An Enviro-economic Assessment of Waste Vegetable Oil to Biodiesel Conversion

An Enviro-economic Assessment of Waste Vegetable Oil to Biodiesel Conversion PDF Author: Kendall Robert Ernst
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description
With its multiple dining halls, close proximity to restaurants, and diesel vehicle fleet, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) has both the supply of raw materials to implement a waste vegetable oil to biodiesel recycling program and the capacity to use it. At face value, implementing a large-scale recycling program provides a source of cheap, low emissions fuel. However, the feasibility of such a program is contingent on its economic cost and environmental impact relative to alternative fuel sources. Thus, this research estimated the greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the unit cost associated with 1 megajoule worth of recycled biodiesel derived from three production processes -Alkali Catalyzed, Acid Catalyzed, and Supercritical Methanol-using environmental life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. These GHG inventories and unit costs were then compared to the conventional diesel and oilseed biodiesel sources that make up UT's current fuel portfolio. This analysis suggested that implementing a recycling program using a Supercritical Methanol biodiesel conversion process would have the lowest combined GHG impact and unit cost, although as an emerging technology, it poses a high investment risk. In general, these findings are encouraging to the success and impact of a large-scale recycling program.

An Enviro-economic Assessment of Waste Vegetable Oil to Biodiesel Conversion

An Enviro-economic Assessment of Waste Vegetable Oil to Biodiesel Conversion PDF Author: Kendall Robert Ernst
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description
With its multiple dining halls, close proximity to restaurants, and diesel vehicle fleet, the University of Texas at Austin (UT) has both the supply of raw materials to implement a waste vegetable oil to biodiesel recycling program and the capacity to use it. At face value, implementing a large-scale recycling program provides a source of cheap, low emissions fuel. However, the feasibility of such a program is contingent on its economic cost and environmental impact relative to alternative fuel sources. Thus, this research estimated the greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and the unit cost associated with 1 megajoule worth of recycled biodiesel derived from three production processes -Alkali Catalyzed, Acid Catalyzed, and Supercritical Methanol-using environmental life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. These GHG inventories and unit costs were then compared to the conventional diesel and oilseed biodiesel sources that make up UT's current fuel portfolio. This analysis suggested that implementing a recycling program using a Supercritical Methanol biodiesel conversion process would have the lowest combined GHG impact and unit cost, although as an emerging technology, it poses a high investment risk. In general, these findings are encouraging to the success and impact of a large-scale recycling program.

Biodiesel: Feedstocks, Technologies, Economics and Barriers

Biodiesel: Feedstocks, Technologies, Economics and Barriers PDF Author: Armen B. Avagyan
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9811357463
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Air pollution policy is closely connected with climate change, public health, energy, transport, trade, and agriculture, and generally speaking, the Earth has been pushed to the brink and the damage is becoming increasingly obvious. The transport sector remains a foremost source of air pollutants – a fact that has stimulated the production of biofuels. This book focuses on the biodiesel industry, and proposes a modification of the entire manufacturing chain that would pave the way for further improvements. Oil derived from oilseed plantations/crops is the most commonly used feedstock for the production of biodiesel. At the same time, the UK’s Royal Academy of Engineering and 178 scientists in the Netherlands have determined that some biofuels, such as diesel produced from food crops, have led to more emissions than those produced by fossil fuels. Accordingly, this book re-evaluates the full cycle of biodiesel production in order to help find optimal solutions. It confirms that the production and use of fertilizers for the cultivation of crop feedstocks generate considerably more GHG emissions compared to the mitigation achieved by using biodiesel. To address this fertilization challenge, projecting future biofuel development requires a scenario in which producers shift to an organic agriculture approach that includes the use of microalgae. Among advanced biofuels, algae’s advantages as a feedstock include the highest conversion of solar energy, and the ability to absorb CO2 and pollutants; as such, it is the better choice for future fuels. With regard to the question of why algae’s benefits have not been capitalized on for biofuel production, our analyses indicate that the sole main barrier to realizing algae’s biofuel potential is ineffective international and governmental policies, which create difficulties in reconciling the goals of economic development and environmental protection.

