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The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time. Rudolph Diesel, 1912
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Biodiesel sales are booming in Texas, the country's largest producer of biodiesel transportation fuel. Texas has a current production capacity of over 100 million gallons per year. As of 2008, Texas has more than 20 commercial biodiesel plants with
additional plants under construction or being expanded,
as well as over 50 retail biodiesel fueling
sites. Austin has the highest
number of biodiesel fueling stations of any city in the nation. See biodiesel fueling stations in Texas.
In June 2008, the largest biodiesel refinery in the United States, the GreenHunter Energy plant, opened at the Houston Ship Channel and eventually will produce 105 million gallons per year. The new facility is able to produce biodiesel from animal fats, vegetable oils, or a blend of the two, with zero emissions. |
![Houston's biodiesel plant](Images/re_biodiesel-plant-houston.jpg) |
Biodiesel is a domestically produced alternative diesel fuel. It can be used in its pure form (B100) or blended at any ratio with petroleum diesel for economy and improved cold weather performance. Since B100 costs more than diesel, blends are common. Most biodiesel is sold as B20, a blend that is 80 percent conventional diesel. Large trucks, buses, boats and power generation equipment require diesel engines, and B20 fuel can be used in these engines without modification. B20 is easy and inexpensive for a fueling station to sell because it can be stored in diesel tanks and pumped with diesel equipment.
Biodiesel can also be used to generate electricity, which can be used
on site or transmitted through the power grid, just
like electricity derived from any other source. For a biodiesel overview, see the Biodiesel Overview in the Texas Comptroller's 2008 energy report.
Biodiesel is actually an alcohol ester of vegetable oil processed from vegetable oil or animal fat by combining the oil with alcohol in a process called transestrification, a necessary process before vegetable oil can be used in most diesel engines.
Raw or refined vegetable oil, or recycled greases that have not been processed into biodiesel, are not biodiesel and should be avoided.
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![a hand holding a beaker of soy oil](Images/re_biodiesel-beaker.jpg) |
Government incentives along with fluctuating oil prices, higher diesel fuel prices, energy security and environmental issues have made biodiesel production profitable, resulting in the rapid expansion of the industry. Biodiesel also furthers the rural farm economy by creating markets for crops such as soybeans and cottonseed. In 2004,there were 22 plants nationwide with a capacity to produce 157 million gallons of fuel. Today,there are 105 plants capable of producing 864 million gallons of biodiesel. The National Biodiesel Board (NBB) map below shows the locations of these plants (the blue circles indicate BQ-9000 accredited producers).
NBB map of 105 biodiesel plants in February 2007 |
2008 U.S. Farm Bill
In May, 2008, the U.S. Congress passed the Food, Conservation,
and Energy Act of 2008, the new farm bill that will accelerate the commercialization of advanced biofuels, including cellulosic ethanol, encourage the production of biomass crops, and expand the current Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program. Section 9003 provides for grants covering up to 30% of the cost of developing and building demonstration-scale biorefineries for producing "advanced biofuels," which essentially includes all fuels that are not produced from corn kernel starch. It also allows for loan guarantees of up to $250 million for building commercial-scale biorefineries to produce advanced biofuels. For bill details, see this DOE article.
Biodiesel Infrastructure
Fleet managers interested in using alternative fuel vehicles
(AFVs) need to carefully consider what it will take to install
the proper fueling infrastructure to meet their needs. There
are many things to consider when building alternative fueling
infrastructure, such as codes and standards, the right fueling
appliances, safety standards, and employee training. The U.S.
Department of Energy web site, Biodiesel
Infrastructure Development Resources, provides
an overview of safety issues, equipment, and standards. Related
links, contacts, success stories, and tips for getting started
are also featured.
Biodiesel Feedstocks
Because the United States is the largest producer of soybeans in the world, most U.S. biodiesel is made from soybean oil or yellow grease, primarily recycled vegetable cooking oil from restaurants.
