ECC approves policy recommendation for use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Federal Cabinet has approved the Policy for use of Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel in its meeting held on 15th February 2008. The Policy Recommendation was formulated by the Alternative Energy Development Board and marks achievement of another major milestone in the Alternative Renewable Energy Sector of Pakistan. Salient features of the approved Policy are as follows:

i) Ministry of Water & Power in coordination with AEDB shall be the apex coordinating and facilitating body for the national Bio-Diesel programme.
ii) Gradual introduction of bio-diesel fuel blends with petroleum diesel so as to achieve a minimum share of 5% by volume of the total Diesel consumption in the country by the year 2015 and 10% by 2025.
iii) Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to purchase Bio-Diesel (B-100) from Bio-Diesel manufacturers; and sell this Bio-Diesel blended with Petroleum Diesel (starting with B-5) at their Points of Sale.
iv) Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Resources shall come up with the fuel quality standards for B-100 and blends up to B-20.
v) OGRA shall regulate the pricing mechanism of various blends of Bio-Diesel (B-5, B-10 etc.) and ensure its cost-competitiveness with Petroleum Diesel.
vi) All imported plant, machinery, equipment and selective raw material, e.g. Jatropha, for use in production of Bio-Diesel shall be exempted from Customs Duty, Income Tax and Sales Tax.

Current Status of Biodiesel Project in Pakistan

Current Status of Biodiesel Project

Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB)’s project to electrify villages using Bio-Diesel on the basis of self generation is underway in Goth Umar Din Arain, in Tehsil Ghora Bari, Sindh. In this pilot project a Bio-Diesel production plant has been installed in the village for the purpose of village electrification.

The villagers are growing their own seeds for production of 70 liters of BioDiesel per batch that will be used for operating 15 KVA diesel generator. The energy produced form the generators will be used to electrify village.

Fig: Umar Din Arain Goth (Thatta) The project equipment has been designed and fabricated as shown in Fig.

Locally Fabricated Biodiesel Plant (Patented)

Alternate Energy Development Board of Pakistan

Resource Potential of Biodiesel Project

Alternative Energy Development Board carried out the initial research on bio-diesel resources in Pakistan through private sector. There are many resources used for biodiesel production in the world. These resources can be classified on the basis of availability and their yield. In Pakistan these resources mainly classified due to availability from oil crops, waste vegetable oils and animal fats. Historically animal fats were used in Pakistan, having been replaced by vegetable oil due to increase in population and per capita consumption. By studying all these aspects biodiesel resources can be classified into following two classes.

• CLASS-I: BIO-DIESEL FROM OIL SEEDS

• CLASS – II: BIO-DIESEL FROM WASTE OILS

CATEGORIES OF CLASS - I

Due to diverse ecological conditions of Pakistan, lucky to have over a dozen oil seed crops of which it can afford to grow one or the other in all season of the year. Depending upon the historical cultivation and production the oil seed crops were classified into conventional (i.e. traditional), non traditional, industrial and wild crops.

CATEGORY A – CONVENTIONAL CULTIVATED OIL YIELDING CROP

• Rape Seeds • Ground Nut • Sesame Seeds • Rocket seeds

CATEGORY B – NON CONVENTIONAL CULTIVATED OIL YIELDING CROPS

• Sun flower • Soybean • Safflower

CATEGORY C – Industries Based Crops

• Linseed • Castor beans • Cotton seeds

CATEGORY D – Wild Plant Resources

• Pongame tree • Olive tree • Hemp oil • Oat seeds • Milk Thistle • Carthamus seeds • Jatropha

TABLE-1 SHORT LISTING / SELECTION OF RESOURCES FROM CLASS - 1

S.No. Botanical Name English Name Local Name Family 1 Pongamioa Pinnata Pongame Sukhh Chain Fabaceae 2 Brassica campestris Mustard Sarson Brassicaceae 3 Brassica alba White Mustard Chiti Sarson Brassicaceae 4 Brassica nigra Black Mustard Kali Sarson Brassicaceae 5 Brassica napus Canola Canola Brassicaceae 6 Ricinus communis Castor Bean Arond Euphorbiaceae 7 Helianthus annuus Sunflower Suraj Mukhi Asteraceae 8 Gossypium hirsutum Cotton Kappa Malvaceae 9 Jatropha curcas Jatropha Karanga Euphorbiaceae

