Saturday, April 30, 2011

Double Take on Biodiesel Fuel

Detroit's empty lots, with some home grown high technology innovation, may help juice up Michigan's flagging biodiesel industry in next year. As in the remainder of the country, biodiesel production in Michigan ground to a halt during the past couple of years thanks to high feedstock costs, comparatively low petrol costs and a short lived lapse in Fed. contributions. But as oil costs rise, analysts and refiners hope 2011 will mark a new start for the industry with discoveries in non-food feedstocks and refining technologies. Congress passed a mandate earlier in the year requiring the utilising of eight hundred million gallons of biomass-based diesel in 2011 and one bn.

Michigan has 4 commercial biodiesel refineries, none being making fuel at this time because the cost of soy oil, the feedstock of preference makes it cost-prohibitive. However, Bryan Ritchie with Michigan State University's Bioeconomy Network asserts the cycle of public interest in biodiesel use is related to gas pump costs. "Since the '70s, increased gas prices equaled increased interest in biofuels," he announced. "Then gas costs go back down and everything grinds to a halt. Now that diesel fuel is up, we'll see the cycle ramp up again." regardless of the decline in production, or maybe due to it, Michigan producers and analysts are on the lookout for workable feedstock alternate choices to soy oil together with cleaner, better paths to produce biodiesel. Two extraordinarily different but related projects are continuing in metro Detroit -- one at the grass-roots level, the other extremely hi-tech. Pennycress, a standard weed, has for a while been looked at as a biofuel feedstock. Jim Padilla, owner of the Power Alternative, an idled biodiesel refinery in Warren, Mich, sees an extra potential for the plant. Padilla recounted the crops might be grown on empty land in central Detroit and would serve a twin purpose -- manufacturing fine quality biodiesel and remediating land tarnished with heavy metals. Pennycress naturally soaks up heavy metals as it grows, Padilla claims, thru a technique known as phytoremediation. Because Detroit was once home to a couple of lead smelters, lots of the empty land is polluted. By growing pennycress for biodiesel, over time the sites would be cleaned up.

As for viability, Padilla explains it would most probably must be financed, but would be significantly cheaper than other remediation options.

"The alternative is to dig and haul [the tarnished soil] and move it somewhere else," related Padilla, whose dad, a previous president of Ford Motor Co, is chair of the board of the Power Alternative. "That cost is about $250,000 per acre. You can spend it there or you can phytoremediate, create roles, clean it up, make biomass for power and produce biodiesel." To explore the chances, Padilla has started collaborating with local setups the College of Detroit-Mercy and Michigan State School , which was just awarded $2.9 million for biofuels research by the U.S.

Another promising project occurring in Detroit is at startup NextCAT, The project involves a new class of biodiesel catalysts developed at the Nationwide Biofuels Energy Lab at close by Wayne State College and approved to NextCAT for exploitation. According to Charles Salley, Head honcho of NextCat, the catalysts target moderate- to high- free greasy acid ( FFA ) feedstocks , for example waste grease, instead of dearer low-FFA feedstocks , for example soy oil. "The challenge is that first generation biodiesel plants are made for soy, but the cost of soy is still too high," Salley asserted. "My conjecture is that over the long run, feedstocks will have moderate to high FFAs, and we think our catalysts are the best hope. But the interesting news is our catalysts will work with low-FFA feedstocks, too." Salley also noted that thanks to the chemical makeup of the catalysts, they have longer helpful lives and are more easy to separate from the refined product.

Therefore the refining process is shorter and more cost effective, and the final product and spinoffs are cleaner. Take glycerin, a side-effect of biodiesel refining that is employed in the production of pharmaceuticals, foods, private care products and antifreeze. Current glycerin produced is considered crude grade and needs processing to become a serviceable product. Salley related the new catalysts help produce a cleaner grade of glycerin, making it a more valuable derivative. NextCAT is expecting to launch a pilot soon, followed by a demonstration at an existing biodiesel refinery by the end of 2011.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Biodiesel Fuel and Diesel Comparison

Biodiesel Fuel and Diesel Comparison. Biodiesel is a fuel of plant origin, is commonly used mixed with diesel fuel at a rate of between 10 and 20%. This type of fuel as an alternative be considered as 'green' with respect to diesel. The commercial production of fuel began in 1989 and since then its use has experienced a significant increase, especially in diesel engines. Biodiesel is made ​​from virgin or used vegetable oils.

The use of this fuel is associated with a number of drawbacks that prevent the direct use in private transportation. In Europe, the United States and Brazil on biodiesel and ethanol are used for some years as few public transport fuel or for industrial purposes. The main advantages of Biodiesel fuel are:
- Compatibility with most diesel engines currently on the market.
- Does not contain sulfur (reducing sulfur oxide emissions)
- Low level of aromatic hydrocarbons (carcinogens)
- Fuel biodegradable and less toxic than oil.
- Terms of safer storage (flash point 100 ° C higher than diesel fuel)
- Production of biodiesel is from a renewable resource.

