How is Bio Diesel made?

How is Bio Diesel made?

source:http://www.neduet.edu.pk/environmental/Bio_Diesel_Online/index.htm

Bio Diesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for bio diesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products).

The main raw materials used for producing bio diesel are vegetable oils and animal fats.  Traditionally, edible oil was being used resulting in price hikes of essential food commodities.  Now, the impetus is towards the harnessing of plants that can yield non-edible vegetable oil for bio diesel production.  The additional benefits of such plants are that they can be reared on marginal land (this is very beneficial for a country such as Pakistan, which has about 65% of its landmass barren and uncultivated due to salinity and other harsh conditions).  The main plants that can be grown on such rough soil include jatropha curcas, castor bean, pongamia pinnata and others (including halophytes).  Photos of these plants are shown below along with their seeds from which non-edible vegetable oil could be obtained.

                  

           Jatropha Plant                                           Castor Plant

 

     

             Pongame Plant                                      Jatropha seeds

 

      

                Castor Seeds                                      Pongame Seeds

 

Main features of Jatropha Curcas and Castor bean plants are;

• Non-edible oil can be extracted.
• They can grow in waste lands and can consume less water.
• In cultivation, seed collection, oil extraction and bio diesel production large scale employment can be generated.
• The by products during bio diesel production i.e. Glycerin and seed cake (Oil extracted from them) can be used in soap, pharmaceutical and fertilizer industries.

The cost of 1000 Jatropha saplings (for one acre land) in Pakistan is around Rs.5000/= (Five Thousand Rupees).  One job is created for each acre of Jatropha plantation.  The maximum yield of Jatropha is around 1892 Litres/hectare and for Castor bean is around 1413 litres/hectare.  The field can be cultivated with Jatropha or castor plants on marginal land, because Pakistan is having 100 Million acres of barren land.  The approximate Jatropha oil yield is 12 tons of seeds/hectare/year (35% oil/seed, can be extracted) and Ricinus communis (castor bean) oil yield is around 8 tons of seeds/hectare/year (35% oil/seed).   The Jatropha cultivation has the potential to generate an income of Rs.25000/= (Twenty Five Thousand Rupees) per hectare per month.  Pongamia pinnata can also be grown on marginal land having good oil yield and the climatic conditions of Pakistan are favorable to them.

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