Concept of Biofuel

 A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through

contemporary processes from biomass, rather than
a fuel produced by the very slow geological
processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels,
such as oil.
 The word biofuel is usually reserved for liquid or
gaseous fuels, used for transportation.
Biofuel is a type of renewable energy source
derived from microbial, plant, or animal materials.
 Biofuel feedstocks
1. Starch feedstocks
2. Sugar feedstocks
3. Lignocellulosic Feedstocks
4. Plant Oils and Animal Fats
5. Miscellaneous feedstocks

• Animal manures and municipal solid wastes have been used to

generate methane for on-farm and municipality energy uses.
• Fuel ethanol has been produced commercially using plant-
derived starch and sugar feedstocks.
 Starch feedstocks

Cereal Grains Other Grains Tuber and Roots

1. Corn 1. Pearl millet 1. Cassava

2. Wheat 2. Sweet Potato
3. Barley
4. Sorghum
5. Oat
6. Rice
Sugar Feedstocks

1. Sugarcane
2. Sugar Beet
Lignocellulosic Feedstocks

1. Forest Products & Residues

2. Agricultural Residues
3. Agricultural processing by-products
4. Dedicated Energy Crops
Plant Oils Animal Oil

1. Soybean Oil 1. Beef Tallow

2. Rapeseed Oil
Miscellaneous Feedstocks

1. Animal Waste
2. Municipal Solid waste
 1. Biodiesel
• Biodiesel, an alternative diesel fuel, is made from re new able
biological sources such as vegetable oils and animal fats.
• Similar to biodiesel fuel in structure (straight chain) and
number of carbon atoms (10 to 21). The Biodiesel can be
prepared by Trans esterification.
• Biodiesel is a variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels derived
from natural, renewable biological sources such as vegetable
oils.
• Biodiesel operates in compression ignition engines like
petroleum diesel thereby requiring no essential engine
modifications.
• Unlike fossil cell, pure biodiesel is biodegradable, non-
toxic and essentially free of sulphur and aromatics .
Has gained good reputation in the catalogue of
renewable energy. Produce reduced toxic emission
and can be blended with diesel and used in
conventional engines too.
Characteristics of Biodiesel
• Liquid varying in colour
• Immiscible in water
• High boiling point of 360-640°F (182-338°C)
• Specific gravity between 0.86 & 0.90
• Vapour density > 1
• Less hazardous in terms of flammability
Production of Biodiesel
• Biodiesel produced by trans esterification (also called as
alcoholysis) is the reaction of fat or oil with an alcohol to
form esters and glycerol.
• Usually a catalyst is used to mediate the reaction and bring
out quicker reaction rate :-
1. Acid catalyst
2. Base catalyst
3. Enzyme catalyst.
• After trans-esterification of triglycerides, the products are a
mixture of esters, glycerol, alcohol, catalyst and tri-, di- and
mono-glycerides.
Pathway of production of Biodiesel
Trans-esterification :- Biodiesel was produced in the lab
through the trans-esterification reaction, in which
vegetable oil and waste frying oil were separately reacted
with methanol in the presence of an alkali catalyst (sodium
methoxide) to form methyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerol.
• This process is usually carried out by heating an excess of
the alcohol with vegetable oils under different reaction
conditions in the presence of an inorganic catalyst.
• Biodiesel feedstock include vegetable oils and waste frying
oils, which contain triglycerides that are needed to make
biodiesel.
• The use of this raw material can give a solution from
an environmental and economic point of view mainly
waste vegetable oil is used for this purpose because it
contains high amount of free fatty acids can be easily
obtained from nearby restaurants, coffee cafe etc. at
cheaper rate.

