Fueling the future

Two Valparaiso University senior engbiodieselstudents discuss a biodiesel-making station they designed and built for the 2010 College of Engineering Design Expo, taking place May 1 from 10 am to 1 pm at Gellersen Center. At 1 pm members of the campus community and public will celebrate the launch of construction of the Donald V. Fites Center for Engineering Innovation, a new facility that will enhance the unique innovative and creative experiences available to Valpo’s engineering students.

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Bio Bus To The Future

Chemistry teacher Tray Sleeper and the Merrimack NH Bio-Diesel Crew explain how to create fuel from recycled french fry grease in this “Back To The Future” parody.

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Algae Biodiesel: Fuel of the Future

& lt; p& gt; There is no doubt that the alternative fuel sources must be verified, if we are going to reduce to our dependency of petrà ³ I read, minors transport costs, and to stop harming the environment. Biodiesel of seaweed is a fuel alternative that takes to many of hope for these changes, since it creates the fuel of efficient way without moving to the food cultures, dañando the environment, and reduces to our dependency of petrà ³ I read. & lt; br/& gt; & lt; br/& gt; & #13; MaÃz, soybean, and oil of the residues is known the sources alternative fuel, but the food cultures to produce fuel have demonstrated to be counter-productive and used oils are finite in the supply. MaÃz and the soybean used for fabricacià ³ n of fuel to take the foods that otherwise habrÃan gone to the consumers. This creates the potential to lift the prices of foods. The used food cultures to produce fuel are not as efficient either as the seaweed. An acre is needed soybean to make approximately 50 gallons of petrà ³ I read and one hectÃcriminal of maÃz to do sà ³ about 20 gallons of petrà ³ I read. In resistance, one hectÃcriminal of seaweed takes place around 10,000 gallons of petrà ³ I read in the course of año. This difference is one of the main reasons that the biodiesel of seaweed has gained popularity in the race to produce alternative fuels, but is many other reasons by which many people estÃn considering. & lt; br/& gt; & lt; br/& gt; & #13; The nature econà ³ mica of biodiesel of seaweed means that 15,000 miles squared of the farms of seaweed podrÃa to produce sufficient biodiésel to feed all the cars, trucks and other gases of power of transport in the EE.UU. If the EE.UU began to cultivate the operations of this magnitude that serÃa able to eliminate almost completely our needs of petrà ³ I read and fuels fà ³ siles. This number agriculture can seem much, but estÃto sà ³ the 300 kilà ³ squared meters of farms of seaweed by state, the states mÃs great and fÃcilmente podrÃa to avoid mÃs of 300 kilà ³ squared meters of these operations. The environmental impact of biodiesel of seaweed is nothing compared with the fuel use fà ³ siles, which means that también helps us to solve the global heating and other problems climÃticos caused by fuels fà ³ siles. & lt; br/& gt; & lt; br/& gt; & #13; Of biodiesel of seaweed también is fÃcil to produce in comparacià ³ n with other types of biodiesel that they require of filtrate and it fits of the dose. It is even possible to produce biodiesel of seaweed in the home which means that the consumers serÃan able to produce their own fuel and to reduce to its individual necessity of petrà ³ I read. The people can take the control from their own fuel needs and to take part from the power far from great suppliers from energÃa. This possibility means that the costs of energÃa can fall to even form the great producers. & lt; br/& gt; & lt; br/& gt; & #13; Making biodiesel of seaweed in the home he is not fÃcil, nevertheless, but it is possible and very econà ³ mico. Use of the seaweed to create fuel means that there are no residues and the consumers can stop depending on petrà ³ I read, with his rÃit requests ascent of the prices for his fuel needs. Each consumer has been itself affected by the fort increase of the prices of petrà ³ I read and if they continue raising many people finish by not being able to pay his daily trip to the work or not to be able to pay to other needs like alimentacià ³ n, in order to continue leading. There is no doubt that the alternative fuel sources must be developed and rÃpidamente; those that are sustainable and reasonable for the consumers. & lt; /p& gt;

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Bio Diesel Fuel – An Energy Source Now and for the Future

Bio Diesel fuel is a diesel equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources, such as vegetable oils, which can be used in unmodified diesel engine vehicles. It can also be used as a heating fuel in domestic and commercial boilers. There are a number of naturally occurring and renewable resources it can be refined from including algae, vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled restaurant greases. It can also be processed where ever the raw materials to make it exist.

