Bioenergy: Refueling the Future
 Biodiesel

Biodiesel refers to vegetable oil or animal fat based diesel fuel.  Biodiesel burns clean and it is renewable and non-toxic.  It can be used in any standard diesel engine.  Although biodiesel can be used by itself, it is usually blended into a standard diesel mixture.  Biodiesel mixtures can be identified as Bxx, with xx referring to the percentage of diesel mixed in.  For example, B20 would be a 20 percent biodiesel 80 percent standard diesel mixture.  [4.8]

According to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), the technical definition of biodiesel is as follows:

"Biodiesel is defined as mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats which conform to ASTM D6751 specifications for use in diesel engines."  [4.8]
Production Process

Click image for a larger view.  [4.9]

There are several different ways to make biodiesel, but most companies that mass produce biodiesel use a process called transesterification. 
  1. The first step in this process is to purify the fat or oil.
  2. The fat or oil is then reacted with an alcohol, typically methanol or ethanol, in the presence of a catalyst, such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, to speed up the reaction.
  3. The products of the reaction are glycerol and esters.
  4. The glycerol is filtered out and the esters are left.
These esters are what make up biodiesel.  [4.8]

For more in-depth information about biodiesel, please visit here.

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