• Soybean, castor, sunflower, groundnut, rice bran,

cotton oil are the vegetable oil either used or unused
one can be employed to obtain biodiesel .
Traits of algae for biodiesel production

• High growth rate and productivity

• High lipid content
• Easy to grow and harvest
• Rapid and relatively cheap
• Seaweeds (i.e., macro-algae) have proven difficult
to handle/harvest in abundance and tend to have
very low oil content than micro-algae
(i.e., unicellular algae) are best.
• Benefits of algae in biodiesel production :- Higher
yield of oil/acre.When grown in 'closed containers' have
near zero water use. Can be grown in fresh or salt water
• No waste
• Up to 70% of algae biomass is usable oils to produce
biodiesel .
• Less Land is Required . More biomass is obtained Contains
higher concentrations of lipids than terrestrial plants.
• Non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, biodegradable,
transportation fuel so spills or leaking underground fuel
tanks will not damage the environment.
 Oil extraction from algea for production of
biodiesel
• We can extract oil from algae in a three ways :-
1)pressing oil from algae
2)chemical extraction
3)super critical oil extraction

1) pressing oil from algae :- dry the algae and press the oil
from it .
• while drying must prevent the algae from becoming
contaminated ,
• can retrieve up to 70% of the oil. cheapest and simplest method.
2) Chemical oil extraction:- use hexane solvents
to remove the oil. Hexane is a neurotoxin must be
careful when using , removes oil out of almost all
things.

3) Super critical oil extraction :- most efficient

method , uses carbon dioxide at
critical pressure and temperature (CO2 is
almost a liquid). Rapid diffusion of the oil.
very expensive process.
 Trans-esterification
• An efficient way to make biodiesel fuel .Algae can be
turned into a fuel by trans-esterification. Normally
done with ethanol with sodium ethanolate as the
catalyst.

• Ethanol is reacted with the algal oil .End product of

this reaction are hence BIODIESEL, glycerol ,sodium
ethanolate.
Advantages of biodiesel
• Biodiesel is environment friendly.
• It can help reduce dependency on foreign oil.
• It helps to lubricate the engine itself, decreasing engine
wear.
• It can be used in almost any diesel with little or no
engine modification.
• It is safer than conventional diesel.
• Less global warming.
Disadvantages of biodiesel
• Biodiesel is not suitable for use in Low
Temperatures.
• Biodiesel could harm the rubber houses of some
Engines,
• Clogging in Engine.
• Slightly decreases fuel economy,
• Cost varies according to feedstock used and market
conditions.
Application of biodiesel
Railway usage
Aircraft use
As a heating oil
Cleaning oil spills
Biodiesel in generators
Vehicles
2.Ethanol production
• The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the universal
organism for fuel ethanol production using starch
and sugar feedstocks. The sugars that are
metabolisable by this organism include glucose,
fructose, mannose, galactose, sucrose, maltose, and
maltotriose. Ethanol production by S. cerevisiae is
carried out via the gylcolytic pathway.
• Zymomonas mobilis is considered the most effective
organism for production of ethanol. It can produce
ethanol at much faster rates than S. cerevisiae.
• Ethanol fuel is ethyl alcohol, the same type of
alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, used as fuel. It
is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a
biofuel additive for gasoline.

• Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy that can

be produced from agricultural feedstocks. It can be
made from very common crops such as hemp,
sugarcane, potato, cassava and corn.
 Processing steps of ethanol
production
Malting :- Seeds are moistened & allowed to
sprout, These seeds are powdered & the powder is
called malt
• Malt :- Grains are milled to expose the starch ,
Material is ground as fine as possible . But the fine
flour is difficult to remove in distillation process.
Cooking (preparation of mash) :- Starch is liquefied by
boiling under pressure to dissolve the water soluble starches.
Always done with steam under pressure at 100°c . Use less
water during cooking & water may be added to dilute the
mash so cooling time may be saved .
• New method :- Milling & cooking in one operation, without
use of water . The cooked malt is called mash.
 Conversion :- Conversion of starch to fermentable sugar
(Maltose) by certain enzymes in the malt or by acid hydrolysis.
• Commercially available enzyme extracts :-
1) α amylase - produce dextrose
2) β amylase - produce maltose.
3) Gluco amylase - reduce the remaining starch
Mash cooling :-Mash is cooled after conversion
& PH is checked. Cooling coils are used for cooling.
Cooling time is reduced as much as possible .
 Fermentation :-Batch fermentation is
commonly employed. With in 12 days yeast
produce 10% ethanol , when the process carried
out at 35- 38°c , pH 4-4.5 , 80% cells were
removed in separator and brought back again into
fermenter. When the high quality molasses is
used, the max yield is 95%.PH was adjusted to 5
with H2SO4 . Fermentation temperature set at
35°c. After fermentation cells were separated by
centrifugation and channeled back into the first
fermenter.
Product recovery :- Cell biomass is separated
by centrifugation or sedimentation, desired end
product - heated ( aggregate) readily separated
from broth by sedimentation.
• Separation of cell mass :- 1) flocculation.
2) flotation 3) filtration. 4) centrifugation
1) flocculation :- Flocculating agent is added.
hydrocolloids, inorganic salts, organic poly
electrolyte
2) flotation :- by introducing gas into liquid Cell
gets adsorbed to the gas bubbles & rise to the foam
layer at the top of vessel , that can be collected &
removed from the bioreactor.
3)Filtration :-
1)Bacterial cultures : absolute filters
2)Filamentous fungi : Depth filters
3) static, cross flow filtration

