Sustainable Engineering #19

Bio fuels

Mechanical Engineering, CET 1

 Bio mass and bio fuels
● Initial energy of the biomass-oxygen system is captured from solar
radiation by photosynthesis
● The material of plants and animals, including their wastes and
residues, is called biomass
● The initial material may be transformed by chemical and biological
processes to produce biofuels
● They are in a more convenient form, particularly liquid fuels for
transport
● May include solid fuels and gaseous fuels as well – charcoal, bio char
and gases like methane, syngas, hydrogen etc.
● The term bioenergy is sometimes used to cover biomass and biofuels
together

Mechanical Engineering, CET 2

Natural cycle

Mechanical Engineering, CET 3

 Examples
● methane gas
● Hydrogen gas
● liquid ethanol
● liquid methanol
● methyl esters
● oils
● solid charcoal

Mechanical Engineering, CET 4

 Classification of bio mass energy
● Thermochemical, heat

● Biochemical

● Agrochemical

Mechanical Engineering, CET 5

 Thermochemical, heat
● Direct combustion - firewood
● Pyrolysis -The output depends on temperature,
type of input material and treatment process.
If output of combustible gas is the main
product, the process is called gasification
● Other thermochemical processes - break down
cellulose and starches into sugars, methanol
production

Mechanical Engineering, CET 6

Pyrolysis (destructive distillation)

Mechanical Engineering, CET 7

 Methanol liquid fuel
● made from the catalytic reaction of H2 and CO at
330°C and at 150 atmosphere pressure
● 2H2 + CO → CH3OH
● Source may be synthesis gas
● liquid fuel in petroleum spark-ignition engines
● energy density of 23 MJ kg−1
● used as an ‘anti-knock’ fuel additive to enhance
the octane rating

Mechanical Engineering, CET 8

 Biochemical
● Aerobic digestion - In the presence of air, microbial
aerobic metabolism of biomass generates heat with
the emission of CO2 , but not methane
not used significantly for commercial bioenergy
● Anaerobic digestion - absence of free oxygen, certain
microorganisms can obtain their own energy supply by
reacting with carbon compounds of medium reduction
level to produce both CO2 and fully reduced carbon as
CH4.
Biogas, sewage gas, landfill-gas

Mechanical Engineering, CET 9

Anaerobic digestion for biogas

Mechanical Engineering, CET 10

Accelerated rate farm digester

Mechanical Engineering, CET 11

 Processes of anerobic digestion
● Hydrogenesis - Insoluble biodegradable materials, e.g. cellulose,
polysaccharides and fats, are broken down to soluble carbohydrates and
fatty acids . This occurs in about a day at 25°C in an active digester.
● Acidogenesis - Acid forming bacteria produce mainly acetic and propionic
acid . This stage likewise takes about one day at 25°C.
● Methanogenesis - Methane forming bacteria slowly, in about 14 days at
25°C, complete the digestion to a maximum
∼70% CH4 and
minimum ∼30% CO2 with
trace amounts of H2 and perhaps H2S .
H2 may play an essential role, and indeed some bacteria, e.g. Clostridium,
are distinctive in producing H2 as the final product.
● mildly acidic pH 6.6–7.0 but not more than 6.2

Mechanical Engineering, CET 12

 Biochemical (cntd)
● Alcoholic fermentation - action of micro-organisms
and is therefore a fermentation process
Conventional fermentation has sugars as feedstock
Produces Ethanol
● Biophotolysis - splitting of water into hydrogen and
oxygen by the action of light.
Certain biological organisms produce, or can be
made to produce, hydrogen in biophotolysis
Commercial exploitation of these effects has not yet
occurred

Mechanical Engineering, CET 13

Ethanol production

Mechanical Engineering, CET 14

 Ethanol fuel use

● 95% ethanol, used directly in modified and

dedicated spark-ignition engines;
● Mixed with the fossil petroleum in dry conditions to
produce gasohol, as used in unmodified spark-
ignition engines, perhaps retuned;
● as an emulsion with diesel fuel for diesel
compression engines (this may be called diesohol,
but is not common).

