Production of Renewable Diesel Fuel From Biologically Based Feedstocks. Final Project Report

摘要

The biodiesel industry has been a rapidly growing industry. Production in the United States has increased from 2 million gallons in 2000 to 1.1 billion gallons in 2012 (Prater et al., 2013). Biodiesel is comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids that are typically derived from renewable energy sources, such as plant oils and animal fats (ASTM, 2012). Compared to petroleum diesel fuel, biodiesel has a number of attractive advantages, such as reduced emissions, high cetane number, low toxicity and excellent lubricity (Narasimharao et al., 2007). However, biodiesel has some drawbacks. One of them is its high oxygen content which leads to lower energy content, limiting its uses in applications that require high energy density.