THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Biodiesel
Blessing or Environmental Hazard?
"The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But
such oils may become in the course of time as important as the petroleum and
coal tar products of the present time"
Rudolf Diesel, 1912
Prepared by Philipp Hinderberger
BISC 180
June 4, 2008
Hinderberger 2
Abstract
The German inventor, Rudolf Diesel, already recognized the importance of bio-
fuels in 1912. His vision was a locomotive engine powered by renewable plant based
oils. During the 1920s locomotive manufacturers chose, however, to change their en-
gines to utilize the lower viscosity of petro diesel, which ultimately replaced vegetable
oils. It took about 60 years and advancements in biotechnology to make biodiesel techni-
cally and economically competitive to ordinary diesel. Biodiesel has earned a lot of
praise in recent days and promises to be an environmentally friendly and sustainable
energy source that will solve the problem of diminishing petrofuels in the future. How-
ever, propagators tend to ignore its negative aspects, such as solidification and toxicity at
low temperatures, incompatibility with old diesel engines and high production and refin-
ing costs. Another controversy faced by biodiesel supporters is the issue of using larger
areas of agricultural land for the biomass crop rather than food crops. The agriculture in-
dustry is focusing on fuel production at the expense of basic necessities, which ultimately
harms developing countries. This paper will discuss positive, as well as negative aspects
of this promising biotechnological advancement, its social, political, economic and health
implications and conclude with some final thoughts on long-term applications.
Hinderberger 3
Introduction
Biodiesel could be best explained as `an alternative engine fuel, extracted from
biological sources like plants and animals'. In biochemical language, it is a mono-alkyl
ester of a long chain of fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, subsequent-
ly processed and refined to use as a fuel in diesel locomotives. The concept of using veg-
etable oils as a fuel is quite old. Interestingly, Rudolf's engines had the capability to use
vegetable oil as a fuel. But mass availability of petroleum especially in the 20
th
century
replaced all other fuels. A test conducted in 1930 found that any prolonged use of con-
centrated original vegetable oil could result in incomplete combustion, engine choking
and eventually engine failure (Duffield et al., 1998). This problem was later resolved by
transesterification of oil that resulted in high quality, long-term functioning biodiesel.
Biodiesel: Blessing or Environmental Hazard?
In this age of increasing problems related to pollution and energy savings, nations
are adopting strategies of using natural resources. Use of biodiesel is one such example.
In this situation, there is a question on whether incomplete combustion or engine choking
can be completely exterminated through the use of modern bio-gases. If not, what could
be the associated disadvantages? The biodiesel to run an engine effectively and clearly is
taken from soya or other recycled frying oil. It is then blended with a portion of alcohol
and sodium hydroxide to form combustive energy.
Hinderberger 4
Biodiesel appears to be an environmentally friendly fuel. However, it also has its
disadvantages. For example, the pipes and engines used for the flow of biodiesel were
not designed to work for this alternative fuel. The rubber fittings and hoses manufactured
before the 1990s were designed to shrink with the use of standard diesel. Bio-fuels on
the other hand degrade the rubber, which requires bio-compatible materials. Moreover,
biodiesel tends to wash out carbon sludge from fuel tanks, thus causing clogged fuel fil-
ters. The most severe problem related to biodiesel is that it becomes highly viscous at
lower temperatures, thus requiring anti-freezing additives or external heating mechanisms
(Aronow, 2004). One can relate the present situation with that in 1930 that irrespective
of modifications there are still some undesirable tribulations related to modern fuel which
could be cumbersome for drivers of biodiesel vehicles. This problem is technical as well
as psychological for drivers, particularly for those who drive long distances on country
sides in cold weather. It is better for drivers of old vehicles to use regular diesel instead
of biodiesel. A reported case backed the argument: A facility resource manager, who ex-
perimented with biodiesel blend in her car, had to face engine failure. She was unaware
of the root cause as the fuel filter was giving no sign of blockage. However, after three
attempts of recourse, she found out that the fuel was not compatible with the rubber ring.
Hence, maintenance and environmental factors must be considered before experimenting
with any new technology or product (Aronow, 2004).
0 comments