Course: BFM 202 Biodiesel Production

Lecture

Renewable Diesel
Credits
BFM 202 Biodiesel Production Unit 1 Reading has been adapted from "ENGY 131 Unit 1 Commentary: What is biodiesel?" by Southeastern Illinois College.

ENGY 131 Biodiesel Production course content by Southeastern Illinois College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Except where indicated otherwise.

Renewable Diesel

Renewable diesel is a good alternative to petroleum-based diesel. It is
chemically similar to regular diesel, but releases the lowest emissions
of the three. Unlike biodiesel, renewable diesel doesn't have an ester
structure because it does not undergo transesterification.

Renewable Diesel Feedstocks

Renewable diesel can be produced from a variety of oil seeds, including
canola oil, soy beans, algae, palm oil, and sunflower oil. Renewable
diesel is also noted for its non-plant sources, such as industrial and
solid waste and animal fats.

Renewable Diesel Production

Like biodiesel, renewable diesel can be made from animal fats and oils,
but unlike biodiesel, renewable diesel is made by using a process called
hydrotreating. Hydrotreating was once originally used to remove sulfur
from petroleum-based diesel, but in this process, the hydrogen replaces
sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms. There are other methods of making
renewable diesel, such as biomass-to-liquid and pyrolysis, but these are
used for different resources, such as hydrocarbons or cellulosic biomass.