conclusively demonstrated biodiesel’s significant reduction of virtually all regulated emissions
Showed biodiesel does not pose a threat to human health
Biodiesel contains no sulfur or aromatics
Use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter
U.S. DoE showed that the production and use of biodiesel, compared to petroleum diesel, resulted in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions
Biodiesel has a positive energy balance
For every unit of energy needed to produce a gallon of biodiesel, units of energy are gained
“Environmental, economic, and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and ethanol biofuels.” PNAS, 2006,

8. Closed-Carbon Cycle

9. Energy Security Benefits
Biodiesel can be manufactured using existing industrial production capacity
1996 estimates
Annual military costs of securing foreign oil was $57 billion
Foreign tax credits accounted for another estimated $4 billion annually
Environmental costs were estimated at $45 per barrel

10. Economic Benefits 2001 USDA study Positive performance attributes
Annual increase of 200 million gallons of soy- based biodiesel demand would boost total crop cash receipts by $5.2 billion cumulatively by 2010
Average net farm income increase of $300 million per year
The price for a bushel of soybeans would increase by an average of 17 cents annually during the ten-year period
Positive performance attributes
Increased cetane, high fuel lubricity, high oxygen content

11. Quality Benefits
Biodiesel is registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the EPA
Meets clean diesel standards established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB)
B100 has been designated as an alternative fuel by the U.S. DoE and the U.S. DOT
December the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) approved a specification (D6751) for biodiesel fuel
The National Biodiesel Board formed the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC) to audit fuel producers and marketers in order to enforce fuel quality standards in the US
NBAC issues a ‘Certified Biodiesel Marketer’ seal of approval for biodiesel marketers that have met all requirements of fuel accreditation audits

12. Safety Benefits Biodiesel is nontoxic Biodiesel is less combustible
Far less damage than petroleum diesel if spilled or otherwise released to the environment
Biodiesel is less combustible
Flashpoint for biodiesel is >150°C
Petroleum diesel is ~52°C
Preferred for marine applications
Biodiesel is safe to handle, store, and transport

13. EPAct Benefits
November Congress approved the use of biodiesel as an Energy Policy Act (EPAct) compliance strategy
450 gallons of pure biodiesel and burning it in new or existing diesel vehicles in at least a 20% blend with diesel fuel
The Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Dept. of Ag have confirmed that the biodiesel option is the least-cost alternative fuel option for meeting the Federal government’s EPAct compliance requirements
Biodiesel offers an immediate and seamless way to transition existing diesel vehicles into a cleaner burning fleet

14. Green House Gas Benefits
Total life cycle GHG emissions from the fossil fuel that is displaced
82.32 g/MJ
Fossil fuel GHG emissions avoided by using biodiesel instead of fossil fuel
39.76 g/MJ
Net GHG emissions saved by producing and using biodiesel
33.32 g/MJ
Net fraction of GHG emissions saved by producing and using biodiesel
40.5%
Brinkman, N., Wang, M., Weber, T. & Darlington, T. (2005) Well-to-Wheels Analysis of Advanced Fuel/Vehicle Systems: A North American Study of Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Criteria Pollutant Emissions (Argonne Natl. Lab., Argonne, IL).
Robertson, G. P., Paul, E. A. & Harwood, R. R. (2000) Science 289, 1922–1925.

15. Glycerin Treatment MeOH Removal
MeOH is still present and needs to be removed before it can be used
NOT a co-product, just used in excess
Common misconception that MeOH is produced
Distillation- separation of liquids based on boiling points
MeOH has a lower boiling point than glycerin
Turns to vapor first
Can be condensed, collected and reused
Glycerin turns thicker and darker
Heating element, not flame, is used

16. Glycerin Distillation (Large Scale)
~$1M to build Methanol Recovery & Glycerin Purification Process
Crude (80% pure)
By-product of biodiesel
Tech Grade (>97% pure)
Industrial applications only
Refined (>99.7% pure)
USP & FCC Grade
Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food

17. Glycerin Price Trends

18. Glycerin Supply Trend

19. Glycerin Co-Product (Small Scale) Soap (1L batch)
Remove the residual (toxic) methanol first
KOH-based biodiesel makes liquid soap glycerin
NaOH-based production makes bar soap
At 50°C, preheat any of the following ratios before mixing for 5 minutes
Glycerin 33mL 47mL 54mL
Water 7mL 5mL 5mL
KOH 1g 1g 1g
Can not use KOH and NaOH inter- changeably
Fragrances and dyes can be added
D-limonene smells like oranges and is cheaply made/purchased
Most dyes muddy the dark brown color

20. Synthesis from Glycerol
Propylene Glycol- similar applications as glycerol
“Low-pressure hydrogenolysis of glycerol to propylene glycol.” Applied Catalyst A: General A 2005,
“Reducing Byproduct Formation during Conversion of Glycerol to Propylene Glycol.” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res , 47, 6878–6884.
Hydrogen- fuel applications
“A Comparative Thermodynamic and Experimental Analysis on Hydrogen Production by Steam Reforming of Glycerin.” Energy & Fuels 2007, 21,
Acrolein- polymers, acetonitrile, polyurethane
“Low-Pressure Packed-Bed Gas-Phase Dehydration of Glycerol to Acrolein.” Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2009, 48, 3279–3283.

21. Glycerin Co-Product Other Uses
Health supplement
Increases blood volume
Enhances temperature regulation
Improves exercise performance in the heat
Helps "hyperhydrate" the body by increasing blood volume levels and helping to delay dehydration
Tocopherol (vitamin E)
Other uses
Glycerine is also a source of lecithin
fat emulsifier and a vital component of all cell membranes in the body
Skin moisturizer, lotion, deodorant, makeup, toothpaste, sweets and cakes, pharmaceuticals and patent medicines, paper manufacturing, printing ink, textiles, plastics, and electronic components

22. Glycerin Co-Product Other Uses
Paint brush cleaner
Rinse brush as much as possible with water
Work brush in a small container with about 20 mL of glycerin
Rinse brush under water until all milky-ness is removed
Repeat glycerin stage with fresh glycerin as needed
Check that brush doesn't smell of paint and store brush as usual.
Safe sweetener:
Glycerin is an alcohol and is used as a preservative
It is very sweet, yet it contains no sugar
This makes it an ideal sweetener for patients who cannot take sugar