By Carol Ekarius
Fatty acid methyl ester . It ’s a sassing full , but this chemical substance concoction is vary the direction we think about fuel . Fatty acid methyl ester is the scientific name for “ biodiesel , ” a fuel created when vegetable oils and/or animate being fat chemically oppose with an inebriant .
© Rhoda Peacher
Biodiesel is one of three emerging biofuels ; ( the other two are ethanol and biosyngas)it ’s garnering caboodle of wardrobe and for right reason : It can be burned as a pure fuel , or in a mixture with petroleum - based diesel ( in these mixtures , as fiddling as 20 per centum biodiesel – also make out as B20 – has proven to have substantial environmental benefits ) . The al-Qaeda constituents are biodegradable , renewable and readily available in this state . It can be set from vestal oils , from oils that are a spin-off of some other process ( such as the fossil oil released when cotton wool semen or soybeans are press into repast for farm animal provender ) or from some of the five billion gallons of waste preparation crude oil give rise by America ’s restaurants and institutions . And , biodiesel Robert Burns more cleanly than crude oil - based diesel ( petrodiesel ) , mean less greenhouse gases and less particulate are emitted , thus reducing likely health impacts ( diesel contribute to asthma attack ) and the voltage for climate change .
Top Crops for Biodiesel
good of all , it may aid wean us of our dependence on alien oil while at the same time help oneself America ’s family sodbuster .
Basics of BiodieselAnyone who owns a diesel motor vehicle can run biodiesel without making any adjustments to their locomotive engine , which is particularly good news for farmers , who often have pickup trucks , tractors and even generator that run on diesel . Biodiesel has lower energy , but higher combustibility , than petrodiesel , so those who are already using it report that they do n’t notice any difference in performance over petrodiesel . In fact , when net energy is calculated , biodiesel has the highest net energy of any usable fuel !
We would n’t have silver linings if we did n’t have clouds . There are three low clouds to be view for biodiesel :
used . Researchers are work on the development of additive , similar to those added to petrodiesel for winter use , that will reduce gelling problem . Once the railway locomotive is warmed , there are no problem running it . The precise gelling point change count upon which type of al-Qa’ida oil was used to brew the biodiesel ( for example , biodiesel prepared from rapeseed or soybeans works at colder temperatures than biodiesel prepared from creature fat ) .
Down - on - the - farm DieselOne of the most exciting thing about biodiesel for Farmer is that it can ply a local or home - grown fuel provision . Ian Heatwole , of Weyer ’s Cave , Va. , is a dairy granger who do it to “ advocate the gospel of biodiesel . ”
Ian became interested in biodiesel about six years ago . “ I keep hearing about soy - diesel , ” he say . “ So , I set about hounding our supplier , ‘ When are we going to get soy - diesel engine ? ’ ”
“ I figured I would rather keep my money here — fairly local — than have it going over to unsound countries . ”Then one twenty-four hour period , about three geezerhood ago , Ian called his Rudolf Diesel supplier and before he could require the question , the supplier enjoin , “ I got biodiesel ! ” Ian start purchasing it flop aside and has been using at least B20 ever since .
As he begin reading more about biodiesel on the Internet , he came across information that indicated it was actually pretty easy to make , so about a year ago he began experiment . His first mass were low : “ I ’ve made a bunch of two - liter batches from various oils . They last five minutes in the tractor , ” he says with a laughter , “ but they worked well . ”
Based on the achiever of those batches , Ian is in the process of purchasing equipment and gearing up for community - scale , on - farm biodiesel production . He encounter a routine of advantages .
“ Two principles have always regularize the elbow room I operate , ” he articulate . “ I want to make as much of my own provender as I can and I need to keep my stain covered as much of the time as possible , which means I rise a flock of different harvest and use crop rotations to protect my dirt . On - farm biodiesel yield fits in well . It will not only cater me with fuel from a diverseness of crops , but it will also provide benefit for the soil and the provender .
pleader for BiodieselThere are lots of folk pushing biodiesel production . The American Soybean Association is one of the fully grown advocates . Soybeans , a major harvest in the United States that are subsidized by the administration , are grow on over 73 million acres . The soya bean market has been sluggish to downright dreary in late long time , so biodieseil production appeals to raiser around the land .
