180 likes | 300 Views
Biodiesel Liquid Solar Energy. LIQUID SOLAR ENERGY. Don Scott Director of Sustainability National Biodiesel Board. What is Biodiesel?. A renewable substitute for diesel fuel made from animal fats or vegetable oils. Vision of the National Biodiesel Board.
E N D
Biodiesel Liquid Solar Energy LIQUID SOLAR ENERGY Don Scott Director of Sustainability National Biodiesel Board
What is Biodiesel? A renewable substitute for diesel fuel made from animal fats or vegetable oils
Vision of the National Biodiesel Board • Improve economics of local communities • Increases domestic jobs well beyond ag sector • Reduce dependence on petroleum • Reduce outflow of $ for imports • Shift away from sole reliance on diminishing resource • Reduce harmful environmental impact • Reduce vehicle emissions • Reduce net CO2 • Reduce threats to water and ecology
Biodiesel: Advanced Biofuel, Here Now Nationwide Production Biodiesel is produced in every region of the country.
Performance Benefits of Biodiesel • Yields the same kind of horsepower, torque, fuel economy and performance as diesel fuel • Naturally Ultra-Low in Sulfur • <15 ppm • Enhanced Lubricity • B5 blend restores lubricity to ULSD • High Cetane • 47 min., 55 common
Environmental Benefits of Biodiesel • Cleaner, Safer Diesel Exhaust Emissions • Superior Energy Efficiency (captures solar energy) • Lifecycle Carbon Reduction • Nontoxic & Biodegradable • Reduces Wastewater & Hazardous Waste Production
Liquid Fuel is Stored Solar Energy • Plants store energy in natural oils. • Nature has pre-assembled long carbon chains. • Annual crops concentrate energy in seed. • Animals store energy in fat. • Liquid fuels are energy-dense, easily transported, and easily stored. • Oils release energy easily. • Biodiesel stores solar energy. • Plants recycle carbon from the air. • Hydrocarbons (H, C, & O) do not mine nutrients (N, P, & K) from soil
Co-products of Food Production • Protein meal for livestock feed is the primary driver for soybean production • Better utilization of the oil coproduct can reduce the price of the protein meal.
Lifecycle Emissions Every unit of fossil energy put into producing biodiesel, yields 5.5 units of usable energy. Biodiesel reduces GHG emission by 85-89%* If we used renewable energy instead of natural gas and electricity to process biodiesel, our GHG reduction could exceed 100%. 85-86% per USEPA 89% per Argonne National Laboratory
Lifecycle Analysis And the Carbon Cycle
200 million years ago: atmospheric CO2 was 4 to 5 times its present concentration. 500 million years ago: atmospheric CO2 was 20 times higher that it is today. Life as we know it today did not survive under those conditions.
Early life converted CO2 to solid carbon. Geologic processes converted that carbon to fossil fuels. It took hundreds of millions of years to permanently sequester this carbon and establish the equilibrium that supports life as we know it.
Burning Fossil Fuels Pumps Carbon Into the Atmosphere • The last century has reversed millions of years of carbon sequestration. • We are depleting oil reserves while increasing atmospheric CO2.
Carbon Problem Grows Every year • Fossil Carbon emitted each year 7.3 billion tons • Carbon absorbed by plants -2.2 billion tons • Carbon absorbed by oceans -1.8 billion tons • 1% stored in rocks & sediment -.07 billion tons • Net Carbon Accumulation 3.2 billion tons
Reducing fossil fuel use is the only way to control CO2. Biofuels are a necessary alternative for liquid fuels and other uses of energy.
Biofuels Recycle Carbon • Plants take CO2 from the air and energy from the sun • Plants store carbon in biomass • Biofuels harness biomass and stored solar energy
Brown Grease Diversity Brown Grease
A Model of Sustainability • Real Environmental Benefits • Increases Energy Security • Supporting Jobs and Economic Benefits • Commitment to Fuel Quality and Performance • Education and Outreach • Responsible Goal Setting • Successful Public Policy • Emphasis on science and quantified analysis