Biomass –

 organic material made from plants and animals

 contains stored energy from the sun
The origin of biomass energy resources is through the
Photosynthesis in green plants under sunlight
 a renewable energy source because we can always grow
more trees and crops, and waste will always exist.
examples : wood, crops, manure, and some garbage
major source of energy in much of the developing world
Advantages
Available almost everywhere.
Sulfur, nitrogen oxides, and carbon emissions can be
significantly reduced by burning biomass.
Growing biomass crops produce oxygen and use up carbon
dioxide.
environment friendly technology
Disposal of waste in a safe, economical and environmentally
healthy manner
Binding solar energy
Disadvantages'

More expensive than convention fossil fuels.

A less concentrated form of energy, making it less efficient.
Releases some emissions, especially if burned improperly.
 Wood And Agricultural Product

The most common form of biomass is wood

For thousands of years people have burned wood for heating
and cooking
 it contains bark, sawdust, wood chips, and wood scrap
 the wood and wood waste fuel used in the industry, electric
power producers, and commercial businesses.
 Solid Waste
 solid waste is garbage, also called municipal solid waste (MSW)
Trash that comes from plant or animal products is biomass,
Food scraps, lawn clippings, and leaves are all examples
 Materials that are made out of glass, plastic, and metals are not
biomass
 energy obtained by either burning MSW in waste-to-energy
plants, or by capturing biogas.
 Biogas
In landfills, biomass rots (decompose)and releases methane gas
or landfill gas
Some landfills have a system that collects the methane gas so
that it can be used as a fuel source.
Some dairy farmers collect biogas from tanks called "digesters“
Biogas, a mixture containing methane: 55-65 %, carbon dioxide:
30-40 % and impurities (H2 , H2S, and some N2)
 calorific value : 5000 -5500 kcal/kg
Biogas is a safe fuel for cooking and lighting.
 Bio-fuels
 biomass can be converted directly into liquid fuels: biofuels—
transportation fuels like ethanol and biodiesel
These fuels are usually blended with the petroleum fuels -
gasoline and diesel fuel
 Ethanol and biodiesel are usually more expensive than the fossil
fuels but they are also cleaner burning fuels
Energy by biochemical conversion
Bio-fuels primarily comprise of:
• Ethanol (made from sugarcane - molasses)
• Bio-diesel (made from Jatropha seeds)
Ethanol
 made from the sugars found in grains, such as corn, sorghum, and
beat
 made by fermenting any biomass high in carbohydrates (starches,
sugars, or celluloses) through a process similar to brewing beer.
used as a fuel additive to cut down a vehicle's carbon monoxide and
other smog-causing emissions.
specially made vehicles -Flexible-fuel vehicles which run on E85
mixtures of gasoline and up to 85% ethanol, are now available
"E10" or "gasohol" - mixture of 10 % ethanol and 90 % gasoline.
 Biodiesel
Biodiesel is a fuel made with vegetable oils, fats, or greases - such as
recycled restaurant grease.
Biodiesel fuels can be used in diesel engines without changing them.
Blending biodiesel into petroleum diesel can help reduce emissions.
Biodiesel, a renewable fuel, is safe, biodegradable, and reduces the
emissions of most air pollutants
 Biomass
Application combustion
biochemical
of Biomass
conversion
energy Biomass
conversion
chemical
conversion

