BIODIESEL - BIOFUEL

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ALTERNATIVE FUELS DATA

2007-02-23T14:38:00.000+07:00

U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Alternative Fuels Data Center

Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases. Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and reduces serious air pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and air toxics. Blends of 20% biodiesel with 80% petroleum diesel (B20) can generally be used in unmodified diesel engines; however, users should consult their OEM and engine warranty statement. Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form (B100), but it may require certain engine modifications to avoid maintenance and performance problems and may not be suitable for wintertime use. Users should consult their engine warranty statement. For more information on fuel blends of less than 20% biodiesel, please see our site on fuel blends.

What Is Biodiesel?

How Is Biodiesel Made?

Biodiesel Market

Biodiesel Benefits

Biodiesel Research and Development

Biodiesel Infrastructure Resources

Biodiesel Incentives and Laws

Biodiesel Publications

Biodiesel Industry Contacts

Biodiesel Related Links

For more information go to the National Biodiesel Board's web site.

LUBRICITY OF BIODIESEL

2007-02-12T10:57:00.000+07:00

All diesel fuel injection equipment has some reliance on diesel fuel as a lubricant. The lubricating properties of diesel fuel are important, especially for rotary and distributor type fuel injection pumps. In these pumps, moving parts are lubricated by the fuel itself as it moves through the pump—not by the engine oil. Other diesel fuel systems—which include unit injectors, injectors, unit pumps, and in-line pumps are partially fuel lubricated. In these systems the mechanism typically consists of a plunger or needle operating in a sleeve or bore, where the fuel is used to lubricate the walls between the reciprocating piece and its container. The lubricity of the fuel is an indication of the amount of wear or scarring that occurs between two metal parts covered with the fuel as they come in contact with each other. Low lubricity fuel may cause high wear and scarring and high lubricity fuel may provide reduced wear and longer component life.

Lubricity has sometimes been mistakenly compared to the viscosity, or thickness of a fuel. The following statement from Lucas1 (the leading fuel injection equipment manufacturer in England, that was recently purchased by Delphi) explains it well:

“The lubrication of the fuel is not directly provided by the viscosity of the fuel, but by other components in the fuel which prevent wear on contacting metal surfaces.”

For many years, the lubricity of diesel fuel was sufficient to provide the protection needed to maintain adequate performance. Recent changes (1993 and beyond) in the composition of diesel fuel, primarily the need to reduce fuel sulfur and aromatic levels, and the common chemical process used to accomplish these changes (called hydro-treating) have inadvertently caused the removal of some of the compounds that provide lubricity to the fuel. According to Mr. Paul Henderson, Quality Management Systems Manager for Stanadyne Automotive Corp. (the leading independent US manufacturer of diesel fuel injection equipment) in comments provided to the Chairman of the Kansas House Environment Committee March 8, 2000:

“There have been numerous examples from the field where lack of lubricity in the fuel has caused premature equipment breakdowns and in some cases, catastrophic failures. This problem will be more dramatic as EPA moves to further reduce the sulfur levels in petrodiesel fuel.”

The lubricity of diesel fuel can vary dramatically. It is dependent on a wide variety of factors, which include the crude oil source from which the fuel was produced, the refining processes used to produce the fuel, how the fuel has been handled throughout the distribution chain, and the inclusion of lubricity enhancing additives whether alone or in a package with other performance enhancing additives. Typically, Number 1 diesel fuel (commonly referred to as kerosene), which is used in colder climates, has poorer lubricity than Number 2 diesel fuel.

A 1998 review paper on fuel lubricity worldwide2 showed that diesel fuel in the US and Canada is some of the poorest lubricity fuel found in the entire world (see Figure 1 attached). Of the 27 countries surveyed, only Canada, Switzerland, Poland and Taiwan had poorer lubricity fuel than the US. With a mean fuel lubricity of just under the recommended specification of an HFRR wear scar diameter of 460 microns, fully 50% of the US fuel was found to be above that recommended by equipment manufacturers.

These US data are with diesel fuel refined to meet the current EPA restriction of 500 ppm maximum sulfur specification. The severe hyrdrotreating required to reduce fuel sulfur to the new EPA 2006 specification of 15 ppm sulfur maximum will cause a further reduction in fuel lubricity compared to today’s diesel fuel, and is of concern to engine and fuel injection equipment manufacturers.

Lubricity Benefits Provided by Biodiesel
The addition of biodiesel, even in very small quantities, has been shown to provide increases in fuel lubricity using a variety of bench scale test methods. A diagram of the various testing apparatus can be seen in chart provided by Lucas (attached). The two most popular bench test methods for lubricity are the Ball on Cylinder Lubricity Evaluator (BOCLE), and the High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR). The BOCLE is commonly used to evaluate the lubricity of fuels or fuel blends but does a poor job of characterizing the lubricity of fuels containing lubricity additives, while the HFRR is commonly used for both the neat fuels and with fuels containing small amounts of lubricity enhancing additives.

The Fuel Injection Equipment (FIE) manufacturers have adopted the use of the HFRR (ISO 12156-2:1998), and recommend that all diesel fuel meet a limit of 460 micron maximum Wear Scar Diameter (WSD)3. For the HFRR, a lower wear scar indicates better lubricity.