Although biodiesel fuel use is compatible with most diesel engines, the disadvantages of its use are currently outweigh the benefits.

The main disadvantages of Biodiesel fuel are:
- Because the biodiesel releases less energy in the combustion (about 10%), fuel consumption is increased and reduced the vehicle's power.
- The quality of cold start is degraded, since the density and viscosity of biodiesel is higher.
- The amount of nitrogen oxides emitted is higher and therefore requires a special treatment system to comply with European standards pollution.
- Currently, this fuel is not recognized as an alternative for builders and therefore have not been optimized engine torque use.
- The cost of a liter of biodiesel production (0.5 €) is higher than a liter of diesel (0.2-0.25 €), which constitutes a major handicap.

The use of biodiesel can make a significant reduction of pollutant emissions and enhance economic stability by diversifying Europe's transport fuel source. Certainly in the next few years new measures at European level will be introduced to encourage the creation of centers of biodiesel production and use of this fuel 'green'.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Making of Biodiesel Fuel

The 3 elements which make up biodiesel are cooking oil, methanol and lye. The cooking oil should be heated to fifty five deg.

So those of you that worked in a junk food joint in your youth may know what it feels love to be splashed with hot grease. You can't permit it to touch your skin as it will cause dreadful burns. The vapors can be deadly also, so take every precaution not to breathe them. Your armory of safety equipment ought to include an apron and gloves, both chemical explanation. Additionally, the gloves might be able to roll up over your sleeves. You will be wanting to also contemplate how you are dressed - shorts and sandals should be evaded. Among all of the panic relating to the lessening supplies of fossil fuel as well as its cost.

This history started with Rudolph Diesel when he came up with a compression engine. Way back then he knew that using replaceable oil resources were a more sensible choice than using traditional fuels. Both methanol and ethanol may be able to be produced from these trans-acids. He thought this was the oil of the future and wished to turn out all his vehicles to run on this fuel. Hemp had been grown for a long period of time in the States for its many helpful purposes.

When tested hemp oil was revealed to be stable and also able to produce bigger yield of fuel.

Henry Ford returned to the drawing board on producing fuel for his automobiles from hemp oil. You are going to need to also mull over how you are dressed - shorts and sandals must be avoided. Eventually , it can't be repeated enough how significant eye protection is.

You wont be in a position to drive your vehicle stuffed with your freshly homebrewed biodiesel if you injure your eyes.

Watch out for running power cords thru an area that is employed as a walk through. It is suggested to work in a well-ventilated area, and never near an open flame. Above all, youngsters and pets have no business in this kind of working are. This could stop splashing and also reduce the quantity of air that gets into the mix.

So do not let the method frighten you, just take care in handling these and all chemicals.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Buy Right Biodiesel Equipment

Buy Biodiesel Equipment. Although there are all differing types of internet sites online that publicize biodiesel equipment, the best place might be the nationwide biodiesel board as it is fussy about who they permit to run adverts on their website.

If one was to visit this site you'd be capable of finding info concerning biodiesel plants, biodiesel providers, and the ones that supply biodiesel equipment. Below, you'll find a short list of all of the corporations that are well known for biodiesel equipment sales and that've been accepted by the highly respected state biodiesel board : Doctor Diesel is found inside California and is understood to specialize in the production of biodiesel making equipment for smaller scale firms and parts for the major home brewer or hobbyist. It's also a particularly good internet site to get information on making your own biodiesel fuel. Located in Nevada, Biodiesel Solutions is sincerely devoted to support every one of the small-scale biodiesel makers in each single facet of creating their own fuel. This is also a corporation that supplies materials to the biodiesel plants and the biodiesel cottage industries. Found inside Georgia, B100 Supply provides all the safety equipment, lab ware, pumps and chemicals that are needed for making a SVO conversion kit you can be utilised for your automobile and home-made biodiesel. Found in Illinois, Biodiesel Gear is understood to provide biodiesel equipment that's cheap and offers accessories that you will need to create your own home-made biodiesel brew.

This company also supplies individual parts like pumps and hoses to all the home brewers that are endeavoring to design a particular kind of biodiesel processor. BioFuels is found inside Argentina and is understood to provide pressurised steel units which have been designed for a couple of company and individual uses. These are self-contained biodiesel processors that may convert both waste and virgin plant oil into an ideal mix of homemade biodiesel.

GHP Biodiesel is a German company that sells small-scale equipment for all the home biodiesel brewers. Found inside Austria, Energea is understood to manufacturer a Tran's etherification reactor which is a biodiesel processor that could be a turn-key container that turns any sort of waste oil into a biodiesel fuel. Overall, when you are looking for biodiesel equipment, these are the places that you will need to test out. With these places, you'll have everything that you could ever imagine for brewing your extraordinarily own biodiesel fuel. At the end, if you do not find that you are searching for at these places, there are plenty of more places to look.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

There Are many Benefits of Biodiesel

Biodiesel benefits. The benefits of Biodiesel Looking closely at biodiesel, we find that its physical and chemical properties are similar to petrol based diesel fuel apropos operation in compression ignition engines. Besides the most obvious savings, some other outstanding advantages of using biodiesel include the following : Biodiesel is bio-degradable, non-poisonous and basically freed from sulfur and aromatics.