It can be converted into useful forms of energy through

different conversion routes.
 Preparation :
a) the size reduction of biomass by chipping, pulverizing
b) drying to reduce water
c) Screening
d) densification or briquetting.
The main purpose is to prepare biomass suitable for
combustion
 Biomass Briquetting
 densifying loose agro-waste into a solidified biomass of high
density, which can be conveniently used as a fuel
process of compressing the raw materials to a certain shape or
form using a mould and pressure
Briquette is also termed as "Bio-coal".
It is pollution free and eco- friendly.
the agricultural and forestry residues can be briquetted after
suitable pre-treatment
CornCob, Sawdust, Bagasse, CoffeeHusk, RiceHusk etc
Advantages
high calorific value with low ash content
 absence of polluting gases like sulphur, phosphorus fumes and
fly ash
eliminate the need for pollution control equipment
complete combustion
ease of handling, transportation & storage
 improve combustion properties
Direct combustion : Incineration
The direct combustion of biomass in presence of oxygen/air to
produce heat and by products
Biomass is chipped, dried, and then burned
The complete combustion of biomass into ash is called
incineration
Burning biomass fuels does not produce pollutants like sulfur,
that can cause acid rain.
biomass does release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
But when biomass crops are grown, a nearly equivalent
amount of carbon dioxide is captured through photosynthesis.
This is a relatively inefficient technology
simplest method of extracting energy from biomass
 the most polluting method of energy from biomass
Feedstocks used are often residues such as woodchips,
sawdust, bark, bagasse, straw, municipal solid waste (MSW)
and wastes from the food industry.
This heat energy in the product gases or in the form of steam
can be used for various applications like space heating or
cooling, power generation, process heating in industries or any
other application.
Biomass is burned to produce steam, the steam turns a turbine
and the turbine drives a generator producing electricity
It is just like combustion but more efficient.
Taking the solid biomass – converting it into a gas or a
liquid end product
 Pyrolysis :
It is a physical and chemical decomposition of organic matter
brought about by heating in the absence of air.
The products of pyrolysis are charcoal, liquid distillates and gas .
Pyrolysis typically occurs under pressure and at operating
temperatures above 430oC (800F)
Extreme pyrolysis, which leaves mostly carbon as the residue, is
called carbonization.
used heavily in the chemical industry, for example, to produce
charcoal, activated carbon, methanol and other chemicals from
wood
Flash pyrolysis
 used to produce biocrude, a combustible oil, in which the biomass
has a short residence time in the reactor
Heat is used to chemically convert biomass into pyrolysis oil.
 The oil, which is easier to store and transport than solid biomass
material
burned like petroleum to generate electricity
from cellulosic feedstock
The bio-oil can be used in engines and turbines
 use as a feedstock for refineries is also being considered.
 Liquefaction:
 It is a high-pressure catalytic process which converts biomass to
fuel oil
This technology has the potential to produce higher quality
products of greater energy density
low temperature, high pressure thermo chemical conversion
process carried out in the liquid phase
 Cofiring
Co-combustion of biomass in combination with coal.
Biomass cheaper than coal, so cofiring is cheaper than burning
coal alone
Less sulfur oxides (less coal burned);
pollution and cost savings
attractive option because of the high conversion efficiency
Gasification
 the conversion of biomass into a combustible gas mixture

normally called as producer gas consists of mainly carbon-

monoxide, hydrogen, nitrogen gas and methane
solid fuels are broken down by the use of heat with a restricted
supply of air
Involves partial combustion of biomass
The gases are used to run a turbine. They are then recycled back
to be burned for fuel.
Gas used as a fuel for internal combustion engines
The conversion efficiency is in the range of 60%–70%.
 Biomass + Limited Air Carbon Monoxide + Hydrogen + Methane +
Carbon Dioxide + Water Vapor + Nitrogen

Four distinct process in the gasifier viz.

• Drying
Biomass fuels usually contain 10%–35% moisture.
When biomass is heated to about 100 °C, the moisture is converted into
steam.
• Pyrolysis
burning biomass completely without supplying any oxygen.
the biomass is decomposed or separated into solids, liquids, and gases
 • Combustion
Air is introduced into the gasifier after the decomposition process.
Oxidation takes place at about 700–1,400 °C
the solid carbonized fuel, reacts with the oxygen in the air to produce carbon
Dioxide
C + O2 → CO2 + heat

