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Pure Biodiesel is non-toxic, biodegradable and greenhouse gas neutral. As a blended addition to Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel, Biodiesel reduces pollution, particulates (soot) and hydrocarbons and restores lubricity lost due to the reduction of sulphur compounds in ULSD (thereby reducing engine wear). Both Biodiesel and mineral diesel have similar energy and power content and have proven to be of a similar retail value at the pump.
Mineral diesel fuel is produced from mineral crude oil, whereas Biodiesel is produced from a variety of feedstocks including used vegetable oil, tallow from meat processing and vegetable oils, including but not limited to rape, canola, soy, linseed, palm, coconut, mustard and cotton oils. It can also be manufactured from tallow oil and used cooking oils. Biodiesel has emerged as a realistic and desirable alternative, or blended addition, to mineral diesel and is becoming an increasingly valuable contributor to the world’s drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It has been in general pure use for the last 10 years in continental Europe. However, the majority of UK Biodiesel production is expected to be used as a 5-20% blend with mineral diesel. In the UK, a 5 per cent. Biodiesel blend is currently being marketed on forecourts; Petroplus, a significant diesel refiner, markets “Bioplus” and Greenergy, a significant distributor of green fuels (25 per cent. owned by Tesco plc), markets “Global Diesel”. Biodiesel, when added to ULSD, restores lubricity lost due to the reduction of sulphur compounds, as well as adding environmental benefits to the blend. Pure Biodiesel has many advantages including:
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Greenhouse gas neutral. It is also non toxic and biodegradable; it is
fully degraded in a waterway environment within approximately 28 days.
Significant lubricant characteristics enabling a reduction in wear and
extended efficiency for injectors and for all engines using ULSD, resulting
in lower maintenance costs.
A number of key diesel engine producers and commercial vehicle manufacturers including Volkswagen, Audi, Seat and Skoda have confirmed to their customers that pure biodiesel (provided it meets minimum standards set out by those manufacturers) is suitable for use in certain of their vehicle engines. A number of manufacturers of plant and machinery such as John Deere, Caterpillar and Cummins have also given similar confirmations.
Biodiesel refers to any diesel diesel-equivalent biofuel biofuel usually made of vegetable oil vegetable oils or animal fat animal fats. Several different kinds of fuels are called biodiesel: usually biodiesel refers to an ester, or an oxygenate, made from the oil and methanol methanol, but alkane (non-oxygenate) biodiesel, that is, biomass to liquid biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuel is also available. Sometimes even straight vegetable oil unrefined vegetable oil is called biodiesel. Unrefined vegetable oil requires fuel pre heating and filtration due to issues with coagulation, and also some modification to the fuel system. In contrast, alkane biodiesel is of a similar viscosity to petrochemical diesel, and is usualy of a higher quality than petrochemical options available on the U.S. market.
Biodiesel is produced from a variety of vegetable oils, including but not limited to palm, rape, canola, soy, linseed, coconut, mustard and cotton oils. It can also be manufactured from tallow oil and yellow grease (used cooking oils). Several different kinds of fuels are called biodiesel: usually biodiesel refers to an ester, or an oxygenate, made from the oil and methanol, but alkane (non-oxygenate) biodiesel, that is, biomass to liquid biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuel is also available. Sometimes even straight vegetable oil unrefined vegetable oil is called biodiesel. Unrefined vegetable oil requires fuel pre heating and filtration due to issues with coagulation, and also some modification to the fuel system. In contrast, alkane biodiesel is of a similar viscosity to petrochemical diesel, and is usually of a higher quality than petrochemical options available on the U.S. market.
Biodiesel reduces emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) by approximately 50 % and carbon dioxide by 78 % on a net lifecycle basis because the carbon in biodiesel emissions is recycled from carbon that was already in the atmosphere, rather than being new carbon from petroleum that was sequestered in the earth's crust. (Sheehan, 1998) Illustration of the CO2 neutral cycle for biomass energy.
Biodiesel contains fewer aromatic hydrocarbon" aromatic hydrocarbons: benzofluoranthene: 56 % reduction; Benzopyrenes: 71 % reduction.It also eliminates emissions of sulphur (SO2), because biodiesel does not contain sulphur.
Biodiesel reduces the emission of Particulate, by as much as 65 % of small particles of solid combustion products. This reduces cancer risks by up to 94 % according to testing sponsored by the US Department of Energy.
Biodiesel has a flash point of 160 °C, and is classified as a non-flammable liquid by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This property makes biodiesel relatively safe to produce, resulting in higher safety margins for storage and transfer. Also vehicles fuelled by pure biodiesel are far safer in Car accidents than ones powered by petroleum diesel or the explosively combustible gasoline.
Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic, in fact an average 60 kg person would need to consume more than 3 litres of Biodiesel to cause death 50% of the time, making biodiesel ten times less toxic than Sodium chloride table salt. In addition it is as biodegradable as sugar, and has significantly fewer emissions than petroleum-based diesel petro-diesel) when burned. Biodiesel functions in current diesel engines, and is the strongest candidate to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary transport energy source.
The factors that make it one of the main candidates to replace fossil fuels as the world’s primary transport energy source are: it is a renewable, clean-burning fuel that can deliver benefits both to the environment and to vehicle engines. Biodiesel can be distributed using today's infrastructure, and its use and production is increasing rapidly (especially in Europe, the United States, and Asia). Fuel stations are making biodiesel available to consumers and in Germany for example there are 1600 stations nationwide, and a growing number of transport fleets use it as an additive in their fuel.
Our Biodiesel will be available in a blend of 5 per cent Biodiesel to 95 per cent mineral diesel (B5), and 100% pure Biodiesel (B100), so no changes are required to the logistics of the fuel supply chain infrastructure or to vehicle engines. It’s good for engines and the environment. It improves engine lubrication, it burns more completely thereby reducing emissions, it is virtually sulphur free and can deliver increased engine life. Biodiesel has combustion properties very similar to mineral diesel and can replace it in most uses. Biodiesel is most often used blended with mineral diesel. Using it in a blend also extends existing fossil fuel reserves.
© 2006 Biodiesel Production Ireland |