This alone will be the reason behind its constantly rising renown. Biodiesel can be mixed with petrol fuel to make biodiesel mixes that may reduce the power loss. ( Mixes are elected as Bxx, where xx is the share of biodiesel in the mix. Most usually accepted by engine makers is a B5 mix ( five pc biodiesel and 95% diesel fuel ) or less.

With gas and diesel fuels constantly increasing in price and the damage getting done by normal fuels in the environment biodiesel has changed into a pretty well-liked subject. It is virtually tougher to spel the name than it is to make Biodiesel. So Biodiesel is a sensible choice to be used in your diesel van or auto. It is being successfully tested to determine if the spinoff may be employed for animal feed which will eventually leave no end waste except dung which is then recycled as manure.

Biodiesel fact number 7 is that it can be made with used plant oil like that found in restaurants, bakeries and any other place that utilises plant oil for cooking.

It doesn't take a chemist or an Einstein to make Biodiesel.

It is not tricky to make and is comparatively safe also.

Neat biodiesel and higher % biodiesel mixes could cause a spread of engine operation issues including : Fuel filter plugging, Injector coking ( carbon deposits ), Piston ring sticking and breaking, Elastomer seal swelling and toughening / cracking, and Dreadful engine lubricator degradation. There's little information on the usage of biodiesel with engine sturdiness over the mileage and operating conditions of heavy-duty diesel engines. STORAGE and HANDLING Long term storage problems happen from the poor oxidization stability of biodiesel fuels. EMISSIONS there's little negative to say of biodiesel emissions, except studies found increased nitrous oxide ( Nox ) emissions with higher concentrations of biodiesel.

The following deleterious effects are noted when concentrations of biodiesel surpass five percent : Fuel starts to water down the oil leading to a viscosity reduction Increased sludge and polish formation Depletion of alkalinity reserve in the oil indicated by total base number ( TBN ) lower Certain metals like copper and lead leached from bearings due to biodiesel fuel in the lubricator Oil filter plugging from sludge as a consequence, most diesel manufacturers advocate cutting their suggested oil drain interval in half when using biodiesel fuel.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Build Biodiesel Plants for Alternative Energi from Waste Materials

Amelot Holdings is a US based company focusing on development of ethanol and biodiesel plants.

It establishes relations between the analysts and providers of alternate energy. The company helps JVs and fusions between the analysis facilities and the makers of alternate energy. Therefore , there's exchange of info and technology which helps to stimulate the growth of the alternative power sector. Microgy undertakes research and development in the area of alternate power.

It has developed an inexpensive biogas facility by using rural and plant waste. It is focused on eco friendly production of renewable power like biogas to compare with the standards of natural gas. The biogas is employed in internal combustion engines, and for heating houses and offices. Buzzard Power has an 83MW power facility to generate green power from coal waste. Environmental Power has been in existence from the year 1982 and has a length history of development in the sector of clean energy. The Firm has developed and operated civil waste projects and hydroelectric plants and helped in clean gas generation and energy recovery.

it has got a team of mavens from the farming and finance sectors to control the business and help its expansion and growth. Intrepid Technology and Resources Incorporated ( ITR ) processes animal waste into natural gas as an alternative power resource. Americas supply of natural gas is depleting.

ITR believes the 2 bn. ton animal waste produced each year can generate natural gas to tide over the shortfall. Their biological byproducts digesters built near to the sites of the natural waste, produce clean methane gas which is an acceptable option to natural gas. The firm is located in Idaho but plans to grow its operations to the entire country. The Firm has invented s system known as Total Worth Preservation System ( TVPS ) which sees the possibilities of waste materials to generate energy. Business waste matter which would have otherwise been dropped or devastated is being put to perfect use to recover the surrounded energy. The production costs towards generation of alternate energy are identical to the expenses suffered by a company to install pollution control systems and preventions.

TVPS is a cutting edge technology which recovers valuable resources that other processes do not do.

There are several firms like those noted above, which use cutting edge technology to improve our abating supply of resources by adopting environmentally safe strategies to generate alternate energy or clean energy. There is a requirement to take a position in research towards finding alternative sources of power as a replacement to carbon-based fuels. The future of the Earth depends upon industries which may help to achieve this goal.

The states of the diverse nations need to co-operate re exchange of concepts and info to answer the problems of planetary warming and environmental pollution. Alternate energy providers like the previously mentioned corporations can play a big part in this process and the govt can promote these corporations by furnishing them assistance.