Selection of project

In a world with complex and growing energy needs,

biodiesel offers a simple, sustainable option. Biodiesel can
be made with diverse resources that are abundant here in
India, thus increasing our energy independence. A
domestically produced, renewable fuel, it can be made from
plant oils as well as animal fats and recycled waste grease.

The main benefit of biodiesel is that it can be described as

carbon neutral. This means that the fuel produces no net
output of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2).

This effect occurs because when the oil crop grows it

absorbs the same amount of CO2 as is released when the
fuel is combusted.

Biodiesel is rapidly biodegradable and completely non-toxic,

non
meaning spillages represent far less of a risk than fossil
diesel spillages.

Biodiesel has a higher flash point than fossil diesel and so is

safer in the event of a crash.

Objectives
To explain in detail what is meant by
the terminology BIODIESEL.
To highlight the benefits of
Biodiesel.
To discuss the three basic routes to
biodiesel production from oils and
fats.
To shed light on the production
process of Biodiesel.
A case study of indigenous in house
Biodiesel manufactured by Central
Railway Loco Workshop, Parel.
Viability of Biodiesel in the future.
Current scenario in India.

Relevance
Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning
cleaner
alternative fuel for diesel engines. It
reduces greenhouse gas emissions by
more than three-quarters,
quarters, helping to
fight global warming.
Instead of drilling for petroleum, we can
recycle waste fats and used cooking oil
into quality biodiesel. And oilseed crops
like soybeans take up carbon dioxide,
dramatically reducing CO2 in the
atmosphere.
Even when made from first use oils,
biodiesel has a 78 percent life cycle
carbon dioxide reduction. This takes into
account everything from the fi eld to the
fuel tank

Methodology
Biodiesel Production
Base catalyzed transesterification
of the oil.
Direct acid catalyzed
transesterification of the oil.
Conversion of the oil to its fatty
acids and then to biodiesel.

Conversion of the oil to its fatty acids and then to biodiesel.

Almost all biodiesel is produced using base catalyzed
transesterification as it is the most economical process
requiring only low temperatures and pressures and
producing a 98% conversion yield. For this reason only this
process will be described in this report.
The Transesterification process is the reaction of a
triglyceride (fat/oil) with an alcohol to form esters and
glycerol. A triglyceride has a glycerine molecule as its base
with three long chain fatty acids attached. The
characteristics of the fat are determined by the nature of
the fatty acids attached to the glycerine. The nature of the
fatty acids can in turn affect the characteristics of the
biodiesel. During the esterification process, the triglyceride
is reacted with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst, usually
a strong alkaline like sodium hydroxide. The alcohol reacts
with the fatty acids to form the mono-alkyl
mono
ester, or
biodiesel and crude glycerol. In most production methanol
or ethanol is the alcohol used (methanol produces methyl
esters, ethanol produces ethyl esters) and is base catalysed
by either potassium or sodium hydroxide. Potassium
hydroxide has been found to be more suitable for the ethyl
ester biodiesel production, either base can be used for the
methyl ester

The figure below shows the chemical process for methyl ester biodiesel.
The reaction between the fat or oil and the alcohol is a reversible
reaction and so the alcohol must be added in excess to drive the reaction
towards the right and ensure complete conversion.

The products of the reaction are the biodiesel itself and glycerol. A
successful transesterification reaction is signified by the separation of
the ester and glycerol layers after the reaction time. The heavier, coco
product, glycerol settles out and may be sold as it is or it may be purified
for use in other industries, e.g. the pharmaceutical, cosmetics etc.
Straight vegetable oil (SVO) can be used directly as a fossil diesel
substitute however using this fuel can lead to some fairly serious engine
problems. Due to its relatively high viscosity SVO leads to poor
atomisation of the fuel, incomplete combustion, coking of the fuel
injectors, ring carbonisation, and accumulation of fuel in the lubricating
oil. The best method for solving these problems is the transesterification
of the oil.
The engine combustion benefits of the transesterification of the oil are:
Lowered viscosity
Complete removal of the glycerides
Lowered boiling point
Lowered flash point
Lowered pour point

Production Process
An example of a simple production flow chart is
proved below with a brief explanation of each
step.

