Breakthrough in Biodiesel Production by Japanese Scientists
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 11.24.05
Sustainablog reports that Japanese scientists have discovered a way to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel with a much less expensive (between 10 and 50 times cheaper) catalyst. "Any vegetable oil can become fuel, but not until its fatty acids are converted to chemical compounds known as esters. Currently the acids used to convert the fatty acids are prohibitively expensive. Michikazu Hara, of the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Yokohama, Japan, and his colleagues have used common, inexpensive sugars to form a recyclable solid acid that does the job on the cheap. Their research is reported in last week's issue of the journal Nature." ::Cheaper Veggie Diesel May Change the Way We Drive, via ::Sustainablog
This sugar / carbon based catalyst is very important. If and when it become available on the market, this compound could revolutionize biodiesel production.
However, the keywords are 'IF' and 'When'. It could take many months and more likely years before it will be available from the local chemical supplier - unfortunately.
Cordially - Joe-in-Texas
joegreene@terrasolbiofuels.com
The other outcame of this technology will be a vastly increased demand of these sugars, or other cataysts used, and a resulting increase in price, erasing any potential savings. And what is the environmental inpact of producing these sugars?
I like the idea of biodiesel, I just hope it doesn't end up like our corn based ethanol in the US that has to be heavily subsidized and/or is anything but a carbon neutral process.
There's quite a nice guide to brewing your own biodiesel here:
http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/case_studies/homebrew_biodiesel.pdf
Here's a video teaching how to make the nice little oil burner shown on the pic of the article:
http://science.csustan.edu/stkrm/INFO/VEG-BURNER/veg-burner.htm#top