Purification :- By chromatography
• HPLC ( high performance liquid chromatography)
• GLC ( gas- liquid chromatography)
Advantages of Bioethanol
• Ethanol is a renewable resource.
• Ethanol burns more cleanly in air than Petroleum.
• The use of ethanol reduce carbon dioxide emission
Disadvantages of Bioethanol

• Large amount leading to problems such as Soil

erosion and deforestation.
• Typical current engines would require modification.
• Expensive
Application of Bioethanol
1) solvent in the manufacture of varnishes and perfumes.
2) Preservative for biological specimens.
3) In the preparation of essence and flavorings.
4) In many medicines and drugs.
5) As a disinfectant and in tinctures.
6) Used as a biofuel (99.2%).
7) Medically ethanol is soporific.
8) Used as antiseptic.
9) Fluid in many alcohol thermometer.
10)92.4% ethanol is used as solvent in cosmetics pharmaceuticals and
chemical industries.
 Advantages of Biofuel
• Cost: Biofuels have the potential to be significantly less
expensive than gasoline and other fossil fuels.
• Source material: Whereas oil is a limited resource that
comes from specific materials, biofuels can be
manufactured from a wide range of materials including
crop waste, manure, and other byproducts. This makes it
an efficient step in recycling.
• Renewability: It takes a very long time for fossil fuels
to be produced, but biofuels are much more easily
renewable as new crops are grown and waste material is
collected.
 Disadvantages of Biofuel
• Production carbon emissions: Several studies
have been conducted to analyze the carbon footprint
of biofuels, and while they may be cleaner to burn,
there are strong indications that the process to
produce the fuel including the machinery necessary
to cultivate the crops and the plants to produce the
fuel - has hefty carbon emissions.
• Food prices: As demand for food crops such as corn
grows for biofuel production, it could also raise prices
for necessary staple food crops.
• High cost: To refine biofuels to more efficient
energy outputs, and to build the necessary
manufacturing plants to increase biofuel
quantities, a high initial investment is often
required.
• Food shortages: There is concern that using
valuable crop land to grow fuel crops could have an
impact on the cost of food and could possibly lead
to food shortages.
• Water use: Massive quantities of water are
required for proper irrigation of biofuel crops as
well as to manufacture the fuel, which could strain
local and regional water resources.
 Application of Biofuel
• Cars and Trucks: Diesel cars and trucks can run
on biodiesel.
• Aircraft: Recent testing has shown the viability of
biofuel use in the aviation industry, and use of
biofuels to power aircraft is expected to increase
substantially in the next decade.
• Small Engines: Small engines, like those found in
lawn mowers and chainsaws, can use ethanol
blends up to 10 percent without problems
• Off-Road Equipment: A large percentage of off-road
equipment - such as vehicles used in agriculture, mining,
forestry, construction, and power and heat production
use diesel fuel, making this equipment suitable for
biodiesel use.
Refrence
1.Biofuels Engineering Process Technology.
Caye M. Drapcho, Ph.D.
Nghiem Phu Nhuan, Ph.D.
Terry H. Walker, Ph.D
2.Handbook of biofuel production process and
technologies.
Rafael Luque ,
juan Campelo ,
james clark
Thank you!