Cost Of Biodiesel Research Articles

Investigating the effect of n-hexane as solvent on waste cooking oil conversion to biodiesel using CaO on a new support as catalyst

In this study, CaO/scoria (a kind of ignition rock) was used as catalyst of transesterification reaction. We have tried to reduce production costs of biodiesel in different ways. n-hexane as solvent was used to enhance the solubility of methanol in oil. It improved mass transfer in catalysts surface and reduced reaction time. A Box-Behnken design was used to optimize four variables: Temperature, time, methanol to oil molar ratio and n-hexane to oil volume ratio. Response surface methodology was used to find the effect of n-hexane and find the optimum condition. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that n-hexane has a positive effect on conversion. The optimum reaction conditions were found to be temperature = 59.7 °C, time = 4 h and 22 min, methanol to oil molar ratio = 14.76:1 and n-hexane to oil volume ratio = 0.905:1, which in these conditions the predicted conversion was 99.6% and observed conversion was 97.7%.

Estimation of properties of mixed waste cooking oil for production of biodiesel

The major drawback of production of biodiesel in large scale is the cost of raw materials. Raw material source of biodiesel is mostly plant oil (Jatropha, Pongamia, Mahua, Neem, Cotton seed oil etc.) which requires large land area to grow. One of the best methods to reduce the production cost of biodiesel is to employ low quality feedstock, for instance waste cooking oil (WCO). This also solves the disposal problem of WCO. This is socioeconomic and environment friendly, it does not compete with edible oil resources. This study represents the biodiesel production from mixed waste cooking oil. Waste cooking oil collected from different hotels around Manipal, Udupi district of Karnataka State, and India. Collected WCO from various sources (from palm oil and sunflower oil users) have different physical and chemical properties. These WCO has mixed in different ratios ie. 50:50, 75:25 and 25:75 to reduce free fatty acid content of WCO without any chemical pre-treatment. Physio-chemical properties of mixed WCO has been carried out.

Biofuel types and membrane separation

Global warming induced by greenhouse gases is major issue worldwide. There is therefore a need to develop renewable sources of energy, such as biofuels. Here, we review the various types of biofuels such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane, hydrotreated vegetable oils and fats, and lignocellulosic-based fuels. First, second, and third generations of biofuels are compared in terms of economics, environmental aspects and energy yield. Economically, raw materials account for 60–75% of the final price of produced biofuels. The high cost of biodiesel compared to the lower price of diesel fuel is a major challenge toward commercializing biodiesel production from vegetable oils. Environmentally, biofuels can reduce carbon emissions and are more biodegradable compared to fossil fuels. For instance, biodiesel and diesel fuels are degraded by 95% and 40%, respectively, during one month in water. Among liquid biofuels, biodiesel has the best energy yield, such that the amount of net biodiesel energy production is more than three times than that of diesel fuel. We also review membrane technologies for the purification and separation of biofuels such as bioethanol, biobutanol, biodiesel, and biogas. Commonly used membrane processes are ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, pervaporation, membrane distillation and reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis is used for water treatment due to the very small pore size of membranes, which allow the water molecules to get through. Membrane bioreactors can be used for wastewater treatment with a combination of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. Ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes have applications in the production of biomass from olive mill wastewaters. Pervaporation and membrane distillation are efficient in the third generation of bioethanol production plants.

An overview of solid base heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production

ABSTRACTThe alcoholysis process requires high activity catalysts for biodiesel production. Heterogeneous catalysts have been proven to possess highly active nature and are environment-friendly. The present article emphasizes on various types of solid base catalysts that have been used in the recent past for the production of biodiesel by transesterification of oils. The parameters and conditions affecting the transesterification reaction and biodiesel yield have also been mentioned in the article. Heterogeneous catalysts have the capability to be recycled for many runs in the process without greatly abating the biodiesel yield. Also, such catalysts possess noncorrosive nature, thus making the biodiesel safe to be used in engine without any damage. The exploitation of waste materials as catalysts would reduce the overall production cost of biodiesel. Calcium-based catalysts in the reviewed literature have shown promising outcomes for the future use and would make the process economical for large-scale industrial applications.

