What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a safe, non-toxic, biodegradable, and renewable fuel that can easily be used in unmodified diesel engines. 

Fuel markets that can benefit from biodiesel include bus and truck fleets, heavy equipment, diesel cars and boats, electric generators and oil furnaces. 

Biodiesel is produced by chemically re-acting an alcohol with vegetable based oils, animal fats, or waste cooking oils, in the presence of a catalyst.  This process removes the glycerine from the oil in order to make it less viscous, or thick, enabling it to be used in any unmodified diesel engine.

Unmatched Energy Balance

The primary method for evaluating a potential transportation fuel is to examine its overall energy balance or EROI (Energy Return of Investment).  The energy balance measures the units of energy yielded for each unit of energy required to produce the fuel.  A low energy balance means that almost as much energy was used to refine, produce and transport the fuel as was returned as fuel energy.

Many fuels have a negative energy balance meaning it takes more units of energy to produce the fuel than it returns in units of fuel energy. 

For every unit of energy needed to produce biodiesel, at least 3.2 units (for virgin soybean crops) of energy are returned.  This ratio is the highest energy balance ratio of any alternative fuel.  If recycled oils are used the energy balance ratio is much higher.

Performance

Biodiesel’s naturally high lubricity value extends engine life by reducing wear and tear on components that come into contact with the fuel.  In fact, a biodiesel blend as low as 2% improves petroleum diesel's lubricity as much as 65% .  This fact will significantly increase biodiesel’s profile in September of 2006 when new ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) regulations come into effect.  During the process of removing the sulphur from diesel, the natural lubricity properties are removed as well, necessitating the addition of a lubricity additive.  Biodiesel is the most beneficial and simple to use lubricity additive available.

Biodiesel’s higher cetane rating results in improved combustibility, a smoother running engine and quieter operation.

Millions of km’s of on road testing indicate that biodiesel offers comparable horsepower, torque, range, and fuel consumption to petroleum diesel.

Ease of Use

Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine with little or no modifications.  Biodiesel uses existing diesel refueling infrastructure, and can be splash blended at any ratio with petroleum diesel.  Biodiesel blends are referred to as BXX, whereas XX equals the biodiesel portion of the fuel.  B2, B5 and B20 are the most common blends used in North America.

Biodiesel Benefits

Why Biodiesel?

Transportation has proven to be a difficult sector for viable GHG emission reductions, however it is one of the largest emitters.

Canada’s 2003 Climate Change Plan states:

“The transportation sector accounts for about one quarter of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions and is a major contributor to smog in our urban areas.  Approximately 70% of GHG emissions from transportation are a result of people driving cars and goods being moved by truck, and two-thirds of these emissions are generated within urban areas.”

Biodiesel offers a significant potential solution.

Safety

Transport Canada endorses biodiesel as a non-hazardous and non-flammable material for transportation and storage purposes, the only fuel that has received this designation.

Biodiesel is non toxic.  Ten times less toxic than table salt.

Biodiesel biodegrades about four times faster than petroleum diesel.  Within 28 days, pure biodiesel degrades 85-88% in water.  In fact, biodiesel actually accelerates the biodegradability of petroleum diesel.  A B20 blend biodegrades twice as fast as diesel alone.

The flashpoint of a fuel is defined as the temperature at which it will ignite when exposed to a spark or flame.  Biodiesel’s flash point is over 150° Celsius, well above petroleum based diesel fuel’s flash point of 51° Celsius.

Human Health Impact

Diesel engines account for 79% of all particulate matter emitted by vehicles. Their emissions consist of a wide range of organic and inorganic compounds produced during the gaseous and exhaust phases.  These particles have hundreds of chemicals absorbed onto their surfaces, including many known, and suspected, mutagens and carcinogens.  92% of these particulates are less than 1.0 microns by mass, making them fully respirable.

80 percent of the total cancer risk from all hazardous air pollutants is associated with the inhalation of diesel exhaust.  It is estimated that as many as 13,800 Canadians/year will develop critical cancer over their lifetimes as a result of direct exposure to this diesel fine particulate matter over a period of time.  Others will develop acute and chronic health problems. Also in Canada, 11.2% of children now have asthma, up significantly from the 1979 figure of 2.5 %, and steadily rising.

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have completed the rigorous Health Effects Testing requirements of the U.S. Clean Air Act.  A significant reduction of harmful air-borne particulate matters in the atmosphere can reduce cancers and respiratory illnesses.

The Future of Biodiesel

Biodiesel is used extensively in Europe.  In 2004, Europe produced 2 billion litres.  Germany and Austria together have over 1700 filling stations where biodiesel has been sold mostly in its pure B100 form.  Biodiesel is the fastest growing alternative fuel in many parts of the world, especially in the United States.

In their Climate Change Action Plan, the Government of Canada has indicated full support for biodiesel by stating a production goal of 500 million litres per year by the year 2010.  In the 2003 budget, the Government of Canada exempted biodiesel from the federal excise tax when used as a motive fuel or blended with regular diesel fuel.  As of July 1^st, 2004, the Province of BC has exempted biodiesel from provincial motor fuel taxes in blends between 5% and 50%.  For more details on the provincial tax exemption for biodiesel, click here.

Together these incentives will assist the biodiesel industry to develop commercial production in BC.  Only commercial production will eliminate the two major barriers that inhibit wide scale adoption of biodiesel in BC; price and security of supply. 

Emissions Reductions

Biodiesel is a renewable or carbon-neutral fuel.  This means that the carbon dioxide created by the fuel during combustion is reabsorbed by the plant that the fuel is derived from.  Compared to #2 petroleum diesel biodiesel creates up to a 90% reduction in lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions.  At the tailpipe, biodiesel creates significant emissions reductions including a 67% reduction in unburned hydrocarbons, 48% reduction in carbon monoxide, 47% reduction in particulate matter, 100% reduction in sulphur, 80% reduction in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and a 90% reduction in nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.