Biodiesel is a fuel produced by combining a
vegetable
oil or
animal fat with alcohol
and a catalyst.
Biodiesel is a fuel that can be used in traditional diesel engines with few if any
modifications.
Biodiesel can also be defined as a fuel comprised of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME).
Biodiesel produced for sale is required to meet fuel quality standards.
The fuel quality
standards for biodiesel are defined by the American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM)
In standard
"ASTM D6751." This standard includes acceptable levels for water and
sediment, sulfur, free
and total
glycerin, flashpoint, cetane number and other specifications. Petroleum
diesel fuel is also required
to meet fuel
quality standards. These standards are defined in "ASTM D975-05."
Biodiesel
and vegetable oil are not the same product. Although vegetable oil is the
main ingredient in most biodiesel, the
vegetable oil must undergo a chemical
reaction (transesterification) with alcohol and a catalyst
before it
can be considered
biodiesel.
Vegetable oil that has not been reacted with
an alcohol and a catalyst is
commonly referred
to as
waste vegetable oil (
WVO), strait vegetable oil (SVO) or virgin oil.
In most cases
no modifications are required to use biodiesel in an engine designed for
petroleum diesel fuel.
Some types
of natural rubber compounds can be degraded by repeated contact with biodiesel
(particularly when blends of over 20% biodiesel are used). Older vehicles
are more likely than newer vehicles to contain natural
rubber fuel
lines and seals. These fuel lines and seals may need to be replaced if
high blends of biodiesel
will be used
on an ongoing basis.
Engine manufacturers
typically only warrantee the engine for defects in "material and workmanship."
Engine manufactures
also recommend the type of fuel the engine was designed to use. Any engine
damage caused
by fuel (of any type) is generally not the responsibility of the engine
manufacturer.
Many engine
manufacturers have issue statements about their recommendations for
biodiesel,
some of these statements are available at:
www.biodiesel.org/
resources/fuelfactsheets/standards_and_warranties.shtm.
Biodiesel is usually blended with petroleum diesel before it is sold.
Biodiesel is commonly sold as a 2%, 5%, 20% or 50% blend with petroleum diesel.
A fuel sold
as B5 will contain 5%
biodiesel and 95% petroleum diesel.
A fuel sold
as B20 will contain 20%
biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel that is not blended with petroleum diesel is referred to as B100, neat
biodiesel or pure
biodiesel.
The
National
Biodiesel Board maintains a list of
biodiesel retailers across the country.
This list is available at:
www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/retailfuelingsites/.
Biodiesel has a higher cloud point and pour point than petroleum diesel. The cold
weather properties of
biodiesel depend on the type of oil or animal fat
that was used to produce the
biodiesel. concerns. More information about
small scale
biodiesel production can be found at:
www.ampc.montana.edu/briefings/briefing88.pdf and
www.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/NewsReleases/Technote7_HB.pdf.
Vegetable
oil can be obtained through several methods. One method is to contact a
commercial oilseed processor and purchase oil directly from them. Another
option is to either grow or purchase oilseeds and process them to obtain
the oil (and meal). A third option is to collect
waste vegetable
oil from
local restaurants.
The energy
content of a fuel is typically measured in British thermal units (BTU).
Biodiesel (B100) contains about 8% less BTUs per gallon than number 2 diesel fuel.
Therefore
a blend of 20%
biodiesel will contain about 2% less BTUs per gallon. Additional
information
on
biodiesel
energy content can be found at:
www.uidaho.edu/
bioenergy/Bioshortcourse/Need2know.htm.
Yes, one of
the unique aspects of
biodiesel production is the ability to produce
biodiesel in very small
or large quantities.
Small scale
biodiesel production is commonly referred to as "home brewing."
Regardless
of the size of a
biodiesel production plant, fuel quality and safety are
important
Properly registering
also allows producers to participate in government incentive programs for
biodiesel.
Licenses or
registration may also be required for certain storage tanks, retail pumps,
building code compliance, recycling used
vegetable oil and other aspects
of the building, production, storage and marketing of biodiesel.
More information
is available at:
http://deq.mt.gov/Energy/bioenergy/Biodiesel_Production_Educ_Presentations/
Biodiesel_Permits_License_Considerations_May2007.pdf
Small scale
producers making biodiesel for their personal use may choose to use less
expensive and less
accurate testing
methods when producing fuel for personal use. More information on commercial
biodiesel
testing labs
and other fuel quality testing methods can be found at:
www.biodiesel.org/resources/fuelqualityguide/
testinglabs.shtm and
http://phliptest.com/.
Yes,
biodiesel is taxed liked petroleum diesel fuel.
Biodiesel purchased at a retail station
will have the taxes already included in the price.
Biodiesel producers
(even small producers) need to register with the state and pay the applicable
fuel taxes.
Biodiesel for off road use is eligible for a refund of a portion
of fuels taxes paid, similar to diesel fuel. More information is available
at:
www.deq.state.mt.us/Energy/bioenergy/index.asp.
Yes, there
are lots of federal and state programs that support
biodiesel. These programs
include tax credits for
biodiesel production, grants, and government sponsored
research. More information is available at:
www.deq.state.mt.us/Energy/renewable/TaxIncentRenew.asp.
Yes, you must
register with several agencies to legally produce,
Biodiesel
production also produces
glycerin (also called glycerol).
The
glycerin
produced is unrefined or
crude glycerin. For every 100 units
of
biodiesel produced
approximately
10 to 20 units
of
crude glycerin will also be
produced.
Glycerin has
many uses
once it has been processed from
crude to refined.
For most small
scale producers refining their crude
glycerin
will not be feasible. These
producers must find a use or
disposal
method for their glycerin.
These options including
composting
the glycerin or using it
as a heating oil or boiler fuel.
The quality
of
biodiesel is a major issue for both consumers and producers of
biodiesel.
Consumers that purchase
biodiesel from any licensed producer can be confident
that the fuel passed the ASTM fuel quality standards
when it was
produced. Consumers should properly store the
biodiesel (limit water, other
contaminants, and
storage time
as you would with petroleum diesel fuel) after it is purchased to ensure
a quality
product at
the time it is used. Producers of
biodiesel will need to have a quality
assurance program in place if they plan to produce any fuel that isn't
for their own use. This program will likely contain quality control aspects
at various stages of the production process and final product sampling.
These samples will then be sent to a
commercial
lab that offers
biodiesel fuel quality testing