• Reduction
At higher temperatures and under reducing conditions, that is when not
enough oxygen is available, the following reactions take place: .
C + CO2 → 2 CO
C + H2O → CO + H2
CO + H2O → CO2 + H2
C + 2H2 → CH4
Biomass gasifier
Advantages
Mature technology: Biomass gasifier technology is a mature technology and
gasifiers are available in several designs and capacities to suit different requirements.
Small and modular: suitable and economical for small, decentralized applications,
typically with capacities smaller than a megawatt.
Flexible operation: can generate electricity when required and also wherever
required.
biomass gasifier based systems can be set up at almost any place where biomass
feedstock is available.
Economically viable: For small-scale systems, the cost of power generation by
biomass gasification technology is far more reasonable than that of conventional diesel
based power generation.
Socio-economically beneficial: Biomass gasifier based systems generate
employment
Application of Syn Gas
 The downdraft (co-current) gasifier
 The most common type of gasifier
The reduction zone is below the combustion zone.
The flow of air and gas is downwards through the combustion and
reduction zones.
Co-current as air moves in the same direction as that of fuel,
downwards.
Tar, which is produced in the pyrolysis zone, travels through the
combustion zone, where it is broken down or burnt. As a result, the
mixture of gases in the exit stream is relatively clean.
It produces gas with low tar content, which is suitable for gas engines.
 Updraft or counter-current gasifier
 air enters from below the grate and flows upwards, whereas the fuel
flows downwards.
The gas produced in the reduction zone leaves the gasifier reactor
together with the products of pyrolysis from the pyrolysis zone and
steam from the drying zone.
 does not allow for tar cracking,
The resulting producer gas is rich in hydrocarbons (tars) and,
therefore, has a higher calorific value, which makes updraft gasifiers
more suitable where heat is needed, for example in industrial furnaces.
The producer gas needs to be thoroughly cleaned if it is to be used for
generating electricity.
 Cross-draft gasifier
air enters from one side of the gasifier reactor and leaves from the
other.
compact construction
low cleaning requirements.
do not need a grate; the ash falls to the bottom and does not come in
the way of normal operation.
 Fluidized bed gasifiers
 the biomass is brought into an inert bed of fluidized material (e.g. sand, char,
etc.).
 During normal operation, the bed media is maintained at a temperature
between 550 °C and 1000 °C.
When the fuel is introduced under such temperature conditions, its drying
and pyrolyzing reactions proceed rapidly, driving off all gaseous portions of the
fuel at relatively low temperatures.
A fluidized bed gasifier works as a hot bed of sand particles agitated
constantly by air.
Air is distributed through nozzles located at the bottom of the bed.
The solid fuel is fluidized by the addition of air at high velocity into the bed
The solid thus behaves as a fluid for a good homogenization of temperature
and reactants.
 Entrained-flow gasifiers
fuel and air are introduced from the top of the reactor, and fuel is
carried by the air in the reactor.
The operating temp are 1200–1600 °C and the pressure is 20–80 bar.
can be used for any type of fuel so long as it is dry (low moisture) and
has low ash content.
 Due to the short residence time, high temp required
the gas contains very little tar.
 Plasma gasifiers
Plasma is an ionized gas that is formed when an electrical discharge passes
through a gas.
 Plasma torches and arcs convert electrical energy into intense heat energy.
strong electric current under high voltage passes between the two electrodes as
an electric arc.
Pressurized inert gas is ionized passing through the plasma created by the arc.
Plasma torches and arcs can generate temperatures (greater than 5,000°C)
Extremely high temperatures ensure that the feedstock is broken down into its
main component atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
These quickly re-combine to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases, there
by producing a very high quality syngas preventing the formation of tar and
methane
making gasification more efficient
incorporates the action of micro-organisms on the biomass
for the production of bio-gas. Examples include anaerobic
digestion, land filling, composting, Vermiculture etc
 Anaerobic Digestion
series of processes in which microorganisms break down
biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen
The process is used for industrial or domestic purposes to
manage waste and/or to produce fuels.
This anaerobic digestion consists of :
(i)Enzymatic hydrolysis
complex cellulosic biomass are broken down into simple
compounds like sugars, amino acids and fatty acids.