Mechanical Engineering, CET 15

 Agrochemical
● Fuel extraction - liquid or solid fuels may be
obtained directly from living or freshly cut plants
natural rubber latex, turpentine
● Biodiesel and esterification

Mechanical Engineering, CET 16

 Bio diesel - definition
● Biodiesel, - a fuel comprised of mono-alkyl
esters of long chain fatty acids derived from
vegetable oils or animal fats,
● Biodiesel Blend - a blend of biodiesel fuel with
petroleum-based diesel fuel, designated BXX,
where XX represents the volume percentage of
biodiesel fuel in the blend
● The US National Biodiesel Board defines
"biodiesel" as a mono-alkyl ester

Mechanical Engineering, CET 17

 Biodiesel Blends
● 100% biodiesel is referred to as B100
● 20% biodiesel, 80% petrodiesel B20
● 5% biodiesel, 95% petrodiesel is labeled B5
● 2% biodiesel, 98% petrodiesel is labeled B2

Blends of 20% biodiesel and lower can be used

in diesel equipment with no, or only minor
modifications

Mechanical Engineering, CET 18

 Advantages of bio diesel
● Reduces lifecycle greenhouse gases by 86
percent
● Lowers particulate matter by 47 percent, reduces
smog and makes our air healthier to breathe
● Reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 67 percent
● For every unit of fossil energy it takes to produce
biodiesel, 3.5 units of renewable energy are
returned

Mechanical Engineering, CET 19

 Raw materials
● Vegetable oil - rapeseed, soybean, coconut, etc.
● Animal fat feedstock,
● Other non-edible raw materials such as frying oil,
jetropha etc.
● Waste vegetable oil (WVO) – rejected oil after cooking
● Algae, which can be grown using waste materials such
as sewage and without displacing land currently used
for food production.
● Sewage Sludge

Mechanical Engineering, CET 20

 Transesterification
● is the process of exchanging the organic group R″ of
an ester with the organic group R′ of an alcohol.
● alcohol + ester → different alcohol + different ester
● often catalyzed by the addition of an acid or base
catalyst
● homogeneous catalysis, alkali catalysis (sodium or
potassium hydroxide; or the corresponding alkoxides)
is a much more rapid process than acid catalysis
● used to convert fats (triglycerides) into biodiesel

Mechanical Engineering, CET 21

Process flow

Mechanical Engineering, CET 22

 Advantages of bio fuels
● inexhaustible source of energy
● Produces a wide range of products and services
● Increase in local ‘cash flow’ by trade and employment
● The use of sustainable biofuels in place of fossil fuels
abates the emission of fossil-CO 2 and so reduces the
forcing of climate change
● Production of bio mass acts as a temporary carbon sink
● Bio fuels produces lesser sulphor compunds on
combustion

Mechanical Engineering, CET 23

 Disadvantages
● The main dangers of extensive biomass fuel use are
deforestation
soil erosion
displacement of food crops by fuel crops
● Poorly controlled biomass processing or combustion can certainly produce
unwanted pollution
● cost of biomass collection is usually too large and too complex for economic
development
● Burning of biomass wont return nitrogen back into soil
● The cost of bio fuel production is more expensive than the conventional
fossil fuels.
● Modification in conventional fossil fueled engine is required to suit some bio
fuels

Mechanical Engineering, CET 24

 References
● Renewable Energy Resources - Second edition - John Twidell and Tony
Weir - Taylor & Francis
● The Biodiesel Handbook - Gerhard Knothe, Jon Van Gerpen, Jürgen Krahl -
AOCS Press
● Bio-diesel biodegradable alternative fuel for diesel engines - Dr. Gadepalli
Ravi Kiran Sastry , Readworthy Publications (P) Ltd
● Renewable and alternative energy resources : a reference handbook /
Zachary A. Smith and Katrina D. Taylor

Mechanical Engineering, CET 25

Thank you

Mechanical Engineering, CET 26