In Texas, the most common feedstocks are soybean, cottonseed, palm, and canola. Biodiesel can be made from other oils and fats as well, such as corn, mustard, coconut, peanut, olive, hemp, sesame, sunflower, and safflower oils, and oils produced from algae, fungi, bacteria, molds, and yeast.
Although Texas is the country's largest producer of biodiesel
and its climate and soil conditions are well suited for growing
crops that could eventually end up in biodiesel production,
Texas biodiesel producers import much of the feedstocks used
in their refineries. Texas is a minor producer of soybeans,
they are the preferred feedstock for most
Texas biodiesel producers. As the price of soybeans
continues to increase, and local access to soybeans
in Texas remains limited, Texas biodiesel producers
are looking to alternative feedstocks such as
other oilseed crops and used cooking oil. Since
most soybean supplies are shipped to Texas from
the Midwest, Texas biodiesel producers are trying to cut costs by using local feedstocks that do not have to be shipped for long distances.
In April 2006, the Biodiesel Coalition
of Texas (BCOT)
appeared before the Texas House Committee on Agriculture and
Livestock to discuss the potential contributions of Texas
agriculture to biodiesel feedstocks and to suggest ways that
the legislature can encourage Texas biodiesel producers to
use Texas agricultural products in their refineries. BCOT members advocate the development of native Texas crops
such as cottonseed and sunflower seed oil. Canola,
another Texas native plant, is also being considered as a
possible biodiesel energy crop for the Panhandle and Northeast
Texas.
Currently, Texas A&M University is working with Galveston Bay Biodiesel to develop and commercialize new biodiesel feedstock technologies as options to soybean and canola feedstocks.
Algae for Biodiesel
It's hard not to get excited about algae's potential. Its basic requirements are few: carbon dioxide, sun, and water. Algae can flourish in non-arable land or in dirty water, and when it does flourish, its potential oil yield per acre is unmatched by any other terrestrial feedstock. Paul Dickerson, U.S. Department of Energy, EERE 2008
Algae grow rapidly and can have a high percentage of lipids, or oils which conventional petroleum refineries can convert into jet fuel or diesel fuel—a product known as “green diesel.” Algae organisms use energy from the sun to
combine water with carbon dioxide (CO2) to create biomass. They can double their mass several times a day and produce at least 15 times more oil per acre than alternatives such as rapeseed, palms, soybeans, or jatropha. As the slime grows, it makes a kind of vegetable oil, similar to the oil produced from sunflower seeds or soybeans.
Because algae can grow under severe conditions — extremes of
temperature, pH and salinity, algae-growing facilities can be built on arid coastal land unsuitable for conventional agriculture. Key technical challenges include identifying the strains with the highest oil content and growth rates and developing cost-effective growing and harvesting methods.
The hard part about algae production is growing the algae in a controlled way and harvesting it efficiently. Most companies pursuing algae as a source of biofuels are pumping nutrient-laden water through plastic tubes (called "bioreactors") that are exposed to sunlight.
NREL & Chevron Collaborate on Algae
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research facility laboratory for biofuels research and development. NREL's genetic engineering work has produced algae with a high lipid content that can be used as a source
of biodiesel fuel. In October 2007 NREL and Chevron announced that they have entered into a collaborative research and development agreement to produce biofuels from algae. Under the agreement, Chevron and NREL scientists will collaborate to identify and develop algae strains that can be economically harvested and processed into transportation fuels such as jet fuel. See the NREL press release. Shell is another oil company that is exploring the potential of algae. See the Shell press release.
Algae Crude Oil & Gasoline
Sapphire Energy announced in May 2008 that it has produced "green" gasoline from a synthetic crude oil made from algae. The algae yield a crude oil replacement that is literally green, and according to the company, the "green crude" meets fuel quality standards and is completely compatible with the existing petroleum infrastructure, from refinement through distribution to retail suppliers. Gasoline produced from the green crude achieved a 91 octane rating while meeting fuel quality standards. Sapphire Energy considers the achievement to be at the forefront of an entirely new industrial category, called "green crude production." See the Sapphire Energy press release and its companion Web site, Green Crude Production.
