Biodiesel

Thread Content

As the most promising alternative fuel to diesel, research on biodiesel continues without cease. Currently, research on first-generation biodiesel focuses mainly on the development of green catalysts (solid acids, solid bases, ionic liquids, and enzymes) as well as the use of process intensification techniques (supercritical technology, hydrodynamic cavitation, microwave technology, ultrasonic radiation, and the addition of co/solvents) in order to simplify the production process and reduce costs associated with it. Although second-generation biodiesel has many advantages, there is no significant improvement in terms of raw materials. The development of new third-generation biodiesel focuses primarily on the selection of raw materials; research using microorganisms such as Chlorella as sources of oils and fats is advancing rapidly. China has also launched its first **key basic research and development project** in the field of microalgae-based energy. The researchers also studied the production of straight-chain alkanes using biomass gasification technology and the Feistel-Tropsch synthesis reaction. For example, the BioTfueL process for producing oil from biomass, which is being developed in France by the German company Wood, utilizes Wood’s proprietary direct quenching gasification technology, Prenflo-PDQ. This technology generates hydrogen-rich syngas through the gasification of biomass, which is then used to produce biodiesel and bio-kerosene via the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction. Operation of this process is expected to begin in 2012. This reaction pathway will expand the raw materials for biodiesel from animal and plant oils to non-oil biological materials with high cellulose content, such as wood chips, crop straws, solid waste, and municipal garbage, thereby avoiding competition between fuel and food sources and greatly promoting the adoption and use of biodiesel