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Commercial and Large Scale Biodiesel Production Systems

Introduction

Commercial-scale biodiesel producers have many constraints beyond those which small producers need to meet. Commercial producers must satisfy the expectations of owners and/or stockholders for profitability. They must make optimal use of capital and other resources. They also have to include the cost of labor because it comes from paid employees. Small-scale producers will often ignore the cost of their time and the value of the space they devote to producing fuel.

Commercial-scale producers must also meet regulatory requirements …

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Corn for Biofuel Production

Explore corn as an biofuel crop for the production of ethanol to more completely understand the potential and challenges of growing corn for energy production.

Ear corn. Photo: F. John Hay, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Contents

Introduction

Corn (Zea mays) is a popular feedstock for ethanol production in the …

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Key Components of the Biofuels Sustainability Debate

Are biofuels truly sustainable? Explore biofuel sustainability in regards to the environment, economy, energy, and farming livelihood.

Soybean biodiesel fuel.  Photo: Leandro Maranghetti Lourenço, Brazil; Wikimedia Commons.

Table of Contents

Major Questions about the Sustainability of Biofuels

Introduction

Conflicting messages:
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Biodiversity and Biofuel Production

Learn approaches to help promote biodiversity on the farm while growing biofuel feedstocks.

Corn and soy fields in Minnesota. Photo: US EPA and National Archive and Record Administration; Wikimedia Commons.

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Agriculture and Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variation of life at all levels, from genes to organisms to populations. Healthy ecosystems tend to have greater biodiversity.

Most biofuel feedstocks come from agricultural crops grown in highly disturbed ecosystems with relatively …

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Biofuels and Greenhouse Gas Reductions

Can we reduce greenhouse gases with biofuels? Explore biofuels, the carbon cycle and potential impacts.

Palm oil plantation, in Indonesia. Photo: Achmad Rabin Taim; Wikimedia Commons.

Table of Contents

Biofuels and the Carbon Cycle

From the standpoint of human-released carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gas emissions, and contributions to climate change biofuels have one large advantage over gasoline, diesel and other fossil fuels: The feedstocks for biofuels …

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Sustainable Feedstock Production with Grasses

There are several benefits to using grasses, such as switchgrass and miscanthus, as biofuel feedstocks. They grow on marginal lands, prevent soil erosion better than row crops, and require fewer inputs. Read below about the advantages and drawbacks of grass crops.

Farmers use traditional farm equipment to grow and harvest switchgrass. Photo: Dennis Pennington, Bioenergy Educator, Michigan State University.

Contents

Introduction to Grasses as Biofuel Feedstocks

Grasses are …

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Biodiesel Production Principles and Processes

Introduction

The process to make biodiesel involves a chemical reaction. This means that the biodiesel industry is a chemical industry. Those involved in making biodiesel must have a good understanding of the underlying chemistry to ensure they are making quality fuel in a safe manner.

  Find these topics and many other related Farm Energy media resources at the Farm Energy Media archive.

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel for diesel engines that is produced by chemically reacting a vegetable oil …

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Biodiesel and the Food vs. Fuel Debate

Does biodiesel production impact food supplies? Learn about the “fuel versus food” debate, examine scenarios showing impacts and factors considered by scientists trying to unravel this complex question.

Harvesting soybeans in Nebraska.  Photo: F. John Hay, Extension Educator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.

Contents

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History of Biodiesel

Introduction

Rudolf Diesel

Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine in the 1890s. From the beginning, this engine could run on a variety of fuels, including vegetable oil. In 1900, one of the new diesel engines featured at the Paris Exposition was powered by peanut oil. However, because cheap petroleum fuels were easily available, few people were interested in alternatives (Pahl, 2005, pp. 18-22).

As early as the 1930s, there was interest in splitting the fatty acids from the glycerin in …

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Energy Life Cycle Analysis of Biodiesel

Introduction

Energy life cycle analysis (EgLCA), also popularly known as “energy balance,” accounts for the amount and type of energy used in the production of a fuel and compares that to the amount of energy contained in the resulting fuel.

We prefer the term “energy life cycle analysis” over “energy balance” because the term “energy balance” could mislead people into thinking that the input and output energy should be balanced, or equal. Because EgLCA is usually concerned with the input …

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