Biodiesel

Biodiesel PDF Author: Meisam Tabatabaei
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3030009858
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
This book presents in-depth information on the state of the art of global biodiesel production and investigates its impact on climate change. Subsequently, it comprehensively discusses biodiesel production in terms of production systems (reactor technologies) as well as biodiesel purification and upgrading technologies. Moreover, the book reviews essential parameters in biodiesel production systems as well as major principles of operation, process control, and trouble-shooting in these systems. Conventional and emerging applications of biodiesel by-products with a view to further economize biodiesel production are also scrutinized. Separate chapters are dedicated to economic risk analysis and critical comparison of biodiesel production systems as well as techno-economical aspects of biodiesel plants. The book also thoroughly investigates the important aspects of biodiesel production and combustion by taking advantage of advanced sustainability analysis tools including life cycle assessment (LCA) and exergy techniques. In closing, the application of Omics technologies in biodiesel production is presented and discussed. This book is relevant to anyone with an interest in renewable, more sustainable fuel and energy solutions.

Biodiesel Production

Biodiesel Production PDF Author: Biodiesel Production Technologies Challenges and Future Prospects Task Committee
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780784415344
Category : Biodiesel fuels
Languages : en
Pages : 848

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Book Description
Biodiesel Production: Technologies, Challenges, and Future Prospects provides in-depth information on fundamentals, approaches, technologies, source materials and associated socio-economic and political impacts of biodiesel production.

Design and Economic Assessment of Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil

Design and Economic Assessment of Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil PDF Author: Yi Zhang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biodiesel fuels
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description


The Biodiesel Handbook

The Biodiesel Handbook PDF Author: Gerhard Knothe
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0983507260
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 516

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Book Description
The second edition of this invaluable handbook covers converting vegetable oils, animal fats, and used oils into biodiesel fuel. The Biodiesel Handbook delivers solutions to issues associated with biodiesel feedstocks, production issues, quality control, viscosity, stability, applications, emissions, and other environmental impacts, as well as the status of the biodiesel industry worldwide. - Incorporates the major research and other developments in the world of biodiesel in a comprehensive and practical format - Includes reference materials and tables on biodiesel standards, unit conversions, and technical details in four appendices - Presents details on other uses of biodiesel and other alternative diesel fuels from oils and fats

Economic Risk Analysis and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Bio-energy Systems

Economic Risk Analysis and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Bio-energy Systems PDF Author: Zaman Sajid
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Being depletable, scarce, hostile to the environment and non-renewable in nature, petroleum-based fossil fuels are diminishing much faster than a decade ago. These scarcity concerns, negative environmental consequences and the gradual depletion of petroleum fuels have led to explore alternate, inexhaustible and renewable energy resources. One promising energy resource is biofuel, which is produced from renewable biomass feedstock. The reasons for sustainability and viability of biofuels are that they are economically feasible to produce and have positive environmental impacts. Since biofuels research is quite diversified, the sustainability and viability of biofuels face many challenges. This thesis investigates existing and future technological and knowledge challenges and proposes new methods to improve bio-energy sustainability both economically and environmentally. The economic viability of biofuels is associated with biofuel cost estimation, the revenue earned, and the profit gained. This research evaluates the cost risk escalation and identifies the key cost factors associated with the economic viability of biofuels. To achieve this objective, this research presents an innovative methodology to perform probabilistic economic risk analysis of biofuel, and particularly biodiesel. Being stochastic in nature, the proposed methodology addresses the shortcomings of traditional biodiesel process economics and provides flexibility to deal with uncertainty in biodiesel process economics. The environmental aspects covered in this research are environmental impacts caused by all inputs to the biodiesel production process, including biomass feedstock, fresh or recycled materials and energy streams and outputs such as biodiesel, by-products and waste materials discharged into the soil and air. To address the influences of potential risks on biodiesel production and its environmental impacts, this thesis presents a new approach to perform probabilistic economic modelling, qualitative and quantitative risk assessment of biodiesel key performance indicators (KPIs) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of biodiesel fuel. Interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is used to model causation behaviour of the biodiesel process, operations and design risk factors. The basic premise of ISM is that qualitative interdependent relationships among various risk factors are achieved through experts' opinions and a scientific approach. This thesis develops an objective risk analysis approach to integrate ISM and uses a Bayesian network (BN) to define the relationship and the strength of relationship among various cost related risk factors and studies their impact on biodiesel process economics. Addressing global environmental issues and considering the vital need of edible oil for food, this thesis also presents the LCA of biodiesel being produced from inedible oils and waste cooking oil (WCO) and performs the investigation using a systematic approach of life cycle thinking. The negative environmental consequences of biodiesel fuels on climate change (global warming), ecosystem quality and human health are explored in detail. The study also identifies the total environmental impacts of using these biomass feedstocks. A comparative LCA study of technological processes identifies which biodiesel production process has the most and the fewest ecological impacts and energy requirements. Finally, this research develops advanced methods for biodiesel process economics such as process value at risk (VaR), to be used in assessing the performance of biodiesel systems. The stochastic modelling process and interdependence of a BN format help to investigate the most significant risk factors in the biodiesel process and operations. The results facilitate the decision-making process for new product development (NPD) and process development, especially at a large industrial scale. Applications of the proposed economic risk assessment framework along with an LCA study help to develop effective biodiesel policy-making by describing scientific uncertainties related to process economics and the environmental impact of biodiesel production technologies. In another arena of application, this thesis helps to develop a strategic decision-making process for supply chain management of biomass feedstock as well as biodiesel. It also enhances the biodiesel process-based risk informed decision-making process by incorporating techno-economic and life cycle accounting decisions.