Fig 1: Castor bean and castor plant Fig 2: Pongamia Pinnata (Sukh Chane) Fig 3: Jatropha seeds and plant in Pakistan AVAILABILITY OF CLASS – II RESOURCES Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) can be recycled, cleaned and reused as bio diesel. WVO is available in large quantities from restaurants, hotel chains, confectionaries and domestic cooking. WVO is one of the cheaper sources for biodiesel in developed countries, where the cooking oil is used only once. Pakistan is basically an agricultural country and due to diverse ecological conditions, the population is heavily dependent on agricultural products. For cooking purposes edible oil yielding crops and plants are cultivated on a large scale in the country. These edible oils are utilized in hotels, huts, local shops and every home of Pakistan. So these are the major sources for collection of WVO. According to one survey, average consumption of edible oil in Pakistan is 10 liters per month by each family. This gives rise to an estimated quantity of 240 million litres of WVO available in Pakistan every year (assuming that 10% of edible oil in Pakistan becomes waste). Estimating an 80% yield of Bio-diesel from WVO (as supported by our experiments), a minimum approximate quantity of 150 million liters of Bio-diesel from WVO can be produced in Pakistan. From the marketing point of view there is a chain of dealers for collection and further selling of WVO. Price for 1 liter of WVO from these sources may vary from Rs. 20 – 45, depending upon the quality and quantity of WVO (some hotels etc. reuse edible oil several times before disposing off their WVO, while others use them once or twice). There are minor constraints in collection of WVO, including cost constraints. But these can be overcome by developing strategies for coordination between dealers, stakeholders and users of WVO. Fixing of raw material rates by the GOP might be required, as will be subsidies on the production and sale of Bio-diesel.

ECC exempts bio-diesel production items of duty

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on a Summary, tabled by the Ministry of Water and power regarding use of bio-diesel as an alternative fuel, has allowed exemption of whole of customs duty and sales tax on import of plant, machinery, equipment and specific items used in production of bio-diesel. The aforesaid decision of the ECC has been implemented and Federal Board of Revenue has issued SRO 474(1)/2008 dated the 21st May, 2008, allowing exemption to aforementioned goods used in production of bio-diesel.

Bio-diesel research begins in Pakistan

KARACHI, July 7: The Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has initiated research and development work on its bio-diesel project to meet government’s deadline of blending five per cent bio-diesel with conventional diesel by 2015 and 10 per cent by 2025.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had taken a decision on the issue in its meeting on Feb 15 in Islamabad.

Bio-diesel would be extensively tested in the auto industry of Pakistan, and depending upon its favorable results, scope of its supply would be extended throughout the country as a standard practice.

At PSO, after the production of bio-diesel from Jatropha oil, an in-house testing has already begun on one vehicle. However, results would be known later.

A PSO official involved in the project told Dawn that it would take some time to produce bio-diesel in Pakistan on such a large scale because it needs mass cultivation of Jatropha and other non-edible seeds for which commitment/concerted efforts of the government is required.

He said a separate department, alternative energy and new projects, has been established within the company to identify and take initiatives in terms of cheaper renewable and alternative energy projects and to address the country’s energy crisis and lessen the fuel import bill which would result in saving of precious foreign exchange.

PSO has selected only non-edible plants/seeds species, such as castor (Arind), Pongame (Sukh Chain), Jojoba, Jatropa (Karanga), etc., for production of bio-diesel. However, the company is currently focusing on Jatropha plant/seed for its better qualities as a substitute of petroleum diesel.

The officials added that many countries in Europe, US, Brazil, Malaysia, and India are using Jatropha as well as other edible and non-edible plants/seeds for production of bio-diesel.

The official said that out of these plants, Jatropha can be grown on marginal land, thus its plantation would not compete directly with other food crops, such as wheat, corn, sugarcane, rice and cotton besides helping in poverty alleviation and improving land utilisation.

Pakistan consumes approximately eight million tons of diesel per annum; of which around three million tons is imported.

There will definitely be incentives for consumers with regards to bio-diesel pricing, its effect on the environment and the vehicle performance, he said.

