HOW IS BIODIESEL MADE?
Biodiesel fuel can be made from a variety of oils and animal fats.
In the fundamental biodiesel production process, these oils and animal fats are converted into biodiesel using a mixing process known as transesterification. The oils and animal fats are composed primarily of triglycerides, which are a combination of fatty acids and glycerin. in the presence of a catalyst the glycerin will separate. Once the glycerin is removed from the oil, the remaiing molecules are, to a diesel engine, similar to petroleum diesel fuel.
Importantly, however, the remaining biodiesel contains no sulfur, ring molecules or aromatics that are found in fossil fuels. Biodiesel is made up of almost 10% oxygen, making it a naturally "oxygenated" fuel and providing it with excellent preformance benefits compared to both petroleum diesel and unprocessed vegetable oil that contains glycerin.
© 2007 CT Biodiesel, A NorthWinds Company.