Biofuel (Bioenergy) 1.Services we need from energy (current sources or carriers of these services) Heat (natural gas, coal) Light (coal, natural gas, hydro/nuclear) Mobility (petroleum—97%, ethanol) 2.Our society literally stops without liquid fuels

2 12. The Renewable Fuels CO 2

3 11. The Fossil Fuels Carbon Dioxide at Atmosphere Oceans, lakes Roots Breathin g Fossil Fuels: Coal, Natural Gas, Oil Vegetable Garbage Soil and Organisms Breathing Animal Breathing Plants Breathing Plants Photosynthesi s Photosynthesis of AlgasAquatic Life Breathing

Environmental Issues Burning fossil fuels increases atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide Fossil fuels are a finite resource Graph taken from USF Oceanography webpage Biodiesel’s Closed Carbon Cycle 30% Increase

The Energy Problem How will society meet growing energy demands in a sustainable manner? Fossil-fuels currently supply ~80% of world energy demand.

Are Biofuels the Answer?...

Background Biofuels offer a potential way of using abundant agricultural resources to help reduce dependence on fossil fuel This can contribute to Improved energy security Reductions in net greenhouse gas emissions Possible lower cost

8 Not so Magic Answer: Ethanol Cheaper Today in Brazil! Ethanol $0.75/gal vs $1.60/gal

9 Why Ethanol? Multiple Issues, One Answer Cheaper fuel for consumers More energy security & diversified sources Higher farm incomes & rural employment Significant carbon emission reduction Faster GDP growth, Lower Imports & energy prices

Biofuel feedstocks Agricultural and forestry products: Grains -Corn, Wheat, Sorghum, Rice Sugar Cane Timber Production residues: Crop Residue Logging Residue Manure Processing products and by products: Corn Oil Rendered Animal Fat Milling Residue Energy crops: Switchgrass Willow Hybrid Poplar Not doing red items today

The Next Generation of Biofuels: Greenhouse-Neutral Biofuels from High-Diversity Low-Input Prairie Ecosystems

Energy Crops: Miscanthus 20 tons/acre? ( 1 years growth without replanting!

Learning from Current Biofuels: Ethanol from Corn and Biodiesel from Soybeans

Second Generation Biofuels: Cellulosic Feedstock… Switchgrass Wheat Straw Hybrid Poplar Corn Stalks Switchgrass Wheat Straw Hybrid Poplar Corn Stalks

Introduction: What is Biodiesel? A diesel fuel replacement produced from vegetable oils or animal fats through the chemical process of transesterification Mono-alkyl esters Biodiesel can be used in any diesel motor in any percent from 0-100% with little or no modifications to the engine

Bio-diesel Made by transforming animal fat or vegetable oil with alcohol. Fuel is made from rapeseed (canola) oil or soybean oil or recycled restaurant grease. Directly substituted for diesel either as neat fuel or as an oxygenate additive

Biodiesel: What is it not? Ethanol or E85 Unprocessed Vegetable Oil Mixtures of vegetable oil or alcohol with diesel fuel

Biodiesel Samples An alternative fuel that can be used in existing diesel engines Made from vegetable oil instead of petroleum (can also be made from any other type of oil, including animal fat) Only alternative fuel to meet health effect testing for the Clean Air Act Produces far less hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, particulate, and carbon dioxide emissions High flash point (>300F), biodegradable, essentially non- toxic.

Why make biodiesel? Diesel fuel injectors are not designed for viscous fuels like vegetable oil Glycerin (thick) Biodiesel

Chemistry of Triglycerides Biodiesel is made from the combination of a triglyceride with a monohydroxy alcohol (i.e. methanol, ethanol…). What is a triglyceride? Made from a combination of glycerol and three fatty acids:

Transesterification While actually a multi-step process, the overall reaction looks like this: CH2OOR1 catalyst CH2OH |  | CHOOR2 + 3CH3OH  3CH3OORx + CHOH | CH2OOR3 CH2OH Triglyceride 3 Methanols Biodiesel Glycerin R1, R2, and R3 are fatty acid alkyl groups (could be different, or the same), and depend on the type of oil. The fatty acids involved determine the final properties of the biodiesel (cetane number, cold flow properties, etc.)

The Chemistry of Biodiesel All fats and oils consist of triglycerides Glycerol/glycerine = alcohol 3 fatty acid chains (FA) Transesterification describes the reaction where glycerol is replaced with a lighter and less viscous alcohol e.g. Methanol or ethanol A catalyst (KOH or NaOH) is needed to break the glycerol-FA bonds

Biodiesel can be used in existing Diesel Engines Pure Biodiesel (B100) or blended with petroleum diesel (B20, BXX). Rudolf Diesel: peanut oil. Little or no engine modifications Use existing fuel distribution network. Available now

Use of biodiesel Alternative fuel for diesel engines Made from vegetable oil or animal fat Meets health effect testing (CAA) Lower emissions, High flash point (>300F), Safer Biodegradable, Essentially non-toxic. Chemically, biodiesel molecules are mono-alkyl esters produced usually from triglyceride esters Fatty Acid Alcohol Glycerin Vegetable Oil Biodiesel FA

Jatropha Biodiesel from Jatropha Seeds of the Jatropha nut is crushed and oil is extracted The oil is processed and refined to form bio-diesel.