The official said that spiraling effect of fossil fuel prices world over continues to adversely affect economies of many countries.

This has provided incentives to search for alternative fuels derived from vegetable and non-vegetable oils, i.e. ‘bio diesel’, which offers several distinct advantages as an alternative fuel for diesel engines.

Economically it reduces imports and would afford improved security of energy supplies.

First biodiesel producer from China listed on NYSE

Environmental Energy Limited, the first biodiesel producer from China, listed on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday.

Gushan Environmental Energy is China's largest producer of biodiesel, as measured by annual production capacity. The company produces biodiesel, a renewable, clean-burning and biodegradable fuel, primarily from vegetable oil offal and used cooking oil, andby-products from biodiesel production, including glycerine, plant asphalt, erucic acid and erucic amide.

The company began trading on the NYSE Wednesday under the ticker symbol "GU" after its successful IPO in which it raised 172.8 million U.S. dollars.

The NYSE now has 51 companies listed from Greater China, including 39 from Mainland China, 7 from Hong Kong, and 5 from the Taiwan region.

The total global market capitalization of the 39 NYSE-listed Chinese companies from the mainland is 1.5 trillion dollars, and for the 51 companies from greater China, 2.0 trillion dollars.

FuelPod2 Brings the BioDiesel Processing Plant to Your Driveway

I like the idea of Biodiesel because it means cheap, clean-burning fuel. Or in the case of FuelPod2, free, clean-burning fuel. The FuelPod2 takes any used cooking oil you may have, and converts it into usable Biodiesel, which runs in any standard diesel engine. The FuelPod can convert up to 50 litres (just over 13 gallons) at a time, nearly enough for a full tank in an average car. However, unless you own a restaurant on the side specializing in fried food, finding enough oil for this thing might be a challenge. The FuelPod2 is selling in the UK for 2,056 pounds.

Japan takes a chip out of the biodiesel market

A Japanese government-affiliated research institute has developed technology for creating a diesel fuel from materials such as grass cuttings and wood chips.

Similar technology exists for bioethanol fuel for petrol cars, but the research would be a world first for diesel vehicles.

The Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) is aiming for commercial production by 2010. RITE was established in 1990 by the government and leading Japanese firms in such industries as automobiles and power.

The biodiesel fuel uses butanol made using genetically modified microorganisms. The biobutanol is created by cultivating a number of microbes and adding sugar produced by breaking down plant fibres such as grass and tree cuttings, wood and rice straw.

Biodiesel fuels have been made from materials like coconut and tempura oils. There has been competition among RITE, BP of the UK, US company DuPont and others to create a biodiesel fuel from plants. RITE has already applied for an international patent on the technology.

India - Biodiesel policy announced

NEW DELHI: Beginning January 1 next year, the public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs) will be purchasing bio-diesel (B100) at Rs. 25 a litre for blending with diesel (HSD) to the extent of 20 per cent in phases.

Unveiling the new bio-diesel purchase policy here on Thursday, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Mani Shankar Aiyar said that to start with, five per cent of bio-diesel, a non-edible oil extracted from `Jatropha' and `Pongamia,' would be mixed with diesel during trial runs. At a later stage, in phases, the B100 blending with diesel is to be increased to 20 per cent. Mr Aiyar noted that automobile engines would not require any modification for using diesel doped with 20 per cent bio-diesel as fuel.

Only those bio-diesel manufacturers who get their samples approved and certified by the oil companies and get registered as authorised suppliers will be eligible for assured purchase of product, the new policy statement said.

Accordingly, starting January 1, 2006, the OMCs — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited — would purchase, through select purchase centres, bio-diesel that meets the fuel quality standards prescribed by the Bureau of Industrial Standards (BIS).

Te purchase centres are located at Ghatkesar in Andhra Pradesh (also for Jharkhand and Orissa); Mandirhasaud in Chhattisgarh; Bijwasan in Delhi; Kandla in Gujarat; Rewari in Haryana; Devanagunthi and Mangalore in Karnataka; Manmand, Borkhedi-Nagpur, Loni and Vashi in Maharashtra; Bhatinda in Punjab; Sanganer-Jaipur and Salawas in Rajasthan; Korrukupet, Chennai, Narimanam and Karur in Tamil Nadu; and Panki and Amausi-Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.