Application of eggshell wastes as valuable and utilizable products: A review

Eggshell is a solid waste, with production of several tons per day. Eggshell is mostly sent to the landfill with a high management cost. It is economical to transform the eggshell waste to create new values from these waste materials. The present article is an attempt to summarize the possible applications of eggshell. The eggshell waste can be used (a) at biodiesel production as a solid base catalyst used for biodiesel pollutants minimization, reducing the production costs of biodiesel and making the process of biodiesel production fully ecological and environment-friendly; (b) as an absorbent of heavy metals from wastewater as it is a serious environmental problem in the ecosystem; (c) as biomaterial in order to replace bone tissues due to the rise in the number of patients; (d) as a fertilizer and calcium supplement in nutrition for human, animals, plants, etc. Number of research articles have been included in this review to describe a methodical growth in this subject matter.

Techno-economic conversion of Waste Fried Oil into Biodiesel through Transesterification

In India kitchen waste is the largest component of the waste stream by weight. A major constituent of kitchen waste is Waste Fried Oil (WFO). After repeatedly frying waste fried oil is not suitable for human consumption. Everyday several litres of WFO are drained and dumped untreated. To meet growing energy needs resulting from demand and diminishing supply, alternate energy source “Bio-fuel” are receiving more attention. In addition, the increasing global concern has caused to focus on oxygenated fuels because of the environmental pollution from diesel engines. High viscosity and poor volatility are the major limitations of WFO for direct utilization as a fuel in diesel engines. Direct synthesis via transesterification of WFO will yield biodiesel. The general aim of this paper is to evaluate the assumed sustainability of waste fried oil from kitchen for biodiesel production and use. Biodiesel was produced from WFO using transesterification process with KOH as catalyst. Various properties of the biodiesel thus developed are evaluated and compared in relation to that of mineral diesel. Cost of production of biodiesel (WFOME) from WFO is also presented. The transesterification process output included 85 % of methyl ester (biodiesel), 9 % of glycerine, and 6 % of recovered methanol. WFOME properties were as per the ASTM specifications. The cost of biodiesel produced from WFO has been 65 % of the cost of subsidized mineral diesel.

Biofuel and Biochemical Analysis of Amphora coffeaeformis RR03, a Novel Marine Diatom, Cultivated in an Open Raceway Pond

(1) Background: To increase the biochemical productivity and to reduce the production cost of microalgal biodiesel, this study aimed to investigate the effects of CO2 on biomass, fatty acids, carbon-hydrogen, and biochemical accumulation of the marine diatom, Amphora coffeaeformis RR03 (A. coffeaeformis) RR03. (2) Methods: Fatty acid composition of the dry biomass of A. coffeaeformis RR03 was analysed using Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). (3) Results: The results showed that A. coffeaeformis RR03 contained high biomass productivity and biochemical composition in different cultivation conditions. A. coffeaeformis RR03 showed maximum growth of 5.2 × 106/mL on 21st day cultivation under CO2 supply. The bio-crude oil production from A. coffeaeformis RR03 was 36.19 megajoule (MJ). GC-MS analysis found that the dry biomass of A. coffeaeformis RR03 contained maximum of 47.72% fatty acids of 16-octadecanoic acid methyl ester (10:12) and 19.58% pentadecanoic acid, 13-methyl-, and methyl ester (9.24). (4) Conclusion: The results of this study may suggest that a novel diatom of A. coffeaeformis RR03 could be a suitable candidate for biocrude production in order to meet the future demand of energy.