Mixing of alcohol and catalyst

The catalyst is typically sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) or potassium
hydroxide (potash). It is dissolved in the alcohol using a standard agitator
or mixer. Reaction. The alcohol/catalyst mix is then charged into a closed
reaction vessel and the oil or fat is added. The system from here on is
totally closed to the atmosphere to prevent the loss of alcohol. The
reaction mix is kept just above the boiling point of the alcohol (around
160 F)) to speed up the reaction and the reaction takes place.
Recommended reaction time varies from 1 to 8 hours, and some systems
recommend the reaction take place at room temperature. Excess alcohol
is normally used to ensure total conversion of the fat or oil to its esters.
Care must be taken to monitor the amount of water and free fatty acids
in the incoming oil or fat. If the free fatty acid level or water level is too
high it may cause problems with soap formation and the separation of
the glycerin by-product
product downstream.
Separation
Once the reaction is complete, two major products exist: glycerin and
biodiesel. Each has a substantial amount of the excess methanol that
was used in the reaction. The reacted mixture is sometimes neutralized
at this step if needed. The glycerin phase is much more dense than
biodiesel phase and the two can be gravity separated with glycerin
simply drawn off the bottom of the settling vessel. In some cases, a
centrifuge is used to separate the two materials faster.
Alcohol Removal
Once the glycerin and biodiesel phases have been separated, the excess
alcohol in each phase is removed with a flash evaporation process or by
distillation. In others systems, the alcohol is removed and the mixture
neutralized before the glycerin and esters have been separated. In either
case, the alcohol is recovered using distillation equipment and is re-used.
re
Care must be taken to ensure no water accumulates in the recovered
alcohol stream.

Glycerin Neutralization
The glycerin by-product
product contains unused catalyst and soaps that are
neutralized with an acid and sent to storage as crude glycerin. In some
cases the salt formed during this phase is recovered for use as fertilizer.
In most cases the salt is left in the glycerin.
glycerin Water and alcohol are
removed to produce 80-88% pure glycerin that is ready to be sold as
crude glycerin.. In more sophisticated operations, the glycerin is distilled
to 99% or higher purity and sold into the cosmetic and pharmaceutical
markets.
Methyl Ester Wash
Once separated from the glycerin,, the biodiesel is sometimes purified by
washing gently with warm water to remove residual catalyst or soaps,
dried, and sent to storage. In some processes this step is unnecessary.
This is normally the end of the production process resulting in a clear
amber-yellow
yellow liquid with a viscosity similar to petrodiesel. In some
systems the biodiesel is distilled in an additional step to remove small
amounts of color bodies to produce a colorless biodiesel.
Product Quality
Prior to use as a commercial fuel, the finished biodiesel must be
analyzed using sophisticated analytical equipment to ensure it meets any
required specifications. The most important aspects of biodiesel
production to ensure trouble free operation in diesel engines are:
Complete Reaction
Removal of Glycerin
Removal of Catalyst
Removal of Alcohol
Absence of Free Fatty Acids

Observation
Father of Bio-Diesel
Diesel : Dr. Rudolf Diesel who invented
the first Diesel in 1895 used only Bio-Diesel
Bio
in his
engine.
His visionary statement was: The use of vegetable
oils for engine fuel may seem insignificant today ,
But such oils may in course of time, as important as
petroleum and coal tar products of present time
Indian Railways (IR) being the largest consumer of
Petro diesel realized the importance of an alternative
fuel, a few years back and decided upon Bio-Diesel.
Bio
In
association with M/s Indian Oil Corporation conducted
a trial run of New Delhi Amritsar Shatabdi Express
on 31.12.2002 to assess a suitability with a 5% blend
with Petro Diesel. The run went on smoothly .
Subsequently, directives were issued to all Railway
unit to develop Bio-Diesel
Diesel as an alternate fuel to its
large fleet of Diesel engines running across the length
and breath of the country. All the IR Diesel Engines
including the latest generation of G M Locomotives
comes under this category and Bio-Diesel
Bio
assumes
greater significance into with M/s IOC to supply BioBio
Diesel for its use.