(ii) Acid formation / Acidogenesis

Formation of carbonic acids by acidogenic (fermentative)
bacteria. VFAs are also created along with ammonia, carbon
dioxide and hydrogen sulfide as well as other by-products
iii) Acetogenesis
digested by acetogens to produce largely acetic acid as well as
carbon dioxide and hydrogen
(iv)Methane formation / Methanogenesis
Acetic acids as formed above are then converted into methane
(CH4) and CO2 by methanogens which are strictly anaerobs.
Methanogenesis is sensitive to both high and low pHs and occurs
between pH 6.5 and 8.

CO2 + 4 H2 → CH4 + 2H2O

CH3COOH → CH4 + CO2
four stages of anaerobic digestion shown in simple flow chart

Overall Reaction
C6H12O6 → 3CO2 + 3CH4
The Biogas Plants
Biogas Plant Components:
i. Digester: in which the slurry (dung mixed with water) is
fermented
ii. Inlet Tank: for mixing the feed and letting it into the
digester
iii. gas holder/dome: in which the generated gas is collected
iv. outlet tank: to remove the spent slurry
v. distribution pipeline(s): to transport the gas into the
kitchen
vi. manure pit: where the spent slurry is stored.
Benefits of Biogas Plants
• Contributes substantially in reducing Global Warming.

• Cost effective replacement for Fossil Fuels.

• This Smoke Free gas emits less carbon dioxide as compared to other
fuels.

• A very efficient and environmentally friendly solution for disposing

off various organic matter.

• Reducing or eliminating the energy footprint of waste treatment

plants.

• Reducing methane emission from landfills.

Displacing industrially produced chemical fertilizers.

• Reducing vehicle movements.

The Biogas Plants
Different Process Configurations:
• Batch or continuous.
• Temperature: mesophilic or thermophilic.
• Complexity: single stage or multistage
• dome: Fixed or Floating
 Batch System
 the simplest form of digestion
Biomass is added to the reactor at the start of the process in a
batch and is sealed for the duration of the process.
Batch reactors suffer from odor issues that can be a severe
problem when they are emptied.
requires less equipment
lower levels of design work
This plant is expensive and has problems comparatively
 Continuous system
 organic matter is constantly added (continuous complete
mixed) or added in stages to the reactor (continuous plug flow).
It will produce gas continuously.
It require small digestion chambers.
It needs smaller period of digestion.
It has less problem compared to batch type
it is easier in operation.
 Single or multiple digesters in sequence may be used.
Examples of this form include continuous stirred-tank reactors
(CSTRs), upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB), expanded
granular sludge bed (EGSB) and internal circulation reactors (IC).
Based on temp process classified as : Mesophilic and thermophilic

Mesophilic
 takes place at ambient temperatures between 20 and 45C
where thermophiles are the primary microorganisms present.
more stable than thermophilic digestion
More commonly used as no control requires
Biogas production take place in 15-40 days
 economical
Less biogas production than thermophillic
Thermophilic
takes place optimally around 49–57C at elevated temperatures
where thermophiles are the primary microorganisms present.
Less stable operation
the energy input is higher increased temperatures
facilitate faster reaction rates and hence faster gas yields
More control require to maintain the high temp
Biogas production take place in 12-14 days
Costly
 single-stage digestion system
 all of the biological reactions occur within a single sealed reactor or
holding tank.
Utilizing a single stage reduces construction costs;
it facilitates less control of the reactions occurring within the system.
Acidogenic bacteria, through the production of acids, reduce the pH of
the tank. Methanogenic bacteria, operate in a strictly defined pH range.
Therefore, the biological reactions of the different species in a single
stage reactor can be in direct competition with each other.
 two-stage or multistage digestion system
different digestion vessels bring maximum control over the bacterial
communities living within the digesters. .
Typically hydrolysis, acetogenesis and acidogenesis occur within the first
reaction vessel.
The organic material is then heated to the required operational temperature
prior to being pumped into a methanogenic reactor.
It should be noted that it is not possible to completely isolate the different
reaction phases and often there is some biogas that is produced in the
hydrolysis or acidogenesis tanks.
There are two types of Biogas Plants
– Fixed head
– Floating head
 Fixed dome