Preliminary economic assessment of the use of waste frying oils for biodiesel production in Beirut, Lebanon

In this study, a method for assessing the costs of biodiesel production from waste frying oils in Beirut, Lebanon, was investigated with the aim of developing an economic evaluation of this alternative. A hundred restaurant and hotel enterprises in Beirut were surveyed for promoting them in participating in the biodiesel supply chain, and for data collection on waste frying oils generation, disposal methods and frequency, and acquisition cost. Also, waste frying oils were collected and converted into biodiesel using a one-step base catalyzed transesterification process. Physicochemical characteristics of the produced biodiesel were conforming to international standards. Data produced from laboratory scale conversion of waste frying oils to biodiesel, as well as data collected from the only biodiesel plant in Lebanon was used to determine the production cost of biodiesel. Geographic Information System was used to propose a real-time vehicle routing model to establish the logistics costs associated with waste frying oils collection. Comparing scenarios of the configuration collection network of waste frying oils, and using medium-duty commercial vehicles for collection, a logistics cost of US$/L 0.08 was optimally reached. For the calculation of the total cost of biodiesel production, the minimum, average, and maximum values for the non-fixed cost variables were considered emerging 81 scenarios for possible biodiesel costs. These were compared with information on the commercialization of diesel in Lebanon for the years 2011 through 2017. Although competitive with petroleum diesel for years 2011 to 2014, the total biodiesel cost presented less tolerance to declining diesel prices in the recent years. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the acquisition cost of waste frying oils is the key factor affecting the overall cost of biodiesel production. The results of this study validate the economic feasibility of waste frying oils' biodiesel production in the studied urban area upon enforcement of low waste frying oils' acquisition costs, and can help spur food service enterprises to become suppliers of biodiesel production feedstock and support a healthy development of the biodiesel industry in Lebanon.

Synthesis of sulfonated carbon catalyst from waste orange peel for cost effective biodiesel production

The present research work deals with the bio-waste valorisation approach for the catalyst development and then its use in the low cost biodiesel production. The sulfonated carbon catalyst, a solid acid is prepared from waste orange peels (WOP) through carbonization followed by sulfonation treatment. WOP is one of the bio-wastes of food industries. The developed catalyst was characterized using elemental, spectral and thermal analysis. Surface area and pore volume is measured using Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) surface area analysis. The synthesized catalyst exhibits 44 m2/g surface area and 1.57 mmol/g acid density. To demonstrate the catalytic performance, the sulfonated carbon catalyst was used to esterify corn acid oil (CAO), a low cost feed stock containing 127.21 mg KOH/g acid value, to generate cost effective biodiesel. 91.68% biodiesel conversion is obtained under optimized conditions using Box-Behnken Design (BBD).

Emission and Performance Characteristics of Waste Cooking Oil Biodiesel Blends in a Single Direct Injection Diesel Engine

The use of Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) as feedstock, and microwave heating technology are favored to reduce the cost of biodiesel. In order to identify the effect of using biodiesel from WCO Methyl Ester (WCOME) blends on diesel engine emissions and performance, WCOME blends were tested in a single-cylinder Direct Injection (DI) diesel engine at a constant speed of 2500 rpm and with five loads. For comparison, commercial diesel fuel, Petron Diesel Max (PDM), and biodiesel mixture from palm oil (POME) were also used. The performance and emission test results of the five test fuels: PDM, BP10, BP20, BW10, and BW20 were then compared with simulation results created by using GT-Power software. The experimental results indicated that using POME and WCOME blends led to increments in Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) of up to 5.9% and reduction in Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) of up to 29.3% compare to PDM. These biodiesel blends also increased nitrogen oxide emissions and decreased carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions for all engine loads at a constant speed of 2500 rpm. The experimental testing of the cylinder peak pressure demonstrates significant increase with the increase of engine load for the four test fuels. All the simulation graphs show similar trends.

