INTERACTIVE WEBSITE FOR BIOFUELS
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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Biodiesel
 Biodiesel refers to a non-petroleum-based diesel fuel consisting of long chain alkyl (methyl, propyl or ethyl) esters, made by transestrification of vegetable oil or animal fat.“Biodiesel” is standardized as mono-alkyl ester and other kinds of diesel-grade fuels of biological origin are not included. Blends  Blends of biodiesel and conventional hydrocarbon-based diesel are products most commonly distributed for use in the retail diesel fuel marketplace. Much of the world uses a system known as the "B" factor to state the amount of biodiesel in any fuel mix: fuel containing 20% biodiesel is labeled B20, while pure biodiesel is referred to as B100. It is common in the USA to see B99.9 because a federal tax credit is awarded to the first entity which blends petroleum diesel with pure biodiesel . Blends of 20 percent biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum diesel (B20) can generally be used in unmodified diesel engines. Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form (B100), but may require certain engine modifications to avoid maintenance and performance problems. Blending B100 with petro diesel may be accomplished by: -Mixing in tanks at manufacturing point prior to delivery to tanker truck -Splash mixing in the tanker truck (adding specific percentages of Biodiesel and Petro Diesel) -In-line mixing, two components arrive at tanker truck simultaneously. Origin  On August 31, 1937, G. Chavanne of the University of Brussels (Belgium) was granted a patent for a 'Procedure for the transformation of vegetable oils for their uses as fuels' . This patent described the alcoholysis (often referred to as transesterification) of vegetable oils using ethanol (and mentions methanol) in order to separate the fatty acids from the glycerol by replacing the glycerol with short linear alcohols. This appears to be the first account of the production of what is known as 'biodiesel' today. Properties  Biodiesel has better lubricating properties than lower viscosity diesel fuels. Biodiesel reduces engine wear increasing the life of the fuel injection equipment that relies on the fuel for its lubrication, such as high pressure injection pumps, pump injectors (also called unit injectors) and fuel injectors.The calorific value of biodiesel is about 37.27 MJ/L. This is 9% lower than regular Number 2 petrodiesel. Variations in biodiesel energy density is more dependent on the feedstock used than the production process. Still these variations are less than for petrodiesel. It has been claimed biodiesel gives better lubricity and more complete combustion thus increasing the engine energy output and partially compensating for the higher energy density of petrodiesel. Biodiesel feedstocks A variety of oils can be used to produce biodiesel. These include: - Virgin oil -Waste vegetable oil -Animal fats -Algaes -Oil from halophytes  Below-An example of making biodiesel  Jatropha Plant Above-Spicy jatropha (Jatropha integerrima)Jatropha is a genus of approximately 175 succulent plants, shrubs and trees, from the family Euphorbiaceace. The name is derived from (Greek iatros = physician and trophe = nutrition), hence the common name physic nut. The Jatropha plant originated from the Caribbean, native in to Central America. The hardy Jatropha is resistant to drought and pests, The Jatropha grows almost anywhere, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. It can also thrive on the poorest stony soil and grow in the crevices of rocks. Because of this, the Jatropha is being promoted throughout India and other developing countries. Toxicity Characteristic of many members of the family Euphorbiaceae, Jatropha plants contain several toxic compounds, including lectin, saponin, carcinogenic phorbol, and a trypsin inhibitor. Despite this, the seeds are occasionally eaten after roasting, which reduces some of the toxicity. Its sap is a skin irritant, and ingesting as few as three untreated seeds can be fatal to humans. Jatropha oil Currently the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is used for making biodiesel fuel in Philippines and in Brazil, where it grows naturally and in plantations in the Southeast, and the North/Northeast Brazil. Species  Above-Jatropha multifida
We tried to extract some oil out of the Jatropha seeds. However, as the tool used is a raw prototype done up by our schoolmate, it did not work as efficiently as it should be.
The following photos show our attempt in transesterification to separate glycerin from fatty acids which in turn is the biodiesel. |