 in fixed dome digester, the gas holder and the digester are combined.
A fixed-dome plant consists of an enclosed digester with a fixed, non-movable
gas space.
 The gas is stored in the upper part of the digester.
The fixed dome is best suited for batch process
When daily feeding is adopted in small quantities.
 generally built below the ground level and is suitable for cooler regions.
 There are two types of Biogas Plants
– Fixed head
– Floating head

Schematic diagram of fixed-dome type biogas plant

This movable gas holder is made of steel.
The gasholder floats either direct on the fermentation slurry or in
a water jacket of its own.
 The gas drum is prevented from tilting by a guide frame.
Types of Fixed Dome Plants
Chinese fixed-dome plant is the archetype of all fixed dome plants.
Several million have been constructed in China. The digester consists of a
cylinder with round bottom and top.
Janata model was the first fixed-dome design in India, as a response to the
Chinese fixed dome plant. It is not constructed anymore. The mode of
construction lead to cracks in the gasholder -very few of these plant had been
gas-tight.
Deenbandhu, the successor of the Janata plant in India, with improved
design, was more crackproof and consumed less building material than the
Janata plant. with a hemisphere digester
Types of Floating Drum Plants:
KVIC model with a cylindrical digester, the oldest and most
widespread floating drum biogas plant from India.
Pragati model with a hemisphere digester
Ganesh model made of angular steel and plastic foil
 Baloon Plants –
 consists of a heat-sealed plastic or rubber bag (balloon), combining digester
and gas-holder.
The gas is stored in the upper part of the balloon.
The inlet and outlet are attached directly to the skin of the balloon.
Gas pressure can be increased by placing weights on the balloon.
 If the gas pressure exceeds a limit that the balloon can withstand, it may
damage the skin. Therefore, safety valves are required.
If higher gas pressures are needed, a gas pump is required.
 Since the material has to be weather- and UV resistant, specially stabilized,
reinforced plastic is given preference.
The useful life-span does usually not exceed 2-5 years.
Image of a low cost balloon type plant
Advantages:
Standardized prefabrication at low cost,
low construction sophistication,
 ease of transportation,
 shallow installation
 suitable for use in areas with a high groundwater table
 uncomplicated cleaning, emptying and maintenance;