The policy stipulates that the OMCs shall buy bio-diesel at a uniform price, as may be OMCs from time to time. "The initial purchase price of bio-diesel by the oil marketing companies will be Rs. 25 a litre,'' it said.

India proposes biodiesel policy

The Indian government has declared a biodiesel purchase policy to replace fossil fuels through non-conventional means of energy.

The declaration follows an announcement in May 2007 to establish enterprise-driven biodiesel production, to test, develop and demonstrate cost-benefit analysis of the programme.

'The salient features of the policy are that the public sector oil marketing companies will purchase biodiesel meeting the Bureau of Indian Standard specifications through their select purchase centres,' Murli Deora, the minister for petroleum and natural gas, says.

The policy was introduced as minsters felt the issue of energy security important in relation to the rapidly expanding Indian economy. A review on energy sources would help sustain the growth in a more environmentally-friendly way, particularly with a focus on using biodiesel.

India's biofuels industry is still in its early stages. Biodiesel demand potential is significant in India. Salil Singhal, deputy chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Northern Region, remarks: 'The development of bio-energy is important for rural, economical and agricultural growth. Bio-energy is critical to India's energy mix.'

Over 30% of India's primary energy comes from non-commercial sources of energy that include agricultural and forest waste, wood chips, animal waste and biofuels made from non-edible oils. The share of such non-commercial energy is second only to coal which accounts for around a third of India's primary energy mix. Bio-energy meets approximately 60% of the domestic energy needs of India, Singhal adds.

Biodiesel manufacturers interested in supplying biodiesel will register with state-level coordinators. Producers proposing to manufacture biodiesel from non-edible oils will be given priority.

Oil marketing companies will decide a uniform delivered price for buying biodiesel, to be frozen for six months with a review following after that. Panchayati Raj institutions would undertake the purchase of biodiesel as a rural business hub activity. The ministry has identified 20 biodiesel procurement centres in nine states.

First US state to impose B20 biodiesel rule

Minnesota's Governor has proposed plans to raise the biodiesel mandate from 2% to 10% in every gallon of diesel fuel sold by 2015.

A B5 blend could take effect next year if approved by legislators. Biodiesel can be burned in a standard diesel engine as pure B100 or in a blend with petroleum diesel. B20 is common is some commercial vehicles in the US.

'Increasing the level of biodiesel in diesel fuel means that more of our energy will come from farm fields rather than oil fields and that's a good thing,' Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty says.

Four other states in the US have biodiesel standards, none above a B5 blend requirement. Critics argue that mandating biofuels is a backdoor attempt of boosting the farming industry. The cost of food could rise as corn and other agriculture supply is diverted away from the food market and into the fuel market.

Canadian company creates canola-based biodiesel

Milligan Bio-Tech, a Canadian biodiesel producer, has created 100% biodiesel from off-grade canola that will enable a car to drive quarter of a mile in around 6.5 seconds at 250mph.

The canola-based biodiesel was used to test-drive a 2007 Corvette jet funny car at Castrol Raceway in August.

'Milligan's 100% biodiesel works very similarly to normal diesel,' Carl Perlinger, the company's business development manager, says. 'Only some minor adjustments to the injectors are required to make sure the car runs on the biodiesel. Canola carries unique lubricity properties that are not visible in other feedstock, making canola one of, if not, the best feedstock to use for biodiesel production.'

Canola-based biodiesel also performs better than animal tallow or soy-based biodiesel during cold weather conditions. Canola-based biodiesel will begin to gel at approximately -14ºC, whereas animal tallow biodiesel will gel at 20 ºC and soy-based biodiesel will gel at near 0 ºC, Perlinger says.

Milligan uses off-grade canola that is not suitable for the food industry.

World's largest soybean-based biodiesel plant opens

The largest integrated soybean-based biodiesel plant in the world has opened in Indiana.

The Louis Dreyfus facility is expected to begin biodiesel fuel production - using the autumn soybean harvest - by early next year. The plant’s capacity will be approximately 250,000 gallons of biodiesel a day (80 million gallons annually), and will produce in excess of a million tonnes of soybean meal each year.