Bio diesel fuel is nearly completely free of sulfur and aromatics and is a naturally oxygenated fuel because it is composed of almost 10 percent oxygen. Because of this biodiesel provides a significant reduction in particulate and carbon monoxide emissions then petroleum based diesel fuel.

It is also safe to handle and transport because it is has the biodegradability of table sugar, is 10 tens less toxic then plain salt, and has a high flashpoint, the temperature at which it catches fire, of 300 degrees Fahrenheit as compared to regular diesel fuel which flashes ate 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Bio diesel can also be blended with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend as well as its ability to be used in almost any diesel engine without any modifications.

Many gas stations are beginning to make biodiesel available to consumers and a growing number of transport fleets are using it as an additive to their fuel. It is important that fuel grade bio diesel be refined to tight industry specifications in order to ensure proper performance. One of the benefits of this fuel is it lower engine wear. In fact some vehicle manufacturers are beginning to make engines specifically for bio diesel for this reason.

Because it is a better solvent then regular diesel it tends to clean the engine when first used and removes deposits from the fuel lines which can clog fuel injectors. After switching to biodiesel most car manufacturers recommend changing the fuel filter to help prevent this. Use of this fuel leads to lower engine emissions while improving engine lubrication. Many government fleets on the federal and state level as well as utility fleets are now required to purchase 75 to 90 percent alternative fuel vehicles these days. Since biodiesel is the lowest cost alternative fuel option many of these fleets are converting to its use.

Diesel forms nearly 40% of the energy consumed in the form of hydrocarbon fuels, and its demand is estimated at 40 million tons per year. In the coming years as concerns about rising fuel prices and the lack of renewable energy sources rises the value of bio diesel fuel as a cheap renewable energy source will continue to rise.

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3 Future Resources for Biodiesel

Biodiesel – the fuel of the future is still not a practicable fuel like other resources. The reason for that is that we still unable to produce enough vegetable oil to produce the amount of fuel required. As you already read some article about biodiesel (and if you didn?’t – start now biodiesel) you probably knows that already.

Bio diesel and biofuels in general, don’t only raise concerns about the production capacity but also originated fear about the possibility that we will found ourselves with a nutrition shortage, if we will use our crops for fuel instead of food.

Here I present 3 future alternatives for biodiesel source:

Algae – one of the most promising sources for renewable energy is unicellular algae. algae is a primitive photosynthetic creature that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide to sugars and fats, Since it is easy to grow and harvest it, and its growth rate is very high, It biodiesela great foundation for developing a biodiesel factory that can produce an enormous amount of biofuel with low cost, and without jeopardising our food supply.

Another promising source of renewable energy is agriculture waste! a vast amount of organic waste is being produced all the time. We use to throw this waste away since we are unable to reuse it, because it is mostly made of cellulose which is hard to break with normal means. But there are bacteria which are able to digest and bread cellulose easily. Most of these bacteria live in symbiosis with cellulose eating animals like cows or termites. Scientists are now works on a way to use these germs to digest agriculture waste and use it for biofuel production.

Third, the future of biofuels might be held in the hands of genetic engineers. The major advances in the fields of genetic manipulation of plants, promises the ability to manipulate plants and bacteria in the future to produce much more oil, in a more efficient way, to solve the insufficient production of the present.

If you are a green energy enthusiast like me, you’ll soon find out that biofuels are probably will be the renewable resource of the near future, and some of the ideas proposed here might make it happen soon.

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Algae Biodiesel the Fuel of the Future

Most American consumers have been hit hard by soaring gas prices, and many people from individuals to research firms are searching for an alternative fuel source that is renewable, economical, and environmentally friendly.

Biodiesel made from crops such as corn and soybeans is one such alternative that most people are aware of, but another option, algae biodiesel, is one of the newest and most promising fuel sources to date. One thing is for sure, if a solution to the ever increasing gas prices is not found soon millions of people will be unable to afford their daily commute.

Many people have put their hopes in biodiesel made from crops as the solution to oil dependency. However, there are problems with biodiesel made from crops namely the displacement of food and the amount of crops it takes to produce a gallon of oil. Using food crops such as soybeans and corn to produce oil takes away from the amount crops that could have been used for food.

