Biodiesel’s Past, Present and Future

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January 5, 2019

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by Marc Kellens (Biodiesel Magazine) Marc Kellens, the global technical director for Desmet Ballestra, takes us through the history and future of biodiesel production, identifying key milestones and cultural shifts, including the introduction and proliferation of renewable diesel. — … The food-vs.-fuel debate forced the industry to look for alternative biomass sources—wood, straw, algae and jatropha being examples. Many challenges lie ahead to stop and reverse the harm done to Mother Nature by mankind, but society cannot simply cut its energy demand. Therefore, it must continue to use its current energy sources more efficiently while investing in renewable, carbon-neutral sources.

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For decades biodiesel relied mainly on vegetable oils for conversion to methyl esters. This is often called first-generation biodiesel. It started in the 1990s in Europe to support the agro-industry.

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Whereas growth in first- and second-generation biodiesel production has slowed in Europe and the Americas, the opposite is true for hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), also known as renewable diesel. More hydrotreating plants are being built to convert especially waste oils and fats into renewable diesel suitable for aviation, which biodiesel is not. HVO is apt as a drop-in or biojet fuel and can be blended with off-spec petroleum diesel to improve combustion parameters.

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In contrast to first-generation biodiesel, where many big players are active in the vegetable oil processing industry, the HVO industry is more controlled by the petrochemical industry, with Neste, Eni and Total in Europe, and Diamond Green Diesel (Valero) in the U.S. as examples.

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As of September in Indonesia, for example, B20 (and B30 in 2020) blends are compulsory amid efforts to reduce the deficit in its economy by saving billions of dollars in petroleum diesel imports.

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Palm processing produces many side streams with no food value, such as palm fatty acid distillates, high fatty acids crude palm oil and palm sludge oil, which are being converted into biodiesel. With efforts to increase palm oil’s food quality and safety, new standards are soon expected, which will result in more nonfood palm oil.

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Apart from improving conventional biodiesel technologies that use catalysts like sodium methylate (the most-used catalyst), new processes are being tested, making use of enzymes and in some cases no catalyst at all (e.g., supercritical). READ MORE

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