The plant will process soybeans from both county and regional farmers. About 50 million bushels of soybeans, almost a fifth of all soybeans grown in Indiana, will be crushed.

The total capital investment of the facility is $150 million (€110 million) and expects to employ about 70 people.

The company is developing additional biofuel assets in the US, including an ethanol plant in Nebraska. Louis Dreyfus Commodities’ presence in the expanding biofuels sector includes a leading position in the Brazilian ethanol market.

Malaysian biodiesel plant contract awarded

Australian-based Mission Biofuels will build a 250,000 tonne a year biodiesel plant using Esterfip-H technology from Axens, a French-headquartered refining and petrochemical technology company.

The plant will be the largest of its kind, and will be constructed at a site adjacent to the current 100,000 tonne a year plant in Kuantan Port, Malaysia, due for completion in October 2007.

Esterfip-H is a heterogeneous catalysed technology for the production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME). Esterfip-H does not require caustic or mineral acid usage and the glycerin by-product is of high technical grade quality, above 98% purity.

The Mission Biofuels unit will run on crude palm oil (CPO), with Esterfip-H units able to operate on multiple vegetable oils. Mission Biofuels’ biodiesel will be exported to the European market. Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of CPO.

The first commercial Esterfip-H unit was opened in March 2006 by Diester Industrie in Sète, France. A second plant was completed in May 2007 at Perstorp's Stenungsund, Sweden, chemical complex and six more Esterfip-H plants are at different project stages around the world for a cumulative capacity of 1.3 million tonnes a year.

UK's largest biodiesel plant given green light

ABS Biodiesel, a UK-based biodiesel production company, will start construction of a new biofuel production facility in the UK, following a decision by Bristol City Council planning department on 3 October.

The company will invest over £21million (€30 million) in the 24,500 square foot facility in Avonmouth Docks, which will cover three acres of undeveloped land at Bristol Port.

Avonmouth Port was selected for the plant due to its close proximity to major oil terminals and refineries, as well its location in an area of high feedstock production.

The site will produce approximately 225,000 tonnes of biodiesel, with the capacity of the site enabling a potential increase to 500,000 tonnes. The company has already pre-sold its first and second year capacity.

'We see demand coming from three main areas – retailers which are looking to establish strong green credentials, petrochemical companies which will need to meet renewable fuel legislation, and hauliers, due to ever rising transport costs,' Alan Bailey, business development director at ABS Biodiesel, says.

The 191,000 tonnes of biofuels consumed in the UK is estimated to climb to 2.5 million tonnes by 2008.

Petra Group and Bill Clinton announce jatropha biofuel plan for West Indies

Petra Group, a clean energy technology-focused conglomerate based in Malaysia, plans to create a jatropha plantation in the West Indies to support the biodiesel production facility it also intends to build in the region.

The company describes the initiative as part of a wide-ranging project started by the Petra Trust to create sustainable employment, wealth and eradicate poverty in the region through the establishment of jatropha nurseries, plantations and a biodiesel refinery.

Former US President Bill Clinton and Petra Group's CEO Vinod Sekhar, announced the commitment at the third annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York.The estimated cost of the initial five-year programme is $130 million (€92 million).

Petra Group and the governments of the West Indies, starting with St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana, will establish a new venture to manage, administer and benefit from the biodiesel project.

This central body will develop the business plan, select property, commission the plant, distribute the seeds, and manage transportation, aiming for phased development of jatropha plantations.

FCL Biofuels and Prio to launch biodiesel in the UK

UK-based supplier FCL Biofuels has collaborated with European sustainable fuel company, Prio SA, to launch the Portuguese consumer fuel PrioBio in the UK.

The biodiesel will be available from 1 November 2007, assisting forecourt fuel retailers to meet the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).

By the end of 2007 the partnership's two biodiesel refineries in Romania and Portugal will have a total capacity of 200,000 tonnes, which will reach 400,000 tonnes by the end of 2010.

'The RTFO is the minimum our governments need to be doing to move us into a more sustainable future,' says Colin Walker, MD of FCL Biofuels. 'We see ourselves as the ideal biofuels partner because we control the whole supply chain from plant to pump. We plant the seed, grow it, harvest it, and refine it in one of two, specialist, European-based biodiesel refineries. We then deliver it through our in-house logistics and it's all backed up with our sales and marketing.'

