User:Taxman/Biodiesel outline

Some proposed restructuring and additions. Please don't edit it yet, just comment


 * 1. Lead section (same)
 * 2. History (same)
 * 3. Properties
 * Chemical properties
 * Energy content flash point, lubricity, solvent, cold flow, viscosity, cetane, etc.
 * Some qualities vary depending on feedstock
 * Mainly straight chain 16 and 18 carbon esters (Over 90% typically)
 * More unsaturated FA’s give lower cetane and lower gel/cold filter plug point
 * More saturated FA’s give higher cetane and higher gel/CFP point
 * Mixes fully with petro diesel
 * Standards
 * Europe
 * US


 * 4. Benefits
 * Renewable. Energy is gathered from solar and can keep being produced after fossil fuels run out or become too expensive
 * Reduces petroleum import dependence
 * Less $ going overseas/reduce negative balance of trade
 * Can support domestic farmers
 * Emissions reductions (some of which are known carcinogens)
 * SO2
 * Particulates
 * Aromatics
 * CO (lifecycle or direct emissions?)
 * Lifecycle CO2 reduction
 * Only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the U.S. 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments
 * Higher cetane rating
 * Higher lubricity
 * Non flammable
 * Not an explosion risk like H2 and gasoline
 * Non toxic
 * Spill is not as much of a hazard
 * Still can’t consume large quantities
 * breaks down in stomach to methanol which is toxic
 * most things in too large quantity are toxic (water)


 * 5. Drawbacks and criticism
 * Price (EIA 2002- article 15)
 * Not competitive without subsidies
 * It is claimed petroleum already gets subsidized in various ways (Briggs PAA)
 * Not enough available (Von Gerpen)
 * Better solvent than petro, requires hoses and seals that can withstand that
 * Methyl esters are used as industrial solvents for that reason.
 * Storage properties a bit different  (EERE 2004 Handling and use guidelines)
 * Degrades faster
 * Rates, etc
 * Additives can help (biocides)
 * Reduces biodegradability
 * Can be toxic themselves
 * Keeping water free is even more important
 * simultaneously an advantage-biodegradability
 * Pure biodiesel runs slightly differently in engines due to differing properties from petrodiesel
 * Viscosity can cuse problems in new higher pressure fuel injection systems
 * B20 avoids that, but offers lesser benfits
 * B100 is not certified to meet warranty standards in the US, is in Europe?
 * Because it is not certified, the engine warranty can be voided if the problem can be shown to be fuel related
 * Ethical dilemma – replacing food production- find most prominent source
 * Overfarming, fertilizer runnoff, pesticide, land use conversion
 * Cold flow
 * Additives needed, same petro additives (except kerosene) do not work, different esters need diff additives.
 * Not the perfect environmental solution
 * It is not 100% carbon neutral, methanol used, FF for trasnport, fertilizer, etc
 * Most inputs including methanol could be renewable, it would just increase the cost.
 * Still has emissions. Some, such as Nox higher or not reduced much
 * Usually used in mixed form in the US, which is only a slight improvement over pure petrodiesel. Some groups say because of this, promoting biodiesel promotes fossil fuels instead of better options


 * 6. Production
 * Feedstocks
 * Vegetable
 * Animal
 * Active research
 * Algae
 * Improve other crops for higher yields and or less input intensive crops such as Camelina.
 * General
 * Transesterification
 * base catalyzed most common.
 * Acid catalyzed trans. Does work, but not as efficient
 * Acid catalyzed direct esterification needed for high FFA feedstocks
 * Mostly methylester. Ethyl works, but not as well
 * Methods/Industrial
 * mix catalyst
 * reacting
 * centrifuge
 * Methanol recovery
 * drying
 * washing
 * Total production
 * Rapeseed – Europe, the most
 * 2004 2 million metric tons
 * mid 2006 estimate 4 million metric tons
 * Soy – US
 * 2004 production 30 million gallons est.
 * 2005 estimate 100 million gallons
 * Palm, Jatropha – Malaysia, Indonesia, India.
 * Brazil any others?
 * Growth in production
 * Homebrewing
 * Batch vs continuous flow
 * Use as heating oil (Cover here?)
 * Home
 * Navy study
 * Efficiency/economic
 * Cost of production
 * Use business estimates from the Von Gerpan paper
 * largest cost is the feedstock
 * high volumes could lead to more competition for more cost effective feedstocks and increasing research into those
 * Energy balance


 * 7. Availability
 * Retail availability
 * Not available at the pump everywhere, but
 * Over 450 U.S. retail pumps (NBB)
 * 1700 pumps in Germany (German Wikipedia)
 * Available for delivery in quantity in all 50 States
 * Most often used and sold as a mixture in US.
 * Is that true in Europe?
 * Fleet use
 * US armed forces use B20
 * Price
 * Tax incentives
 * Europe
 * set asides
 * Excise advantages too?
 * US
 * tax credit
 * up to a $1 per gallon for virgin biodiesel
 * up to $.50 per gallon for WVO biodiesel
 * EPACT


 * 8. Confusion around the name
 * Though alkyl esters is the standard, most common, and even codified usage, some people are confused and use the term for any bio based fuel that can be burnt in a diesel engine. The confusion comes from some sources that are bio based, but any useage other than alkyl esters is innacurate and potentially confusing.
 * Examples
 * TDP fuel
 * SVO

--liza 02:54, 22 January 2006 (UTC)