John Nowatzki, a North Dakota State University Extension Service agricultural machine systems specialist, says that using biodiesel in diesel engines helps reduce harmful emissions.

“With the increasing availability of biodiesel for both on- and off-road use in diesel engines, there also is increasing interest in the effect of its use on the environment,” he says.

In 2002, the EPA conducted a comprehensive analysis of biodiesel impacts on exhaust emissions and found that tailpipe emissions from engines using biodiesel are significantly lower than the emissions from similar engines operated on petroleum diesel.  Particulate matter, hydrocarbon emissions, and carbon monoxide emissions from engines using biodiesel were all less than those using petroleum diesel.

“The pollutant that is more serious from engines operated on biodiesel, compared with petroleum, is nitrogen oxide,” Nowatzki says. “Nitrogen oxide emissions are about 10 percent higher using biodiesel. Reducing nitrogen oxide emissions is a crucial component of EPA’s strategy for cleaner air and reducing acid rain. There is an effort to modify diesel engine combustion and exhaust systems to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.”

CO2 emissions are similar from engines operated on biodiesel or petroleum diesel, but the CO2 produced from burning petroleum diesel and emitted to the atmosphere comes from sources long sequestered in the earth. Oil seed crops actually take carbon from the atmosphere during their growth cycles and store that carbon in the ground.

“When comparing the total life cycle of carbon emissions from the two fuels, petroleum diesel has a more negative effect on the environment,” Nowatzki says. “A study of the biodiesel and petroleum diesel life cycles jointly found that because biodiesel production requires such small amounts of fossil fuel, its CO2 life cycle emissions are much lower than those of petroleum diesel. Biodiesel reduces net CO2 emissions by more than 78 percent compared with petroleum diesel. A primary conclusion of the study is that displacing petroleum diesel with biodiesel in urban buses is an extremely effective strategy for reducing CO2 emissions.”  The aforementioned study was conducted by the USDA and Department of Energy.

Last Thursday, Missouri’s Senate, seeking to boost alternative fuels production and consumption, endorsed a biofuel mandate and new tax breaks for motorists who pump ethanol or biodiesel fuels into their gas tanks.

The bill endorsed last week would apply a 5% biodiesel mandate to diesel fuel sold in Missouri beginning in April, 2009 - unless the price of ethanol exceeds the price of traditional diesel.  Sen. Bill Stouffer is sponsoring the legislation, which received first-round Senate approval.

Also receiving preliminary approval was a bill by Sen. Luann Ridgeway granting a variety of tax breaks, including income tax credits up to $20,000 or 20% of the cost - whichever is less - for gas stations that install tanks and pumps for alternative fuels.  In addition, beginning in 2008, Missouri residents who buy a hybrid vehicle could claim an income tax credit of up to $1,500 or 10% of the purchase price - whichever is less - and in 2008 only, Missouri would waive the sales tax for purchases of E-85-equipped vehicles. 

Already in place in Missouri is a law mandating that most Missouri-sold gasoline contain a 10% ethanol blend beginning next January - as long as its price is cheaper than regular gasoline.

The bill, according to the Associated Press, is generally supported by Missouri’s agriculture community, which is supplying more corn and soybeans to new ethanol and biodiesel production plants proliferating throughout the state.
 

Brazil’s budding biodiesel program will be more reliant on soy farmers than anyone else, the local Estado newswire reported Monday.

Tamara Dvoskin, a biodiesel specialist from international consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, says that 89% of Brazils current biodiesel production is being made from soyoil. The rest is made from castor and palm seed oils.  Brazil’s biodiesel market will remain local, she says, with small volumes being made available to export. The same model is used for the Brazil ethanol market, where some 3.5 billion liters are exported while 16.5 billion liters are used domestically.

Dvoskin said Brazil is fast becoming a focal point of alternative fuels worldwide, due to its relatively low production costs and technical know-how: “Brazil already has the infrastructure to produce biodiesel, contrary to other countries in Latin America.”

The soy industry has been arguing for the same incentives given small family farmers in the Northeast, who get tax breaks for raising castor beans and palm for biodiesel producers.  “Without these subsidies it would be impossible for Brazil to truly develop its biodiesel sector,” Dvoskin said.

The Doe Fund, a nonprofit group that provides jobs to the homeless and newly released convicts, quietly started a program called Resource Recovery to collect used cooking oil for conversion into biodiesel.

At no costs to local restaurants, Doe Fund workers in their trademark blue uniforms will pick up the used cooking oil, which is then turned into premium-grade biodiesel.

Biodiesel, which is 100% organic, is often combined with petroleum diesel to create a cleaner, greener fuel and is characterized by emissions that are 70% lower in carbon dioxide and particulate matter than traditional fuel. The emissions also commonly smell like french fries, which is nice.

“Resource Recovery is one of several micro-business ventures developed by the Doe Fund,” the Doe Fund said in a statement. “We’ll be happy to provide more details on this exciting project when it’s ready to launch.”  The program officially kicked off in December, so this quote is a bit comfusing.

 
According to the Doe Fund, Resource Recovery is licensed, insured and follows all environmental regulations.

Biodiesel users in cold climates need to understand the effects of low temperatures on biodiesel and biodiesel blends in diesel engines. Two characteristics, the cloud point and the cold filter plugging point (CFPP), commonly characterize the low temperature operability of diesel fuel and are equally important with biodiesel.

The cloud point is the temperature of the fuel at which small, solid crystals are visually observed as the fuel cools. CFPP is the temperature at which a fuel will cause a fuel filter to plug due to fuel components that have begun to crystallize or gel.

Commercially available biodiesel generally is a blend of petroleum diesel and biodiesel. Common blends are B2, B5, B10 and B20, with the numbers indicating the percentage of biodiesel in the blend. Studies funded by the National Biodiesel Board indicate that blends of B2 or B5 have minimal or no effect on cold-flow properties of the finished blend.

B20 that is not treated with anti-gelling additives freezes about 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit faster than No. 2 petroleum diesel, depending on the cold-flow properties of the biodiesel and the cold-flow properties of the petroleum diesel.

In cold-weather situations, biodiesel and No. 2 diesel can be mixed with No. 1 diesel to reduce the temperature at which gelling will occur. Biodiesels made from various crop oils have unique cold-weather characteristics that can vary up or down by as much as 5 degrees.

The cloud point of soybean biodiesel is about 30 degrees, while the cloud point for No. 1 diesel is about minus 35 degrees. Usually, when the fuel nears the cloud point temperature, changes will need to be made to the fuel, such as the addition of anti-gel additives or No. 1 diesel fuel. Otherwise, filters will clog and stop the engine.

Mixing No.1 diesel fuel with biodiesel will help reduce most fuel gelling problems.

Other measures may include the addition of fuel-line heaters or in-tank fuel heaters, along with the use of anti-gel additives. Insulating the fuel filters and fuel lines from the cold also will help. These measures should eliminate most cold-weather operational problems associated with biodiesel.

The above recommendations assume that the fuels meet American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications. ASTM is the recognized standard-setting body for fuels and additives in the U.S. ASTM has adopted a specification for biodiesel with the designation ASTM D 6751. This specification covers pure biodiesel (B100) for blending with petroleum diesel at levels up to 20 percent by volume. The ASTM specification for petroleum diesel is ASTM D 975.

Biodiesel that meets the American Society of Testing and Materials specifications is a safe and reliable fuel that can be used in most diesel engines, but it is important to check with engine manufacturers about any impact of biodiesel use on engine warranties.