The majority of the company's feedstock is grown in Europe. The crops grown are mostly indigenous: sunflowers in Portugal and rapeseed in Romania.

The RTFO is a requirement on transport fuel suppliers to ensure 5% of all road vehicle fuel supplied to the UK composed of sustainable renewable sources by 2010.

Prio SA is the biofuels division of Martifer Group. The group has earmarked an investment of about €320 million, comprising over 22 thousand hectares of land under cultivation for biofuel feedstock, two biodiesel refineries and its own storage and distribution networks.

Biodiesel Glossary

A-C

Algae – Algae are primitive plants, usually aquatic, capable of synthesising their own food by photosynthesis. Algae is currently being investigated as a possible feedstock for producing biodiesel

B100 – B100 is another name for pure biodiesel.

Biobutanol – Biobutanol is an advantaged biofuel that offers a number of benefits over conventional biofuels. For example, biobutanol has an energy content closer to that of petroleum so consumers face less of a compromise on fuel economy. It can easily be added to conventional petrol due to low vapour pressure and can be blended at higher concentrations than bioethanol for use in standard vehicle engines. DuPont and BP are working together on a major project to produce biobutanol

Biodiesel – Biodiesel is a biofuel produced from various feedstocks including vegetable oils (such asoilseed, rapeseed and soya bean), animal fats or algae. Biodiesel can be blended with diesel for use in diesel engine vehicles.

Biofuel – The term biofuel applies to any solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel produced from organic (once-living) matter. The word biofuel covers a wide range of products, some of which are commercially available today, and some of which are still in research and development.

Biomass – Biomass is biological material, including corn, switchgrass, and oilseed crops, that can be converted into fuel

Bioreactor – A bioreactor is a vessel in which a chemical process occurs. This usually involves organisms or biochemically active substances derived from such organisms

BTL – BTL, or biomass-to-liquid,is a multi-step process which converts biomass into liquid biofuels. BTL is also referred to as second generation biodiesel production. There are many different methods of BTL, but many processes include Fischer-Tropsch, hydrogenation or pyrolysis.

By-product – A by-product is a substance, other than the principal product, generated as a consequence of creating a biofuel. For example, a by-product of biodiesel production is glycerine and a by-product of bioethanol production is DDGS

Catalyst – A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction, without being consumed or produced by the reaction. Enzymes are catalysts for many biochemical reactions.

Cetane number – The cetane number is a measure of biodiesel’s combustion quality

Conventional biofuels - Conventional biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel are typically made from corn, sugarcane and beet, wheat or oilseed crops such as soy and rape.

D-F

DDGS – DDGS, or dried distillers grain with solubles is a by-product of dry mill ethanol production that is fed to livestock.

Emissions: Emissions are classed as any waste substances released into the air or water.

Enzyme: An enzyme is a protein or protein-based molecule that speeds up chemical reactions occurring in living things. Enzymes act as catalysts for a single reaction, converting a specific set of reactants into specific products.

FAME – FAME, or fatty acid methyl ester can be created by a catalysed reaction between fatty acids and methanol. The molecules in biodiesel are primarily FAMEs, usually obtained from vegetable oils bytransesterification.

Fatty acid: A fatty acid is a carboxylic acid (an acid with a -COOH group) with long hydrocarbon side chains. Feedstocks are first converted to fatty acids and then to biodiesel

Feedstock – A feedstock is any biomass resource destined for conversion to energy or biofuel. For example, corn is a feedstock for ethanol production, soybean oil may be a feedstock for biodiesel and cellulosic biomass has the potential to be a significant feedstock source for biofuels.

Fischer-Tropsch – Fischer-Tropsch is one method of producing biodiesel, from natural gas or syngas from gasified coal or biomass

Fuel - A fuel is described as any material with one type of energy that can be converted to another usable energy.

G-I

Glycerine- Glycerine is a liquid by-product of biodiesel production. Glycerine is used in the manufacture of dynamite, cosmetics, liquid soaps, inks, and lubricants.