Biodiesel has been tested, at varying concentrations, with poor lubricity Number 2 and Number 1 diesel fuels representative of that on the market after 1993 (i.e. fuel refined to meet a 500 ppm maximum sulfur content). The results are illustrated in the table on the next page.

Learn more …..

BIODIESEL AND HEALTH

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HISTORY

In June 2000, representatives of the U.S. Congress announced that biodiesel had become the first and only alternative fuel to have successfully completed the Tier I and Tier II Health Effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The biodiesel industry invested more than two million dollars and four years into the health effects testing program with the goal of setting biodiesel apart from other alternative fuels and increasing consumer confidence in biodiesel.

TESTING

The first tier of health effects testing was conducted by Southwest Research Institute and involved a detailed analysis of biodiesel emissions. Tier II was conducted by Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, where a 90-day sub-chronic inhalation study of biodiesel exhaust with specific health assessments was completed.
RESULTS
Results of the health effects testing concluded that biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable, posing no threat to human health. Also among the findings of biodiesel emissions compared to petroleum diesel emissions in this testing:
The overall ozone (smog) forming potential of the speciated hydrocarbon exhaust emissions from biodiesel is 50% less.
The exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas and a contributing factor in the localized formation of smog and ozone) from biodiesel are 50% lower.
The exhaust emissions of particulate matter (recognized as a contributing factor in respiratory disease) from biodiesel are 30% lower.
The exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are completely eliminated.
The exhaust emissions of hydrocarbons (a contributing factor in the localized formation of smog and ozone) are 95% lower.
The exhaust emissions of aromatic compounds known as PAH and NPAH compounds (suspected of causing cancer) are substantially reduced for biodiesel compared to diesel. Most PAH compounds were reduced by 75% to 85%. All NPAH compounds were reduced by at least 90%.

SIGNIFICANCE

The health effects testing results provide conclusive scientific evidence using the most sophisticated technology available to validate the existing body of testing data. The comprehensive body of biodiesel data serves to demonstrate the significant benefits of biodiesel to the environment and to public health. This will lead to increased consumer confidence and increased use of biodiesel. Since the majority of biodiesel is made from soybean oil, a promising new market is materializing for soybeans.

Learn more ……..

BIODIESEL PERFORMANCE

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Successful alternative fuels fulfill environmental and energy security needs without sacrificing operating performance. Operationally, biodiesel blends perform very similar to low sulfur diesel in terms of power, torque, and fuel without major modification of engines or infrastructure.

Biodiesel offers similar power to diesel fuel. One of the major advantages of biodiesel is the fact that it can be used in existing engines and fuel injection equipment with little impact to operating performance. Biodiesel has a higher cetane number than most U.S. diesel fuel. In more than 50 million on-road miles and countless marine and off-road applications, biodiesel shows similar fuel consumption, horsepower, torque, and haulage rates as conventional diesel fuel.

Biodiesel provides significant lubricity improvement over petroleum diesel fuel. Lubricity results of biodiesel and petroleum diesel using industry test methods indicate that there is a marked improvement in lubricity when biodiesel is added to conventional diesel fuel. Even biodiesel levels as low as one percent can provide up to a 65 percent increase in lubricity in distillate fuels.

Learn more …

BENEFITS OF BIODIESEL

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1) National security. Since it's made domestically, it reduces our dependence on foreign oil. That's good.
2) National economy. Using biodiesel keeps our fuel buying dollars at home instead of sending it to foreign countries. This reduces our trade deficit and creates jobs.
3) It's sustainable & non-toxic. Face it, we're going to run out of oil eventually. Biodiesel is 100% renewable... we'll never run out of it. And if it gets into your water supply, there's no problem - it's veggie oil! Heck, you can drink it if you so desire, but it tastes nasty (trust us).(Learn more)
4) Emissions. Biodiesel is nearly carbon-neutral, meaning it contributes almost zero emissions to global warming! Biodiesel also dramatically reduces other emissions fairly dramatically. We like clean air, how about you? Plus, the exhaust smells like popcorn or french fries!(Learn more)
5) Engine life. Studies have shown it reduces engine wear by as much as one half, primarily because it provides excellent lubricity. Even a 2% biodiesel/98% diesel blend will help.(Learn more)
6) Drivability. We have yet to meet anyone who doesn't notice an immediate smoothing of the engine with biodiesel. It just runs quieter, and produces less smoke.

BIODIESEL

2007-01-31T14:30:00.000+07:00

Biodiesel is a clean, renewable and domestically produced diesel fuel, which has many characteristics of a promising alternative energy resource. The most common process for making biodiesel is known as transesterification. This process involves combining any natural oil (vegetable or animal) with virtually any alcohol, and a catalyst. There are other thermochemical processes available for making biodiesel, but transesterification is the most commonly used one due to the simplicity and high energy efficiency. The high energy efficiency of transesterification is an important aspect of Biodiesel, which makes it favorable in the competitive energy market. The following is a transesterification reference guide that can be used to process Biodiesel on an experimental scale for classroom demonstrations. It can be done with basic equipment and common chemicals. Be sure to use extreme caution when carrying out this procedure, the methanol and catalyst are toxic, and give off potentially harmful vapors. Proper personal protection is imperative, including thorough ventilation. Links will also be given for more information on building more sophisticated small-scale (“homebrew”) biodiesel processors.

Learn more …….