Review of Enviromental, Economic and Policy Aspects of Biofuels

Review of Enviromental, Economic and Policy Aspects of Biofuels PDF Author: Deepak Rajagopal
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 0070904162
Category : Biomass energy
Languages : en
Pages : 109

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Book Description


The 9th International Conference on Energy and Environment Research

The 9th International Conference on Energy and Environment Research PDF Author: Nídia S. Caetano
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031435591
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 813

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Book Description
This is the 9th edition of the International Conference on Energy and Environment Research, ICEER 2022, took place in the middle of September, ISEP, Porto, Portugal (Hybrid). This book includes all the well-presented papers in ICEER 2022. The maturity of this conference series has now been reached, with a large number of participants from academia, as well as a few coming from the professional field. Linking together energy and environment research is not an easy task. However, it is now understood that these fields are interconnected and that the answer to the challenge of a sustainable future depends enormously on the willingness and capability of problem thinking in an integrated manner. This book presents the participants in ICEER 2022 contribution toward sustainability, through energy and environment research, thanks for all.

Waste Cooking Oil-to-biodiesel Conversion for Institutional Vehicular Applications

Waste Cooking Oil-to-biodiesel Conversion for Institutional Vehicular Applications PDF Author: David Elliot Frank
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biodiesel fuels
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
"Biodiesel is a renewable, sustainable, clean-burning biogenic fuel that can serve as a substitute for conventional ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD). Biodiesel is comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids and is produced via transesterification, whereby glycerin is separated from the fatty acid component of either an oil or fat. The full process yields the fatty acid methyl ester (biodiesel fuel) and glycerin, an economically valuable by-product. As part of a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Showcase Communities Grant to Monroe County, New York and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) was engaged to develop a closed-loop biodiesel production process system using the food service waste cooking oil stocks. Because the waste oil feedstock supply and fuel demand are internal within the institution, the system dynamics, economic feasibility, and environmental benefits versus the incumbent ultra-low sulfur diesel can be effectively quantified. Along with establishing quantitative metrics associated with quality of the fuel itself, the main goal of this part of a broader research program included utilizing the biodiesel fuel for campus vehicular applications. Ultimately, developing a robust waste-to-energy process within the system boundaries of the institution is the desired outcome, along with economic valuation, emissions testing, fuel quality metrics and standardization, life cycle assessment, and energy return on investment for the university's stakeholders. Through the execution of this project, two successful biodiesel batches were produced which met American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) quality standards for vehicle use. Lower heating value (LHV) measurement demonstrated comparable embodied energy content to earlier published data. In addition, cloud point measurements were taken to understand the performance of the fuel in cold weather conditions, and these metrics were also consistent with published data for biodiesel fuels. Through direct measurements of exhaust gas composition, overall reductions in greenhouse gas emissions were observed in two test vehicles. However, consistent with published data, there is evidence that emissions of nitrous oxides (NOx) may be higher with a 20% biodiesel blend (B20), depending on the specific vehicle and the type of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve technology employed. According to a life cycle assessment conducted on the closed-loop biodiesel production process, the cumulative energy demand (CED) was 752 MJ/100 km and the global warming potential (GWP) was 80.6 kg CO2-eq./100 km. Crude oil-based diesel contributes the most to the energy and environmental impact to the total combustion CED and GWP of a B20 fuel mixture, while the methanol component contributes the greatest energy and environmental impact to just the biodiesel component. The energy return on investment (EROI) was determined to vary depending on specific waste oil properties and processing conditions, with a value of 4.16 determined to be most representative of the developed conversion process. This demonstrates that waste cooking oil biodiesel production at RIT is net energy positive, and thus can reasonably contribute to the University's renewable energy and GHG emissions reduction goals. The closed-loop biodiesel process also presented a compelling economic case, with a total computed cost of $3.35/gallon (including a conservative estimate for production labor) well lower than the reported national prices of B100 at retail market."-Abstract.