Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that can be used in diesel engines. It is produced through a chemical process called transesterification that uses vegetable oils, animal fats, or algae as feedstock. The transesterification process involves mixing the feedstock with an alcohol and catalyst, which produces biodiesel and glycerin. Biodiesel has similar properties to petrodiesel but burns cleaner and is more biodegradable. It can be used in pure form or blended with petrodiesel in vehicles, generators, and industrial equipment on- and off-road.

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