GTL – GTL, or gas to liquid, is a refinery process which converts natural gas into longer-chain hydrocarbons. Gas can be converted to liquid fuels via a direct conversion or using a process such asFischer-Tropsch.

Iodine value – An iodine value is a measure of the number of unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds in a vegetable oil molecule. In liquid biofuel applications this gives a lower cold filter plugging point (CFPP) or cloud point. While this makes it good for use in cooler temperatures, double bonds can allow polymerisation, leading to the formation of lacquers and possibly blockage and damage to engine or fuel train components.

J-L

Jatropha - Jatropha is a non-edible evergreen shrub found in Asia, Africa and the West Indies. Its seeds contain a high proportion of oil which can be used for making biodiesel.

M-O

Methanol – Methanol is an alcohol containing one carbon atom per molecule, generally made from natural gas, with about half the energy density of petroleum. Methanol is used as a component in thetransesterification of triglycerides to give a form of biodiesel.

MTBE – MTBE, or methyl tertiary-butyl ether, is created from methanol and can increase octane and decrease the volatility of petroleum. It is often used as a petroleum additive because it raises the oxygen content of the fuel.

Nitrogen Oxides – Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) are a product of photochemical reactions of nitric oxide in ambient air, and are one type of emission produces from fuels.

Octane number - The octane rating of a fuel is indicated on the pump. The higher the number, the slower the fuel burns. Bioethanol typically adds two to three octane numbers when blended with ordinary petroleum – making it a cost-effective octane-enhancer.

P-R

Palm oil – Palm oil is a form of vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree. It is a widely used feedstock The palm oil and palm kernel oil are composed of fatty acids, esterified with glycerol just like any ordinary fat. Palm oil is a widely used feedstock for traditional biodiesel production.

Petroleum - Petroleum refers to any petroleum-based substance comprising of a complex blend of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil through the process of separation, conversion, upgrading, and finishing, including motor fuel, jet oil, lubricants, petroleum solvents, and used oil.

Pyrolysis – Pyrolysis is one method of converting biomass into biodiesel, using heat.

Pyrolysis oil – Pyrolysis oil is a bio-oil produced by fast pyrolysis of biomass. It is a dark brown, mobile liquid containing much of the energy content of the original biomass, with a heating value about half that of conventional fuel oil. Conversion of raw biomass to pyrolysis oil represents a considerable increase in energy density and it can thus represent a more efficient form in which to transport it.

Rapeseed - Rapeseed (Brassica napus), also known as rape, oilseed rape or (one particular artificial variety) canola, is a bright yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family). Rapeseed is a tradition feedstock used for biodiesel production.

RTFO – RTFO, or the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, is a UK policy that places an obligation on fuel suppliers to ensure that a certain percentage of their aggregate sales is made up of biofuels. The effect of this will be to require 5% of all UK fuel sold on UK forecourts to come from a renewable source by 2010.

S-U

Second generation biofuels – Although definitions vary, second generation biofuels are usually considered to be biofuels produced from biomass or non-edible feedstocks.

Syngas – Syngas is a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) which is the product of high temperature gasification of organic material such as biomass. Following clean-up to remove any impurities such as tars, synthesis gas (syngas) can be used to synthesise organic molecules such as synthetic natural gas (SNG - methane (CH4)) or liquid biofuels such as synthetic diesel (via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis).

Switchgrass – Switchgrass is native to the US and known for its hardiness and rapid growth. It is often cited as a potentially abundant second generation feedstock for ethanol

Tallow – Tallow is another name for animal fat, which can be used as a feedstock for biodiesel production.

Transesterification – The name biodiesel has been given to transesterified vegetable oil to describe its use as a diesel fuel. The transesterification process involves mixing at room temperature methanol (50% excess) with NaOH (100% excess), then mixing vigorously with vegetable oil and letting the glycerol settle (about 15% of the biodiesel mix). The supernatant is biodiesel and contains a mixture of methylated fatty acids and methanol.

V-X

VOC –VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are air pollutants found in engine exhaust. Bioethanol helps reduce VOC emissions.

Y-Z

Yeast – Yeast is any of various single-cell fungi capable of fermenting carbohydrates. Bioethanol is produced by fermenting sugars with yeast.

How is biodiesel made?

Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products).

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.