Slides on Biodiesel, giving general informations about it.

1. Biodiesel
Presented By:
Alishah Maqsood

2. Contents:
• Introduction
• Biodiesel Feedstock
• Catalyst
• Properties of Biodiesel
• Comparison between Biodiesel and Petrodiesel
• Method of Preparation
• Advantages of Biodiesel
• Applications of Biodiesel

3. Introduction:
• An alternative diesel fuel.
• Obtained by chemical processes from vegetable oils or animal fats.
• According to ASTM:
“A mixture of long-chain mono-alkylic
esters from fatty acids obtained from
renewable resources, to be used in
diesel engines.”
• Used in diesel engines in both pure and blended form.
• Blends with diesel fuel are indicated as ‘‘Bx’’ .
• It is prepared through transesterification.

5. Biodiesel Feedstock:
The feedstock for biodiesel production are
vegetable oils, animal fats and algae.
 Oils
 Edible oil
• Palm oil
• Coconut oil
• Sunflower oil
• Gingelly oil
 Non- Edible Oil
• Almond Oil
• Castor Oil
• Neem Oil
• Jatropha
 Animal Fats
• Pork Lard
• Beef Tallow
• Chicken Fat
 Algae

7. Catalyst:
The catalysts used for the transesterification of
triglycerides may be classified as
 Homogeneous Catalyst
Basic
• Sodium hydroxide
• Potassium hydroxide
• Carbonates
Acidic
• Sulfuric acid
• Sulfonic acids
• Hydrochloric acid
 Heterogeneous catalysts:
 Basic
• Zinc Oxide
• Calcium Oxide
• Calcium Carbonate
 Acidic
• Sulfated zirconia
• Tungstated zirconia

8. Properties of Biodiesel:
• The calorific value of biodiesel is about 37.27 MJ/kg
• Better lubricity
• The color of biodiesel ranges from golden to dark brown
• It is slightly miscible with water
• It has a high boiling point and low vapor pressure
• The flash point of biodiesel exceeds 130 °C (266 °F)
• Biodiesel has a density of ~0.88 g/cm³
• Biodiesel has lower energy content then diesel
• Miscible in Methanol

9. Comparison between Biodiesel and Petro-diesel
Petrodiesel Biodiesel
Composition(% w)
• Carbon
• Hydrogen
• Oxygen
84-87
13-16
0
77-81
11-12
7-12
Density at 150C 0.820-0.845 0.88
Boiling point (0C) 188-343 320-350
Solubility in water (50 ppm) <50 850
Cloud point (0C) +50C for summer diesel
-50C for winter diesel About +50C

10. Method of Preparation:
• Biodiesel is produced through “Transesterification” Process
• The Raw material used for this process are
1. Oil
2. Alcohol
3. Catalyst
• Stages of Biodiesel Production Process
1. Treatment of raw materials
2. Alcohol-catalyst mixing
3. Chemical reaction
4. Separation of the reaction products
5. Purification of the reaction products

11. 1. Treatment of raw materials:
• Free fatty acids, water and non-saponificable substances are key
parameters
• Basic transesterification is viable if the content of free fatty acids (FFAs) is
less than 2%
• In the case of highly acidic raw materials, an acid transesterification is
necessary
• Low humidity is necessary
• A low level of non-saponificable substances
• In Argentina the oils for biodiesel production usually have:
I. Acidity level0.1 mg KOH/g
II. Humidity500 ppm
III. Peroxide index10 meq/kg
IV. Non-saponificable substances1%.

12. 2. Alcohol-catalyst mixing:
• Alcohol used for biodiesel production must be mixed with the catalyst
before adding the oil.
• Appropriate alcohol-to-oil volume ratio
• High amount of alcohol will give more product but make the separation
difficult
3. Chemical reaction:
• Reaction require certain conditions to be maintained
i. Time
ii. Stirring Speed
iii. Temperature
iv. Catalyst Concentration

13. 4. Separation of the reaction products:
• Separation takes place by decantation
• FAME separates from glycerin forming two phases
• Most of the catalyst and excess alcohol concentrates in the lower phase
(glycerin)
• Most of the mono-, di-, and triglycerides concentrates in the upper phase
(FAME)
5.Purifcation of the reaction products:
• FAME must be washed, neutralized and dried
• Successive washing steps with water remove the remains of methanol,
catalyst and glycerin
• First washing step is carried out with acidified water, to neutralize the
mixture of esters

14. • Two additional washing steps are made with water only
• Finally, the traces of water must be eliminated by a drying step
• After drying, the purified product is ready for characterization as biodiesel

15. Advantages of Biodiesel:
• Biodiesel is rapidly biodegradable
• Biodiesel is completely Non-Toxic
• Biodiesel has a higher flash point than fossil diesel and so is safer in the
event of a crash.
• Main benefit of biodiesel is that it can be described as ‘carbon neutral’
• Miscible with Petro diesel (Blends of biodiesel and Petro diesel from B00-
B100).
• For every 1 ton of biodiesel that is manufactured, 100 kg of glycerol are
produced

16. Applications of Biodiesel:
• On-road:
i. Fleet vehicles
ii. Heavy-duty trucks
iii. School buses
• Off-road:
i. Agricultural equipment
ii. Forestry equipment
iii. Locomotives (trains)
iv. Marine vessels
v. Mining equipment
• Stationary:
i. Electricity generators (gensets)
ii. Furnaces