Bio Diesel

Biodiesel : Way to change Nepal

Why biodiesel doesnot add CO2 to environment ?

When burning petrodiesel the CO2 release in the atmosphere is in
fact the CO2 that was “stored” underground in the petroleum layers
for many years. Thus this process increases the overall CO2 in the
atmosphere as the CO2 does not return underground.
6 / 14
Using vegetable oils or animal fats as fuel for motor vehicles is in
effect running them on solar energy. All biofuels, including ethanol
, are derived from the conversion of sunlight to energy
(carbohydrates) that takes place in the green leaves of plants.
Plants take up carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere; burning
plant (or animal) products in an engine or burning it any other way releases the CO2 uptake back
into the atmosphere, to be taken up again by other plants. The CO2 is recycled, atmospheric CO2
 levels remain constant.
Thus biofuels do not increase global warming -- unlike fossil fuels, which release large amounts of
 new (or rather very old) CO2 which has been locked away from the atmosphere.
Biofuels and Water quality: Water pollution associated with petroleum product includes ground water
 contamination from spills. Biofuels can replace the most toxic parts of gasoline with fuels that quickly
 biodegrade in water, reducing the threat to waterways and groundwater. Spills or leaks of biofuels
 do not constitute an environmental hazard.

Diesel engine, Dr. Diesel

“Dr. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the Exhibition Fair in Paris,
 France in 1898. This engine stood as a example of Diesel's vision
because it was fueled by peanut oil - the "original" biodiesel. He
thought that the utilization of a biomass based fuel was the real
future of his engine. He hoped that it would provide a way for the
smaller industries, farmers, and "common folk" a means of
competing with the monopolizing industries, which controlled all
energy production at that time, as well as serve as a n alternative
for thin efficient fuel  consumption of the steam engine. The diesel
 engine was invented by German engineer  Rudolf Diesel
 (1858–1913). As a result of Diesel's vision, compression ignited
engines were powered by a “bio” fuels or vegetable oil, until the 1920's and are being powered
 again, today, by biodiesel.”

What is biodiesel actually?

Biodiesel is a cleaner burning alternative fuel produced from renewable vegetable oil resources such
 as soy beans, palm and waste vegetable oil (cooking oil) or any other source of organic oil
 (animal fat). Biodiesel is suitable for modern, high performance diesel engines. Biodiesel contains
 no petroleum product but can be blended with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. This 
type of fuel is gaining popularity not only due to its environmental advantages but also because of 
how easy it is to use as it can be used in current compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or
 no modifications. Biodiesel is not only easy to use; it is biodegradable, non-toxic and free of sulfur 
and aromatics. Replacing conventional diesel with biodiesel in engines results in considerable 
reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Moreover, with flash 
point over 260°F (127 °C), biodiesel is safer to handle and to store than petroleum based diesel 
fuel, which has a flashpoint of around 125°F (52°C).
Biodiesel is defined as the mono-alkyl esters of fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. 
In more general terms, biodiesel is the product you get when a vegetable oil or animal fat is 
chemically reacted with an alcohol to produce a new compound that is known as a fatty acid alkyl 
ester. A catalyst such as sodium or potassium hydroxide is required. Glycerol (glycerin) is produced
 as a byproduct. The process is known as transesterification.
Soybean oil and methanol are the most popular feedstock in the United States. Soybeans are a 
major U.S. crop and government subsidies/reduced taxes are available to make the fuel economically
 attractive to consumers who need or want to use a non-petroleum based fuel. In Europe, most 
biodiesel is made from rapeseed (Brassica napus) oil and methanol and it is known as rapeseed 
methyl esters (RME).

Advantages of Biodiesel

Biodiesel has some clear advantages over SVO: it works in any diesel, without any conversion or
 modifications to the engine or the fuel system -- just put it in and go. It also has better cold-weather
properties than SVO (but not as good as petro-diesel). Unlike SVO, it's backed by many long-term
tests in many countries, including millions of miles on the road. It has as well many advantages over
petro-diesel.
• Biodiesel substantially reduces unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter in
 exhaust fumes
• Sulphur dioxide emissions are eliminated (biodiesel contains no sulphur)
• Biodiesel is plant-based and adds no CO2 to the atmosphere. As a sustainable energy source it
 merely recycles carbon, with the help of the sun and photosynthesis.
• The ozone-forming potential of biodiesel emissions is nearly 50% less than conventional diesel fuel
• Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions could slightly increase but can be reduced to well below
conventional diesel fuel levels by adjusting engine timing and other means
• Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine
• Fuel economy is about the same as conventional diesel fuel
• Biodiesel has a high cetane rating, which improves engine performance: 20% biodiesel added to
 conventional diesel fuel improves the cetane rating 3 points, making it a Premium fuel
• Biodiesel can be mixed with ordinary petroleum diesel fuel in any proportion, with no need for a
mixing additive.
• Even a small amount of biodiesel means cleaner emissions and better engine lubrication
• Biodiesel can be produced from any fat or vegetable oil, including waste cooking oil.


Diesel Engines 

There are many types of internal combustion engines. Different types run on different type of fuel.
 Petrol, hydrogen, methanol, ethanol, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), biodiesel as well as other fuels.
 But the most common are petrol with electronic ignition, spark ignition (SI) and the simpler diesel with
 compression ignition (CI). Yet both run on petroleum based products. Diesel from petroleum is also
known as petrodiesel or even “dino-diesel”, when there is a need to distinguish it from diesel
obtained from other sources such as biodiesel.
Petrol, also known as petroleum spirit (USA - gasoline, British- petrol) and diesel are both produced
from fractional distillation of petroleum oil (fossil fuel). Diesel is a hydrocarbon mixture, obtained from
 crude oil between 200 °C and 350 °C at atmospheric pressure.
Both petrol and diesel can be wholly replaced by biofuels or mixed to certain extents. Petrol can be
 replaced by Ethanol and diesel can be replaced by biodiesel.

No comments:

Post a Comment