 In continuation, Central Railway Loco

Workshop, has manufactured in house BioBio
Diesel Plant in the month of Aug.2014. The
Plant was manufactured totally in house at
Railway Workshop including the design.
The capacity of Plant is 120 Liter per batch
.and then after the production of Bio-Diesel
Bio
has been commenced.
Bio-Diesel
Diesel is defined as the monomono alkyl
esters of fatty acids derived from vegetable
oils. In simple terms Bio-Diesel
Bio
the product
obtained when a vegetable oil is chemically
reacted with an alcohol to produce alkyl
esters of fatty acid.a catalyst such as
Potassium Hydroxide is required. In this
process Glycerol is produced as a coco
product.

The approximate proportions of the reaction are:

100 Liter of used vegetable oil+ 10 Liter of Methanol
100 Liter of Bio-Diesel + 10 Liter
of Glycerol.
The main reaction for converting oil to Bio-Diesel
Bio
is called
Trans esterification. Trans esterification is the process of
reacting a triglyceride molecule with an excess of alcohol in
the presence of strong base such as KOH to produce fatty
esters and glycerol. The chemical reaction with methanol is
shown schematically below.
CH2OCOR1
R1COOCH3
CH2OH
CHOCOR2 + 3CH3OH
R2COOCH3
+
CHOH
CH2OCOR3
R3COOCH3
CH2OH
Triglyceride + Methanol
Bio
Bio-Diesel
+
Glycerol
R1,R2,R3 fatty acid chain (Methyl Ester)
The trans esterification mainly depends upon the FFA
contents of raw oil. In case of higher FFA contents of raw oil
difficulties arise due to formation of soap which promotes
emulsification during water wash stage.

 Production Stages
Taken known quantity of [previously filtered up to 53
microns thickness sieve] oil. [tri glyceride/complex
fatty acids] in a biodiesel reactor vessel.
Neutralizing the free fatty acids using sodium or
potassium methoxide i.e known quality of methanol
and known quantity of NaOH or KOH.
Creating an alcohol ester under desired temperature(
65 C ) with suitable speed stir the mixture.
Between1/2 to 2 hrs. biodiesel is formed alone with
glycerine with clear phase separation..
Settle to content for 6 hrs. to overnight.
Bottom layer contains glycerine with impurities.
Top-layer is bio-diesel,
diesel, wash it with water till free from
alkali. Generally in 3-4
4 water wash it become free from
alkali.
Then transfer the content ( Bio-Diesel)
Bio
into the
dewatering tank and heat it up to 120 C for removal
of moisture & water content.
Now the Bio-Diesel
Diesel which is free from moisture &
water filter it with 10 micron filter media & store it in
clean container and use it as 5% blend with HSD Oil.

 Work done by Central Railway Loco Workshop

Parel:
Loco Workshop started conversion of used
vegetable oil into Bio-Diesel
Diesel from Aug.2014
onwards duly establishing Bio-Diesel
Bio
Plant of 120
Liter capacity. During Sept.2014,Parel Workshop
started its experiments on fork lifter & truck with
5% blend of Bio-Diesel.
Diesel. The result was found
satisfactory in road vehicles. Then after it was
added in HSD oil of shunting Locomotives with
5% bio-diesel
diesel blend. So far (up to Aug.2015)
3,666 Liters of Bio-Diesel
Diesel has been prepared and
out of which 3495 Liters of Bio-Diesel has already
been utilized in Kurla and Bandra Locos. Total
used vegetable oil collected from various sources
e.g. Parel, Matunga canteen, CRMI PR, PA Div.&
from star hotels of Mumbai. The total collection
of used oil up to Aug.2015 is 4806 Liters.