Optimization of Biodiesel Production using a Stirred Packed-bed Reactor

The use of waste cooking oil (WCO) as feedstock and in microwave heating technology helps to reduce the cost of biodiesel. In this study, a continuous flow transesterification of waste cooking oil (WCO) by microwave irradiation for biodiesel production using calcium oxide (CaO) as aheterogeneous catalyst, calcined from cockle shells, is used. The catalyst was packed inside a plastic perforated container mounted on a stirrer shaft and inserted inside the reactor. The thermocouple inside the reactor was connected to a temperature controller and microwave power input to maintain the temperature. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to study the relationships between power input, stirrer speed and liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) on the WCO methyl ester (WCOME) conversion at a fixed molar ratio of methanol to oil of 9 and a reaction temperature set at 65°C. The experiments were developed using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) for optimum conditions. The transesterification of the WCO was produced at 72.5% maximum WCOME conversion at an optimum power input of 445 W, stirrer speed of 380 rpm and LHSV of 71.5 h-1. The energy consumption in a steady state condition was 0.594 kWh for the production of 1 litre WCOME, for this heterogeneous catalyst is much faster than conventional heating.

Comparative techno-economic analysis of single-step and two-step biodiesel production with supercritical methanol based on process simulation

Two alternative processes for biodiesel production from used/waste cooking oil, the single-step supercritical transesterification and the two-step process consisting of oil hydrolysis and subsequent supercritical methyl esterification, were designed and simulated using the Aspen Plus 8.8 software and assessed from a techno-economic point of view. Detailed operating conditions, material and energy flows, and equipment designs were provided for biodiesel plants with 15,000t and 30,000t annual inlet capacities. Results revealed that both technologies offer a techno-economically viable solution for biodiesel production from low quality feedstocks such as used cooking oil. The two-step process requires milder operating conditions, lower investment and overall production costs per unit of biodiesel produced, however, it has higher process energy requirements. Total capital investments for a 15,000t capacity plant which applies the single- or the two-step process were estimated as 6.1 million EUR or 5.8 million EUR, respectively, whereas the production cost of biodiesel are estimated as 0.824EUR/kg and 0.786EUR/kg for the single- and two-step processes, respectively (at used cooking oil price of 0.500EUR/kg). Higher plant capacities have lower production and capital costs per unit of biodiesel output. Supercritical transesterification should lead to a clean, flexible and modular method to process used cooking oil for the production of a more valuable product.

Cement wastes as transesterification catalysts for the production of biodiesel from Karanja oil

Abstract Construction and demolition waste materials such as concrete and mortar have limited reuse and recycling, and as a result, are accumulating in landfills. In this work, the utility of concrete and mortar waste materials as transesterification catalysts for the production of biodiesel from non-edible Karanja oil has been investigated. Locally collected concrete and mortar were washed thoroughly, dried, ground, sieved and calcined at 850 °C for 3 h before their use as transesterification catalysts. These materials were characterised by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Hammett basicity indicator methods. The basic strength of the calcined materials (15.0 > H_ ≥ 10.1) was found to be higher than the uncalcined materials. The catalytic activity of cementitious waste materials has been compared with that of cement and commercial grade CaO. Among all cementitious materials tested, cement was found to be the most efficient (76 ± 0.3%) in the transesterification of Karanja oil to biodiesel. The experimental results were used to conduct an economic analysis of a 50 kt biodiesel production facility using cement as a heterogeneous catalyst. The final manufacturing cost of biodiesel was estimated to be $1.23 kg−1.