Green Star Announces Algae Breakthrough
In May 2008 , Green Star Products announced its development of a micronutrient formula to increase the growth rate of algae. According to the company, its new formula can increase the daily growth rate by 34% and can double the amount of algae produced in one growth cycle. See the Green Star Products press release.
Texas Algae
El Paso Algae Farm
Like all plants, algae require carbon dioxide, water with nutrients and sunlight for growth. El Paso, with almost unlimited year-round sunshine, is the ideal location for growing a clean, green algae. Valcent Products has commissioned the world's first commercial-scale bioreactor pilot project at its El Paso test facility.
Valcent and Global Green Solutions are collaborating in a joint venture named Vertigro to extract non-polluting biodiesel fuel from algae. Vertigro's algae-growing process uses 10-foot-long water-filled plastic bags suspended in a greenhouse-like setting in the desert to grow the algae.
According to Vertigo, the bioreactor system can be deployed on non-arable land, requires very little water due to its closed circuit process, does not incur significant labor costs and does not employ fossil fuel burning equipment, unlike traditional food/biofuel crops such as soy and palm oil. Vertigro hopes to begin producing enough biodiesel to sell commercially by mid to late 2008. For an excellent, descriptive presentation of the growing of algae, see this Vertigro video.
Algae for Jet Fuel
South Texas will be home to a proposed research and development program to develop algae derived
JP8 jet fuel. The project will be part of PetroSun’s initial commercial algae-to-biofuels facility in Rio
Hondo, Texas. The algae farm is estimated to produce at least 4.4 million gallons of algal oil and 110
million pounds of biomass annually. See this Marketwire article, PetroSun Issues Algae-to-Biofuels Corporate Updates.
Additional Resources
Biodiesel Retail Fueling Sites in Texas
This is a National Biodiesel Board (NBB) web site.
Biodiesel Fueling Stations in Texas
As Reported by the U.S. Department of Energy,
November 2007. The DOE web site gives detailed instructions on how to use their Alternative Fueling Station Locator.
Biodiesel Distributors in Texas
This is a National Biodiesel Board (NBB) web site.
Map of Retail Fueling Sites Nationwide
This is an NBB interactive map.
Historical Biodiesel Production Chart: 1999-2006
THis is an NBB graph illustrating biodiesel production
New Biodiesel Standard Allows Automaker Approval of 20% Blends June 2008
ASTM International, one of the largest standards development organizations in the world, has approved a new specification for diesel fuel blends containing 6%-20% biodiesel. According to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), ASTM standards for the 20% biodiesel blends, or B20, are a crucial hurdle for the full acceptance of the use of such blends in diesel vehicles. With the new specification in place, automakers and engine manufacturers can test B20 in their diesel engines and know that consumers will be fueling their vehicle with a fuel of the same quality. While setting the new B20 standard, ASTM International also made changes to its specifications for B5 and for 100% biodiesel, or B100.
Updated Labeling Requirements for Diesel Fuels wtih Renewable Fuel Blends June 2008
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to set labeling requirements that address the blending of biodiesel and other types of biomass-based diesel fuels into diesel fuel. Some companies are converting biomass such as animal fats directly into a liquid with the properties of diesel fuel, a product that blurs the lines between biodiesel and diesel fuel. At first, the FTC proposed to treat all renewable diesel fuels the same, but the NBB warned that not all biomass-based diesel fuels would necessarily meet the ASTM standards required by automakers for diesel fuels. On the other hand, biomass-based diesel fuels that meet ASTM standards could be used in much higher concentrations than biodiesel, which is usually limited to 20% biodiesel blends for standard diesel vehicles. Considering those comments, the FTC decided to set separate labeling requirements for biodiesel blends and biomass-based diesel fuel blends. See the final ruling.
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