Using food crops to make biodiesel is also not very economical, it takes an acre of soybeans to produce about 50 gallons of biodiesel and an acre of corn to produce only about 20 gallons of biodiesel. Compared to the 5,000 or more gallons of biodieseal produced from one acre of algae, food crops are underperforming.

The fuel consumption for cars, trucks, and other transportation in the US accounts for almost 70% of total oil consumption. While this is a huge chunk of our oil needs, it would take only about 15,000 square miles of algae farms to produce enough biodiesel to meet our transportation needs.

That would be one algae farm that measured 120 miles by 125 miles or 50 algae farms that were only 300 square miles each. With the space requirements feasible, algae bio diesel just may be the fuel of the future as it is economical, renewable, and will not displace food crops.

Making biodiesel from algae is a complicated process, but it is not harder than making it from other sources such as crops or waste oil and it is even possible for consumers to make their own algae biodiesel at home. In fact, making biodiesel from algae is actually easier than from other sources such as waste oil because it does not require the level of filtering or titrating. It is possible that once consumers learn how to make algae bio diesel for themselves that they can in fact become responsible for their own energy needs and stop depending on large energy companies.

This fact has the potential to lower energy prices simply because the big energy companies would not be the only place to get gasoline and heating oil. It is becoming more and more common for individuals to make their own fuel form waste oil but as it become harder to get waste oil form commercial sources many more people will begin to turn to algae as the fuel source of choice.

Although algae biodiesel has been touted as the fuel of the future by many, one thing is for sure, if we do not find alternatives to cut our dependence on gasoline and crude oil, we will continue to struggle as gas prices rise.

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The Future of Biodiesel

Presently, biodiesel is one of the trends engulfing the gas guzzling and petrol-pouting consumers. For the former, the reason may lie heavily on the spiking prices posted by the oil industry. If you can save a few dollars by using an additive, why not use it, right? But for the latter, it is more than money saving—it is more on environment saving. Biodiesel is ideal because it is made without any sulfur and is biodegradable, truly a treehugger’s fuel choice, not to mention the huge reduction in general emission.

The Process of Transesterification

This is the process where biodiesel comes into being. The procedure of transesterification literally allows for the extraction of glycerin by adding alcohol and lye to the waste vegetable oil or animal fats collected from various fast food stores and restaurants. Having biodiesel processors will enable you to harness what seems to be slop into an effective fuel alternative.

Note that the oil itself can be obtained from renewable sources like maize, peanuts, soybeans, or any oil-based product for that matter. With this said, if you can extract oil from an item, then most probably you can produce biodiesel out of it. Of course you need the proper biodiesel equipment to actually obtain liquid gold from a pile of sludge.

Varieties & Ratios

Biodiesel comes in a number of mixtures and combinations. This can be blended with different levels of oil or sometimes even used independently. If a biodiesel is mixed with oil, it will be identified as such, or you may look at the pump. It will reflect a letter (B) followed by a number. B, obviously stands for biodiesel then the number attached to it connotes the percentage of the biodiesel used. B20 means twenty percent of the mixture is bio while eighty percent is petro-diesel; same goes with B15 and B60.

If you plan to concoct your own environmentally friendly fuel in large batches, you may opt to buy a biodiesel expansion pack—bigger tanks, thicker hoses, and more bio-fuel for you.

Modification, supply and cost issues

Biodiesel can virtually make any vehicle that feeds on regular diesel run with little or no modification. But for those that require a little tweaking, it is advisable to check with your car manufacturer first before buying any Biodiesel equipment. Although most cars will work fine with biodiesel, it is better to address some warranty concerns.

You can either locate a local biodiesel station or purchase biodiesel processors. Pumping station can easily be found using the internet or let your fingers do the walking on the yellow pages. To be honest, some states have little bio-stations presently in business and the Midwest is paving the way in promoting this eco-friendly alternative. 

The cost attached with purchasing biodiesel is fairly less as opposed to its pure petrol equivalent. It is safe to claim that a gallon of Biodiesel will only cost you $1 if you make it on your own. Now think about the pump price for diesel. No wonder why consumers are starting to shift to biodiesel.

While it is nowhere close to being capable of replacing standard fuels, it is certainly well on its way.

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