Production of Fatty Acid Methyl Ester from Microalgae Using Microwave: Kinetic of Transesterification Reaction Using CaO Catalyst

Biodiesel, an alternative diesel fuel made from renewable sources such as vegetable oils and animal fats, is becoming prominent among alternatives to conventional petro-diesel due to economic, environmental and social factors. Transesterification is the most preferred method of biodiesel production. Knowledge of transesterification reaction kinetic enables prediction of the extent of the chemical reaction at any time under particular conditions. It is also essential in the design of reactors for biodiesel production in industrial scale, determination of kinetic model and optimization of operation conditions. In this study, a mathematical model for the microwave assisted trans-esterification reaction of microalgae and methanol has been developed to study the effect of the operating parameters on the process kinetics. A well-mixed microwave reactor was used to express the laboratory scale microwave reactor at stirring speed 500 rpm. Mass transfer controlled state was assumed to be minimal using the stirring condition. The model developed was based on experimental data described in a previous study. The experimental works were designed to study the effect of reaction time between 1-5 min; power of microwave of 100-400 W, and an amount of CaO catalyst of 1 and 3%. The use of a solid catalyst effectively reduces the purification cost of biodiesel due to ease of separation and potential for reuse. The molar ratio of microalgae oil and methanol was constant at the ratio of 1: 6. The validation of model indicated that the reaction have second order reaction in terms of triglycerides. A very good correlation between model and experiment data was observed by correlation coefficient (R2) and least square curve fit. In addition, the experiment shows that the best conditions for reaction time were 5 min, power of microwave was 400 W and amount of CaO catalyst was 3%. The maximum yield of biodiesel in the best conditions was 93.23%.

Upgrading the Glycerol from Biodiesel Production as a Source of Energy Carriers and Chemicals—A Technological Review for Three Chemical Pathways

Glycerol is a by-product of biodiesel obtained from biomass, accounting for 10% of the biodiesel production. In the context of a green economy, aiming for a reduction of the emission of atmospheric greenhouse gases emissions, the demand of biodiesel is expected to increase vastly, in parallel with a side glut supply of glycerol. Given the high cost of biodiesel compared with its fossil congener, upgrading of glycerol into added-value products can represent a secondary income source and turn the production of such alternative fuels economically sustainable in the long term. The glycerol obtained as by-product of biodiesel from biomass is in a crude form and must be purified. Some industrial solutions and applications were therein geared. The survey presented in this work, based on a reviewing of the existing literature, examines three routes for the valuing glycerol into energy carriers and chemicals, namely, carbonation, acylation, and steam reforming to hydrogen. The latter is embodied of great interest and importance, insofar that hydrogen by itself is considered as straighforward clean fuel for transportation uses, due to its high calorific power and to recent advances in fuel cells. We also have focused on the chain value from biomass to energies carriers through these pathways.

Alternative binary blends and their synergistic effect on stability of soybean biodiesel

The primary antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and an alternative additive, named 1,4-bis(ethylamino)-9,10-anthraquinone, were mixed to yield a potent blend able to be used in the field of biodiesel preservation. Physicochemical parameters such as peroxide value, total acid number, density and induction period were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination in stabilising soybean biodiesel during the accelerate storage period of degradation. The induction period values were also used to calculate the occurrence of synergistic effect, and it was observed a high percentage of synergism for the combined additives. The results showed that the presence of target alternative additive also enables lower the concentration of the primary antioxidant (TBHQ) in the blend. The cost-effective comparison was evaluated, and it was verified that the final cost of biodiesel can also be lowered, since the amount of additives (in the blend) required to meet the biodiesel specifications was reduced between 70 and 88%.

Optimal Integrated Plant for Production of Biodiesel from Waste

In this work, we have optimized an integrated facility for the production of fully renewable biodiesel from waste via anaerobic digestion. On the one hand, the biogas produced is dry reformed to obtain syngas and methanol. On the other hand, the digestate remaining is used as a nutrient to grow algae. Algae oil is transesterified using internally produced methanol. The problem is formulated as a large non-linear programming problem (NLP) to compute the optimal operating conditions of the various reactors as well as the biogas composition and the content of nutrients in the digestate. Optimal heat exchanger and water networks are designed afterward. A total of 3110 kt/yr of manure is processed for the production of 90 Mgal/yr of biodiesel and 46.7 kt/yr of methanol. The process uses a fraction of the biogas to provide the energy required at the reformer, but the process still needs 1.5 MJ/gal of fatty acid methyl ester and 1.22 gal of water per gal of biodiesel. The production cost of biodiesel is competit...

