First generation biofuels are those made from sugar, starch, or vegetable oil. Their feedstocks are those that may not be sustainable or might have an impact on food if used in large quantities. These original first generation biofuels include biodiesel, ethanol, green diesel, bioethers, biogas, and the solid biofuels covering everything from wood and sawdust […]
What does a biotechnology expert or consultant do? Biotechnology is the use of some biological processes for industrial or other purpose, like the genetic manipulation of microorganisms for the production of antibiotics, hormones, etc. There are many types of bio technologies, including medical (such as vaccines and antibiotics), agricultural (such as pest resistant crops and […]
What do algae biofuels experts or consultants do? Algae biofuels and byproducts are derived from the fastest growing plants – algae. Algal biomass is known to generate 15 times more oil than other plant sources including corn, soybean, sunflower etc. Besides algal biomass can be cultivated in saltwater and wastewaters. Algae has been actively explored for […]
What does a renewable diesel expert or consultant do? Renewable diesel refers to a drop in replace for diesel derived from fossil fuels. It is derived from biomass and made via processes that meet lifecycle requirements to meet the definition so reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They differ from biodiesels in that they have very low oxygen contents […]
What does a biodiesel expert or biodiesel consultant do? Biodiesel refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl (methyl, ethyl, or propyl) esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids (e.g., vegetable oil, soybean oil, animal fat (tallow) with an alcohol producing fatty acid esters. Biodiesel is meant to be used in standard diesel engines and is thus distinct from the vegetable […]
By Dr. Gerald Kutney, Lee Enterprises Consulting A myriad of biofuel technologies exist, but which ones are truly industrial processes? The question is not always easy to answer. And one must define what is meant by an industrial process. To facilitate this task, three classifications of industrial status are utilized: Established – modern facilities are numerous, […]
Anyone who has produced biodiesel knows that glycerin can set up like wax if the process is over-catalyzed and/or animal fats are used as feedstocks. More than one of us has shoveled our share of “hard” glycerin. As a result, many biodiesel producers find it surprising that one of the larger domestic users for 80% […]
The analysis and standardization of biofuels are in constant development, therefore in many studies they follow a historic view or borrow unsuitable methods from fossil fuel analysis. An overview of the current standards helps to achieve better results. Due to historic reasons the most common way of grouping biofuels is based on the feedstock (food […]
As the CEO of the world’s largest bioenergy consulting group, I am fortunate to have a unique opportunity to view alternative fuels projects from many different perspectives. Within our group, now numbering over 75 experts, I find that each member has his or her own approach which developed from their personal experience and training. As […]
The vast majority of biodiesel today is manufactured using chemical catalysts and methanol. A few problems are associated with this type of processing. These include 1) the need to remove free fatty acids (FFA) from the oil feedstock prior to reaction, 2) the need to remove phospholipids from the oil feedstock, and 3) the recovery […]