Biodiesel Production from Algae
Biodiesel Production from Algae. Algae Fuel Manufacturing Business. Investment Opportunities in Biofuel Manufacturing Industry
Algae are photosynthetic organisms that live under water. Biodiesel production from algae has the potential of considerably larger amounts of fuel in terms of growth area. The amount of agricultural land needed is reduced to 5%.
Biodiesel is used in diesel engines, and is thus different from the waste and vegetable oils used to fuel converted diesel engines. Blends of biodiesel are also used as heating oil in space heating applications. Biodiesel is oil from plants or animals used as an alternative to or blended with petroleum diesel in automobiles and industrial fleets with diesel engines.
Easy to Use
One of the great advantages of biodiesel is that it can be used in existing engines, vehicles and infrastructure with practically no changes. Biodiesel can be pumped, stored and burned just like petroleum diesel fuel, and can be used pure, or in blends with petroleum diesel fuel in any proportion. Power and fuel economy using biodiesel is practically identical to petroleum diesel fuel, and year round operation can be achieved by blending with diesel fuel.
Blending and Switching with Diesel Fuel
Biodiesel can be used 100% (B100) or in blends with petroleum diesel fuel. When biodiesel is first used in a vehicle, it may release fuel tank deposits which can lead to fuel filter plugging. After this initial period, a user can switch between biodiesel and petroleum diesel whenever needed or desired, without modification.
Biodiesel as a transportation fuel
Most of the trucks, buses, and tractors in the United States use diesel fuel. Diesel fuel is a nonrenewable fuel made from petroleum. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel that is made from vegetable oils, grease, and animal fats. Using biodiesel fuel produces less pollution than using petroleum diesel fuel. Any vehicle that operates on diesel fuel can use biodiesel.
Advantages of Biodiesel as Fuel
- 75% cleaner than conventional diesel fuel.
- Reduces unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter in exhaust fumes.
- Contains no sulphur.
- Emissions are nearly 50% less than conventional diesel fuel.
- Doesn’t cause eye irritation
- More biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt.
- Fuel economy is the same as conventional diesel fuel.
- Much better lubricant than conventional diesel fuel and extends engine life
- High cetane rating, which improves engine performance.
- 1% biodiesel will increase lubricity by 65%
- Biodiesel can be produced from any fat or vegetable oil, including waste cooking oil.
Market Outlook
The global biodiesel market is expected to reach USD 54.8 billion by 2025. The key factors for the growth of this market are minimizing storage issues with stability and transportation issues with high cost of delivered fuel compared to fossil fuels; it can reduce the ecological problems such as global warming, greenhouse effect and pollution.
The growth in the global biodiesel market can be attributed to the proactive implementation of biofuel policies in various nations including US, Argentina, Brazil, and Indonesia. The regulations regarding the formulation of fuel in these regions are expected to increase the share of biodiesel, thereby increasing the demand.
The global biodiesel market is slated for a huge growth in the next few years, not only because of the growing environmental concerns, but also because of the surging prices for non-renewable sources of energy, such as petroleum. Governments are enhancing the use of biodiesel across the globe and many countries have initiated merging of conventional diesel with a percentage of biodiesel.
In biodiesel market by verticals, biodiesel is used as a fuel in many verticals including automobile, marine, railway, and agriculture industries, in pure form B100′ or by forming blends with conventional petroleum diesel. These blends are B2′, B5′ and B20′, which include 2%, 5%, and 20% biodiesel, respectively. Biodiesel has a higher lubricity (50:1) than that of traditional petroleum diesel. This belonging of biodiesel encourages its use in the vehicle enterprise as it reduces wear and tear of the engine. The excessive cetane value of biodiesel additionally maximizes engine life by way of ensuring entire gasoline combustion and leaving no residue. Biodiesel is used in the marine industry also as it is a good material as a shipping fuel, being biodegradable, non-toxic and essentially free of sulphur and aromatics.
The biodiesel market has been segmented based on the feedstock used for products such as vegetable oils, animal fats, biomass, and others (brown grease/ trap grease); and verticals such as automotive, aviation, industrial, marine, residential & commercial heating, power generation, and agriculture.
Biodiesel contains no petroleum products, but it is compatible with conventional diesel and can be blended in any proportion with mineral diesel to create a stable biodiesel mix. Biodiesel is eco-friendly, non-toxic and basically free from sulfur; it is renewable and can be produced from plant resources and agriculture. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel, which has a correlation with sustainable development, environmental preservation, energy conservation, efficiency and management.
Global Biodiesel Demand by Region
Growth in food industry driving the production of feed stock made from residue of soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil and animal fats enabling the handiness of feed stock required for production of biodiesel which in turn is fueling the production of biodiesel over the forecast period. Moreover, favorable regulatory support for mandatorily blending of biodiesel in diesel fuel is projected to fuel the consumption of biodiesel. However, raw material availability and high cost of installation of biodiesel production plant are factors expected to hamper the growth of biodiesel market during the forecast period.
Biodiesel Market Revenue, 2017-2021 ($ Million)
Some of the major competitors of the global biodiesel market are Poet, Llc, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Flint Hills Resources LP, The Andersons, Inc., Raizen, Copersucar, and Abengoa. Other developing economies like Europe, China, Russia, and India are also experiencing steady development and are expected to show an increase in stability in near future.
Emerging Biofuel Market in India
Bio-diesel production is in rise day-by-day basis in India as well as foreign countries. The major reason behind the phenomena is the limited amount of petroleum product reservoirs. The Indian biofuel market has been consistently witnessing growth and developments for past few years. The Government of India is injecting huge amount of money and resources into the development of this sector in an attempt to reduce dependency on imported oil. High volatile oil prices and production levels have further enlightened the need for continuous developments of this sector.
The Indian biofuel sector is expected to see robust growth in coming years. Currently, ethanol dominates the Indian biofuel sector, but biodiesel will soon join the commercial stream as the phase one of pilot projects has already been completed. Being at the initial stage, but with huge potential in terms of production, the Indian biofuel industry will prove to be a good option for biofuel producers.
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