What is Biodiesel: Definition and 18 Discussions

Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with an alcohol, producing a methyl, ethyl or propyl ester by the process of transesterification.
Unlike the vegetable and waste oils used to fuel converted diesel engines, biodiesel is a drop-in biofuel, meaning it is compatible with existing diesel engines and distribution infrastructure. However, it is usually blended with petrodiesel (typically to less than 10%) since most engines cannot run on pure Biodiesel without modification. Biodiesel blends can also be used as heating oil.
The US National Biodiesel Board defines "biodiesel" as a mono-alkyl ester.

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  1. J

    Sizing a CSTR for transesterification reaction

    Hi, I need to size a CSTR for the transesterification of tri-glycerides into methyl esters (bio-diesel) by reaction with methanol and NaOH catalyst. The transesterification reaction taken place in 3 reversible steps: TG + CH3OH <--> DG + ME DG + CH3OH <--> MG + ME MG + CH3OH <--> C3H8O3 + ME...
  2. Stephanus

    Biodiesel from Used Cooking Oil: Is the Pollution Lower?

    Dear PF Forum, I have searched biodiesel through internet. There are good answers there. And also in Physics Forum, and I come across these two links from PF Forum, which are a very good links. http://biodiesel.org/ http://nbb.org/ And I also consulted LIPI (Indonesian Science Establishment)...
  3. P

    How to maintain commercial scale CSTR temperature?

    I'm currently doing a design for my final year studies and it's regarding esterification process. My proposed reactor is CSTR, operating at a temperature of 60C and 400 kPa. Reactants are methanol and jatropha oil with sulphuric acid catalyst. For a commercial scale production of biodiesel...
  4. estro

    Why not collecting ALL of the used cooking oil and transform it into biodiesel?

    I know biodiesel could be made from used cooking oil. Also I know that we use a lot of cooking oil. [fast food industry for example] Why not collecting ALL of the used cooking oil and transform it into biodiesel? What are the shortcomings? Relevant Link...
  5. A

    Solving the Biodiesel Reactor Heating System Puzzle

    After typing all of that out, I think I got it, thanks! Homework Statement I am working on a project to build a biodiesel reactor. The heating system of said reactor is provided by a loop of pipe containing a pump (1 HP, 36 litres per minute (9.5 gal), 50m max head (164 ft)), a hot water...
  6. W

    Titrating Biodiesel for soap content

    Good afternoon people I wish to titrate biodiesel for soap content.There are video's on you tube describing how. I have all the bits required including bromophenol blue and hydrochloric acid. The acid is at 38% and I need a solution of .01N HCl. Well its a long time since I was at school...
  7. Z

    Made biodiesel from pumpkin oil

    i have made biodiesel from pumpkin oil and samples of B10 B20,...,B100. i want to get optical properties of these samples.what should be these poperties?i want to determine refractive index and also want to use raman spectroscopy.can i do this??can i use raman?
  8. Ivan Seeking

    Is Algae and Bacteria the Perfect Combination for Biodiesel Production?

    A number of strains of microalgae are known to produce relatively high yields of energy as fuel stock [pre-biodiesel] in the form of plant oils, as a function of area and time - typically as BTU/acre-year, or MJ/hectare-day, etc. From a review of the literature, it is my perception that...
  9. A

    Efficiency of Indian kino oil as a biodiesel

    I am planning to test the efficiency of Indian kino oil as a biodiesel... How do I do it? I only have access to my school chemistry lab...
  10. M

    Emerging enthusiasm for biodiesel

    The emerging enthusiasm for biodiesel prompts me to consider the praticallity of capturing enough sunlight by photosynthesis in order to power the average car in central europe. Can anyone tell be:- The average sunlight energy falling per metre of ground in Britain. How efficient the...
  11. Ivan Seeking

    BioJet 1: Biodiesel Takes Flight

    http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=biodiesel-takes-to-the-sky Actually, biodiesel is getting great attention wrt aviation because of its high energy density - almost as good as regular diesel. Boeing and Virgin recently partnered in an effort to develop alternative fuels for aviation...
  12. Ivan Seeking

    Cummins approves B20 Biodiesel

    http://www.biodieselnow.com/blogs/trucks/archive/2007/03/23/cummins-has-give-the-nod-to-b-20-biodiesel.aspx http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070321/20070321005591.html?.v=1 This is great news for the biodiesel market. It appears to apply to all blends up to B20, which would include all white and...
  13. Ivan Seeking

    Buy Biodiesel - Find Fuel Stations &amp; Blends | NearBio.com

    Here is a nice service coming online. http://www.nearbio.com/nearbio/index.shtml
  14. Ivan Seeking

    Harvesting Biodiesel from Lichen: Surprisingly Simple!

    While exploring the information on biodiesel, it became clear that the feedstock for this all around. As it turns out, blue-green algae - cyanobacteria, or pond scum - is a good producer of hydrocarbons. Knowing that lichen is made from cyanobacteria and fungus, and considering the abudance of...
  15. R

    Measuring Heat Energy from Biodiesel Combustion: A Scientific Approach

    Hey, I have to know how I am going to do this by tomorrow...I have to find out some way to measure the heat energy given off by the combustion of various batches of biodiesel that I have made for Physics/Chemistry. I can't just light the fuel, because it would explode and I wouldn't be able...
  16. B

    Extracting Oils from Algae for Biodiesel: Exploring Efficient Processes

    I have read the ASP ( Aquatic Species Program) report about growing Algae and have it processed to be used as a feedstock for Biodiesel . Given that 60% of the body mass of algea is usable oil as compared to only 15% at best from any land grown plant source. My question is what process can...
  17. P

    Biodiesel is an alternative fuel source

    Okay, so I was watching Trucks! on spike tv last week, and he did an episode on biodiesel, even made some right before our very eyes. For those of you who don't know, biodiesel is an alternative fuel source for diesel powered enginens. It is a mixture of old used vegitable oil or fried food...
  18. Ivan Seeking

    What are the benefits and drawbacks of using biodiesel fuel?

    http://www.wired.com/news/autotech/0,2554,63635,00.html?tw=wn_story_top5 For more information on Biodiesel, please see http://www.biodiesel.org
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