Manufacturing Biodiesel

There are a variety of products that biodiesel can be made from; although they are all very different they all produce the same end product.

Virgin oils such as that from rapeseed and soybean oil (soybean oil accounts for almost 90% of fuel stock in the United States), field pennycress, Jatropha, mustard, flax, sunflower and palm oil.
Waste vegetable oil.
Animal fats including tallow, lard, yellow grease and chicken fat.
Algae which can be produced without taking over crop land.

The process used to make biodiesel is a chemical process called transesterification, where glycerin is separated from fat or vegetable oil. The process of transesterification leaves biodiesel and one by product, the byproduct of this process is glycerin. The glycerin is not used in biodiesel but is used in cosmetics and wet cat and dog foods. Methyl-esters make up the biodiesel. Although biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oil, biodiesel and raw vegetable oil is not the same thing.

For more information of why biodiesel and raw vegetable oil are not the same, go to www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/

For more production information visit the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.

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Manufacturing Biodiesel There are a variety of products that biodiesel can be made from; although they are all very different they all produce the same end product. Virgin oils such as that from rapeseed and soybean oil (soybean oil accounts for almost 90% of fuel stock in the United States), field pennycress, Jatropha, mustard, flax, sunflower and palm oil. Waste vegetable oil. Animal fats including tallow, lard, yellow grease and chicken fat. Algae which can be produced without taking over crop land. The process used to make biodiesel is a chemical process called transesterification, where glycerin is separated from fat or vegetable oil. The process of transesterification leaves biodiesel and one by product, the byproduct of this process is glycerin. The glycerin is not used in biodiesel but is used in cosmetics and wet cat and dog foods. Methyl-esters make up the biodiesel. Although biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oil, biodiesel and raw vegetable oil is not the same thing. For more information of why biodiesel and raw vegetable oil are not the same, go to www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/ For more production information visit the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website.