Disadvantages:
 Low gas pressure may require gas pumps;
scum cannot be removed during operation;
 the plastic balloon has a relatively short useful life-span
is susceptible to mechanical damage and usually not available locally..
In India Anaerobic Digestion Plants are commonly known as
Gobar Gas Plants.
 the cheap sources of energy in rural areas.
In such plants slurry of cow dung and water is fed to the digester
.
and is allowed to ferment for a few weeks. The biogas is released.
 The biogas reactor
a closed tank made from steel or concrete biogas
reactor normally is insulated, to maintain stable temp inside the reactor
mixer is installed to ensure efficient mixing of bacteria and biomass
 Safety valves are installed on top of the biogas tank to avoid damage to the
tank if the gas pressure is too high or if a vacuum is created in the reactor.
A heating system is installed to maintain a constant temperature in the
reactor.
Ventilation and cleaning of the air necessary to remove odors.
Overall Reaction
C6H12O6 → 3CO2 + 3CH4
Applications:
Water pumping
 Electricity generation:
it possible to operate a diesel engine on dual fuel mode-part diesel and part
biomass gas.
The mechanical energy thus derived can be used either for energizing a water
pump set for irrigational purpose
 for coupling with an alternator for electrical power generation - 3.5 KW - 10
MW
Heat generation: A few of the devices, to which gasifier could be retrofitted,
are dryers- for drying tea, flower, spices, kilns for baking tiles or potteries,
furnaces for melting non-ferrous metals, boilers for process steam, etc.
The process to produce bio gas in a bio gas plant
includes:
1. Transportation
2. Influent collection – Mixing - Pumping
3. Addition of water - Digestion
4. Retention time - Gas production – Gas cleansing
5. Generation of heat and power from bio gas
The rate of production of biogas depends on the following factors:
1) Temperature & Pressure
2) Solid concentration & Loading rate
3) Retention period
4) pH value
5) Nutrients composition
6) Toxic substances
7) Digester size & shape
8) Stirring agitation of the content of digestion
 Fermentation
decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms especially bacteria and
yeasts
The biomass is ground down and the starch converted by enzymes to sugars,
with yeast then converting the sugars to ethanol.
Because yeasts perform this process in the absence of oxygen, ethanol
fermentation is classified as anaerobic.
Ethanol fermentation of biomass occurs at 20 to 30°C.
The process takes about 50 hours.
Yield is about 90% liquid. This contains about 10 to 20% of alcohol depending
upon the tolerance of yeast to alcohol.
Concentration of alcohol is increased by distillation
‘‘dehydration’’ phase may be required to make 100% pure ethanol.
• Feedstock:
– Sugar: Sugar beets, sugar cane, sweet sorghum, Fruits etc
– Starches: Grains like corn, wheat, potatoes etc.
– Cellulose: Wood, solid waste, agricultural wastes etc.

.
Feedstock Supply:
Feedstocks for biochemical processes are selected for optimum
composition, quality, and size.
Milling :
mechanical crushing of the feedstock to release the starch
component

Pretreatment:
Biomass is heated (often combined with an acid or base) to break
the tough, fibrous cell walls down and make the cellulose and
hemicellulose easier to hydrolyze
Hydrolysis:

heating and addition of water and enzymes for conversion into

fermentable sugar
Enzymes enable the sugars within cellulose and hemicellulose in
the pretreated material to be separated and released over a period
of several days.
Fermentation :
Microorganisms are added, which then use the sugars to generate
other molecules suitable for use as fuels or building-block
chemicals.
the sugars can be converted to fuels or an entire suite of other
useful products.
 Principle of fermentation:
First Step:

 invertase enzyme in the yeast catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose

to convert it into glucose and fructose.

C12H22O11→ C6H12O6 + C6H12O6
Sucrose Glucose Fructose

Second Step :
zymase, another enzyme also present in the yeast, converts the
glucose and the fructose into ethanol.
C6H12O6 → 2 C2H5OH + 2CO2
Product Recovery:
Products are separated from water, solvents, and any residual solids.
I. Distillation and Rectification: That means concentration and cleaning
the ethanol produced by the distillation by removing by-products.
 Principle of
27.05.2008

Rectification:
II. Dehydration:
drying (removing residual water) off the ethanol

Product Distribution:
Fuels are transported to blending facilities, while other products and
intermediates may be sent to traditional refineries or processing facilities for
use in a diverse slate of consumer products
: Presentation by Florian
Schmalz
27.05.2008
Bioconversion
Pretreatment

Biomass Hydrolysis

Ethanol

Fermentation Distillation
The alcohol can be burned alone, or blended with gasoline.
Mixtures can range from 10% ethanol (often used to reduce
pollution) to 100% ethanol
Ethanol is more expensive than gasoline currently
Net energy yield from ethanol is low, could be much better with
cellulosic ethanol
 Energy from ethanol is less than that from gasoline. But it
produces less pollution
Advantages
• Exhaust gases of ethanol are much cleaner