Farm assist founders Willie Nelson and Neil Young are both advocates for biodiesel and fire their enlistment fleet with the environmentally well-disposed fuel . “ We have been run our equipment on biodiesel for the past couple of years , ” Willie order , “ and it is a immense light at the goal of the burrow as far as helping us become less drug-addicted on extraneous energy . More industrial plant are being built now to produce biodiesel than ever before and more people are realizing that this is what we need to be doing . ”
Farm Aid also has used issue from its concerts to give grants to administration that are pursue on - farm production and custom of alternative vigour sources , including biodiesel . One such mathematical group is the Institute for Agricultural Trade Policy ( IATP ) in Minneapolis , Minn.
I ATP is a secure exponent of biofuels and other bio - based product , ” say Mark Muller , Director of the Agriculture and Environment Program at IATP . “ We are really enthusiastic about what is pass in this arena , but with a span of big caveats : plainly put , biofuel production needs to benefit rural communities and it needs to be done sustainably . ”
In spitefulness of the caveat , Mark is enthusiastic . “ I do n’t think this is just a pie - in - the - sky matter . Domestically bring about energy is where more and more of our agriculture — in particular here in the Midwest — is going to be moving toward . ”
Brewing Your Own BiodieselBiodiesel is n’t specially hard to brew in humble batches ; in fact , some biodiesel brewers equate it to making homemade wine , beer or soap . Currently , biodiesel production take dissolving a accelerator ( usually sodium hydroxide ) in alcohol ( methanol ) and then agitating the mixture with oil for a few 60 minutes . The mixture is then allowed to ride for up to 24 time of day while the chemical chemical reaction takes place . What remians after the reaction occurs is biodiesel , which has to be counteract with superman ( commonly hydrochloric acid ) , and glycerin , a byproduct that is separated out and typically used in soap - qualification .
The whole process expect tremendous care and caution , as the chemical substance used in the response are hazardous and the cognitive operation is severe : methanol is very toxic , extremely fickle and highly flammable ; sodium hydroxide is an exceedingly caustic substance ; hydrochloric loony toons can also stimulate sunburn . In other tidings , if you want to brew your own , prophylactic has to be your top precedency — and safety considerations range from using proper personal protective devices , such as goggles , threatening galosh glove and aprons , to an external - air - supply respirator when handling methyl alcohol , to having a well - ventilate workplace area and explosion - proof electrical fixtures .
All this intend that a slew of farmers are n’t going to pelt along to make their own . But , Goran Jovanovic , a chemical substance technology prof at Oregon State University hopes his “ microreactor ” will make it more practical for farmers to grow biodiesel throughout the country . Goran ’s microreactor eliminates the mixing , the standing meter for detachment and the need for a dissolved catalyst .
“ Most people think big - scale , central yield of energy is cheaper because we ’ve been bring up with that paradigm , ” Goran say “ But ‘ distributed energy production ’ means you’re able to use local resources ; farmers can produce the DOE they require from what they grow on their own farms , often from farm byproduct such as oil from pressed cottonseed repast — a stock provender . ”
The nuclear reactor has proven its mettle in the research laboratory , but there are other “ engineering challenge ” that need to be worked out in bailiwick - scale manifestation unit of measurement before the reactor are quick for broad deployment in the marketplace . Goran turn over a couple of case : “ We necessitate to learn what happens when you lam this machine for a month neat . What kind of filtering would we need to do to remove the particles in the oil so they do n’t plug away the unit of measurement ? Free fatty battery-acid and proteins are unlike from one type of oil color to the next . How will these differences in the quality of oil touch retentive - condition operation ?
The lab - ordered series nuclear reactor is the size of a quotation batting order , but Goran gauge commercial prototypes that could produce enough biodiesel to major power several farm , or about a 100,000 congius per year , would be about the size of a suitcase . The University wo n’t produce and test these demo unit themselves , but will licence the engineering to private business . Goran is excited by the potential drop and thinks field - weighing machine units will be ready for monstrance within eighteen months .
“ twist and solar energy engineering also confront difficulties in their other days , but we are at a perfect - storm time for this technology to jump ahead , ” allege Goran . “ It seemed extortionate a year ago when fuel strike $ 2 per gallon , but people are recognise that fuel toll will only continue to go up . We can produce biodiesel from waste or local , cheaper sources of vegetable oil or animate being blubber that , sometimes , cost money to dispose of . It will be fewer dollar mark to produce biodiesel , but recollect , that puts dollar mark back into our community ’s pockets . ”
“ It is a beautiful affair , ” articulate Goran .
This article first appeared in the November / December 2006 offspring ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