Gaseous fuel Technology Gasification: A process that uses heat, pressure, and steam to convert materials directly into a gas composed primarily of carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Gasification Technology Gobar gas Production Biogas Synthesis gas Raw material for gas production

28 Genetic knowledge also used in biofuel production:Expanding Usable Acreage… Heat toleranceDrought tolerance Cold germination Drought recovery Salt tolerance Drought Inducible Promoters Plants problems

29 Increasing Tons per Acre… Increased biomass Shade tolerance Flowering time Photosynthetic Efficiency Stature control Herbicide tolerance Source: Company Presentations

Environmental Benefits Reduction of waste Extremely low emission of greenhouse gases compared to fossil fuels Ethanol is Carbon neutral and forms a part of the carbon cycle Growing variety of crops increases bio-diversity

E-Diesel Uses additives in order to allow blending of ethanol with diesel. Ethanol blends of 7.7% to 15% and up to 5% Additives that prevent the ethanol and diesel from separating at very low temperatures or if water contamination occurs.

Advantages of Biodiesel Biodegradable Non-toxic Favorable Emissions Profile Renewable Carbon Neutrality

Advantages of Biodiesel Requires no engine modifications (except replacing some fuel lines on older engines). Can be blended in any proportion with petroleum diesel fuel. High cetane number and excellent lubricity. Very high flashpoint (>300°F) Can be made from waste restaurant oils and animal fats

Climate Change Biodiesel has a (nearly) closed carbon cycle Biodiesel yields a 78% carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) reduction compared to petroleum diesel under life- cycle analysis. Biodiesel has the most favorable energy balance of any liquid fuel 3.2:1 for soy biodiesel

Soybeans Primary source for biodiesel production in U.S. Market value at $6.60 per bushel (60 lbs) in 2006, forcast for $ Approximately 75.5 million acres of soybeans in production (2006) Approximately 2 billion gallons of oil produced annually Large, diverse market demand reduces availability for biodiesel Meal valuable for livestock

Canola/Rapeseed Rapeseed is a member of the mustard family Canola is a variety of rapeseed bred to have low levels of erucic acid and glucosinolates (both of which are undesireable for human consumption) Both spring and winter varieties grown Depends on geographical location Winter crop in NC Good oil yield Premium cold flow properties 70% of feedstock for EU biodiesel production

Sunflowers Wide geographical range for production Market value is high for edible oil and seeds, birdseeds $ per lb. market value Second largest biodiesel feedstock in the EU

Peanuts Nearly 15% of peanuts are crushed for oil use in U.S. Value range of $ per lb. of peanut depending on state, variety, production system (higher for organic) $.50 per gallon of oil obtained (on average) Market value for premium quality edible oil currently constrains use in commercial biodiesel production Production limited to southern regions of U.S. Research on “industrial” peanuts-not suitable for human consumption- being conducted at the University of Georgia Will potentially make peanuts more economically feasible as biodiesel source

Camelina Camelina sativa is a member of mustard family Summer annual crop suited to grow in semi-arid climates and northern U.S. Research on variety development and economic feasibility are being conducted at Montana State, North Dakota State, and Purdue University The cost of camelina-based biodiesel would likely be $2 per gallon compared to 3$ per gallon for soy-based Variable and fixed costs are 1/3 - 1/4 the cost of canola $45 to $68 per acre

Other oil crops Algae NREL Study ( ) investigated using algae as a biofuel feedstock Theoretical yields of 10,000 gallons/acre 250 times greater than soybean oil GreenFuel Technologies – promising Oil Palm Up to 500 gallons/acre yield The most widely produced oil outside of the USA. Fruit grows in bunches, each weighing lbs. Poor cold weather performance

Disadvantages of biodiesel Lower Energy Content 8% fewer BTU’s per gallon, but also higher cetane #, lubricity, etc. Poor cold weather performance This can be mitigated by blending with diesel fuel or with additives, or using low gel point feedstocks such as rapeseed/canola. Stability Concerns Biodiesel is less oxidatively stable than petroleum diesel fuel. Old fuel can become acidic and form sediments and varnish. Additives can prevent this. Scalability Current feedstock technology limits large scalability

Summary Alternative fuels and energy sources are an issue of increasing importance - not only among the scientific and engineering community, but also in economics and public policy. Alternatives need to be compared on scientific and economic terms - which is not done well in the media. Alternative fuels and energy sources provide an excellent opportunity to introducing a variety of science topics, and increasing student interest in those topics. Science and engineering fields are increasingly disciplinary - lessons on biodiesel can demonstrate that clearly, by showing the overlapping of biology, chemistry, and physics in studying this and other alternative fuels. It can also demonstrate to students that science is not independent of economics, and advancements in science can yield considerable benefit to the general public (i.e. shifting from petroleum fuels to domestically produced biofuels would create millions of jobs, improve our economy, reduce pollution enormously, and eliminate a key strategic concern for all countries - the dependence on foreign fuels).