• Greenhouse gases reduce

– ethanol-blended fuels such as E85 (85% ethanol and 15%
gasoline) reduce up to 37.1% of GHGs
• Any plant can be use for production of bioethanol
– it only has to contain sugar and starch
• Carbon neutral
– the CO2 released in the bioethanol production process is the
same amount as the one the crops previously absorbed during
photosynthesis
• Renewable energy resource
– result of conversion of the sun's energy into usable energy
– Photosynthesis -> feedstocks grow -> processed into ethanol
• Energy security
– esp. Countries that do not have access to crude oil resources
grow crops for energy use and gain some economic freedom
• Fuel spills are more easily biodegraded or diluted to non toxic
concentrations
Disadvantages
 A large amount of arable land is required to grow crops, natural
habitats would be destroyed
due to the lucrative prices of bioethanol some farmers may sacrifice
food crops for biofuel production which will increase food prices around
the world
–During production of bioethanol, huge amount of carbon dioxide is
released
Not as efficient as petroleum
Engines made for working on Bioethanol cannot be
used for petrol or dieselethanol is hygroscopic, it absorbs water from
the air and thus has high corrosion aggressiveness
Another form of liquid fuel from biomass is ‘‘biodiesel’’,
which is derived from the vegetable oils extracted by crushing
oilseeds, although waste cooking oil or animal fats (tallow) can
also be used.
consisting of long-chain alkyl (methyl, propyl or ethyl) esters.
The oil/lipids is strained and usually ‘‘esterified’’, by
combining the fatty acid molecules in the oil with methanol or
ethanol. Usually this process is base or acid catalyzed.
Transesterification
• “Biodiesel” Platform
• Takes vegetable oil, animal fat, or grease into
biodiesel – fatty acid methyl ester
• Base catalyzed of the oil with alcohol, direct acid
catalyzed, and conversion of the oil to fatty acids and
then to alkyl esters with acid catalysts
 Biodiesel from triglyceride oils

Methoxide

Methyl Ester
Triglyceride Glycerine

• Triglyceride consists of glycerol backbone + 3 fatty acid tails

• The OH- from the NaOH (or KOH) catalyst facilitates the breaking
of the bonds between fatty acids and glycerol
• Methanol then binds to the free end of the fatty acid to produce a
methyl ester (aka biodiesel)
• Multi-step reaction mechanism: Triglyceride→Diglyceride
→Monoglyceride →Methyl esters+ glycerine
Advantages of the Use of Biodiesel
• Renewable fuel, obtained from vegetable oils or animal fats.
• Low toxicity, in comparison with diesel fuel.
•Degrades more rapidly than diesel fuel, minimizing the environmental
consequences of biofuel spills.
• Lower emissions of contaminants:
• Lower health risk, due to reduced emissions of carcinogenic substances.
• Higher flash point (100C minimum).
•May be blended with diesel fuel at any proportion;
• Excellent properties as a lubricant.
• It is the only alternative fuel that can be used in a conventional diesel engine,
without modifications.
• Used cooking oils and fat residues from meat processing may be used as raw
materials.
Disadvantages of the Use of Biodiesel
• Slightly higher fuel consumption due to the lower calorific value of biodiesel.
• Slightly higher nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions than diesel fuel.
• Higher freezing point than diesel fuel. This may be inconvenient in cold
climates.
• less stable than diesel fuel, and therefore long-term storage of biodiesel is not
recommended.
•Not mature production technology
energy plantation means growing select species of trees and shrubs which are harvestable in a comparably shorter time and are specifically meant for fuel

Energy plantation
the practice of planting trees, purely for their use as fuel.
In recent years, to meet the demand of energy, plantation of energy plants has
been re-emphasized
In an energy plantation, growing plants collect and store solar radiation for
subsequent release as high-temperature heat.
to provide biomass or biofuel for heating or power generation.