A design of experiments approach to the sensitivity analysis of the life cycle cost of biodiesel

Economic feasibility is one of the major factors that has to be considered in the decision to continue with alternative fuel development. Economic feasibility of these alternatives can be assessed through life cycle costing, which is dependent on volatile parameters such as feedstock price, operating rate, capacity, interest rate and conversion efficiency. Uncertainty analysis is necessary to determine the robustness of the life cycle cost estimates. In this study, design of experiments was demonstrated to be an effective approach to analyze the sensitivity of life cycle cost to these parameters. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis can be done based not only on the individual effects, but also on the interactions of parameters. Data from the biodiesel program of Vietnam were used as a case study. The results show that operating cost and feedstock price have the most significant effects on biodiesel cost followed by capacity, interest rate and conversion efficiency. Interactions were observed between conversion efficiency and feedstock price; interest rate and operating rate; and feedstock price and interest rate. The regression equation obtained from sensitivity analysis shows that the cost of jatropha biodiesel is 0.72–1.02 US$/L, the cost of fish oil biodiesel is 0.45–0.87 US$/L, and the cost of waste cooking oil biodiesel is 0.42–0.61 US$/L. Although the framework developed in this study was used specifically in the life cycle costing of biodiesel, it can be readily applied to other low-carbon energy systems in the future.

Heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae in photobioreactor using low cost crude glycerol for enhanced biodiesel production

This integrated approach first time investigates the use of crude glycerol (CG), a primary by product of the biodiesel production, for heterotrophic cultivation of microalgae (namely, Chlorella sp.) in photobioreactor (PBR) to enhance biodiesel production. The glycerol was reported 28.5 ± 0.70% in CG, causing nearly two folds increase in biomass productivity (446.50 ± 1.50 mg L−1day−1) and nearly four folds enhanced lipid productivity (165.15 ± 0.55 mg L−1 day−1) for the algal cells cultivated in PBR with addition of CG (PBR+CG) system as compared to Bold's Basal media (BBM) used as control. The total lipid content (34.36 ± 0.51%) was also doubled for the cells grown in PBR+CG system than in BBM. The analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) profile by GC-MS showed reduction in total unsaturated fatty acids and poly unsaturated fatty acids, and increase in total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) for the biodiesel obtained from algal cells grown in PBR+CG system. Moreover, the physical properties estimation also specified higher cetane number (53.89) and average oxidative stability (3.41 h), which are comparable with ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 fuel standards. This study demonstrates the potential of the use of CG for enhancing the low cost biodiesel production for vehicular transportation.

Economic analysis of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil

ABSTRACTRenewable diesel fuel or biodiesel is one of the prospective growth inducers that could help to resolve a country’s economic problem and will decrease the nation’s dependence on foreign energy imports. In this context, an economic evaluation of biodiesel production from waste cooking oil is reported in this study. The biodiesel was produced from waste cooking oil by transesterification process. The by-product glycerol produced during transesterification is purified and recovered for its commercial value. Also, unreacted methanol after transesterification is recovered by distillation and recycled for reuse. The biodiesel production facility developed in this study is dedicated to the production of 39,208 metric tons of biodiesel per year. The total capital investment charged to this project is estimated to be Rs. 1,615,133,000. At a value of Rs. 15/kg for feedstock waste cooking oil, a biodiesel cost of Rs. 55/kg was estimated. Along with main revenue from biodiesel, additional revenue of around Rs. 22/kg can be generated from the sale of glycerol. On the whole, the profitability analysis of the study discloses that the modeled biodiesel production plant has the ability to produce biodiesel with unit production cost of Rs. 51/kg and unit production revenue of Rs. 58/kg.