The ex President of India,Late

,Late Dr. Abdul Kalam, is one of the
strong advocaters of jatropha cultivation for production of
bio-diesel.[7] In his recent speech, the Former President said
that out of the 600,000 km of wasteland that is available in
India over 300,000 km are suitable for Jatropha cultivation.
Once this plant is grown the plant has a useful lifespan of
several decades. During its life, Jatropha requires very little
water when compared to other cash crops.
Recently, the State Bank of India provided a boost to the
cultivation of Jatropha in India by signing a Memorandum of
Understanding with D1 Mohan, a joint venture of D1 Oils
plc, to give loans to the tune of 1.3 billion rupees to local
farmers in India. Farmers will also be able to pay back the
loan with the money that D1 Mohan pays for the Jatropha
seeds.
Indian Railways
The Indian Railways has started to use the oil (blended with
diesel fuel in various ratios) from the Jatropha plant to
power its diesel engines with great success. Currently the
diesel locomotives that run from Thanjavur to Nagore
section and Tiruchirapalli to Lalgudi,
Lalgudi Dindigul and Karur
sections in Tamil Nadu run on a blend of Jatropha and diesel
oil.[8]

Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has entered into a formal agreement with Reliance Industries
for Jatropha planting. The company has selected 200 acres (0.81 km2) of land
at Kakinada to grow jatropha for high quality bio-diesel fuel.[9] Kerala is
planning a massive Jatropha planting campaign.[10]
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh has decided to plant 160 million saplings of jatropha in all its 16
districts during 2006 with the aim of becoming a bio-fuel
bio
self-reliant state by
[11]
2015. Chhattisgarh plans to earn Rs. 40 billion annually by selling seeds
after 2010. The central government has provided Rs. 135 million to
Chhattisgarh in 2013 for developing jatropha nursery facilities.

Karnataka[edit]
Farmers in semi-arid
arid regions of Karnataka are planting
Jatropha as it is well suited to those conditions.[13]
Labland Biodiesel is a Mysore based Private Limited
Company. Since the year 2002, the Company is active in
Biodiesel and Jatropha curcas-based
curcas
Research and
Development activities headed by its chairman and
managing director, Dr. Sudheer Shetty. [14]
Tamil Nadu[edit]
Tamil Nadu is aggressively promoting the plantation of
Jatropha to help farmers over come the loss due to irregular
rains during the past few years. The government has
contracted the development of Jatropha in Tamil Nadu in a
large scale to four entrepreneurs. Namely M/s Mohan
Breweries and Distilleries Limited. M/s Shiva Distilleries
Limited, M/s Dharani Sugars and Chemicals Limited and M/s
Riverway Agro Products Private Ltd. Currently the firms have
cultivated the plant in about 3 square kilometres as against
the goal of 50 km. The government of Tamil Nadu has also
abolished purchase tax on Jatropha.,
Jatropha but presently
government has announced to reduce the 7.5% tolgate
charges to 2.5%

Rajasthan
Jatropha is ideally suited for cultivation in Rajasthan as it needs very little
water which is scarce in Rajasthan. Jatropa plantations have been
undertaken in Udaipur, Kota, Sikar,, Banswara, Chittor and Churu districts.
In the Udaipur district, Jatropha curcas is planted in agroforestry
formats with food or cash crops on marginal lands (in India often called
waste lands). As its leaves are toxic and therefore non-palatable
non
to
livestock, they remain intact in their sapling stage, unlike most other tree
saplings. These Jatropha Seeds are very much favourable for the
Germination. Udaipur is the major supplier of the Jatropha Seeds
especially for the Germination. Many companies and Govt are taking
interest to collect best seeds from Udaipur. Bulk Agro (I) Pvt Ltd is the
elite of the suppliers.
Maharashtra
In September 2007, the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited
(HPCL) joined hands with the Maharashtra State Farming Corporation Ltd
(MSFCL) for a jatropha seed-based
based bio-diesel
bio
venture. As part of the
project, jatropha plants would be grown on 500 acres (2 km) in Nashik
and Aurangabad.[15] In November 2005, the Maharashtra Government
aimed to cultivate jatropha on 600 km in the state, with half the land
going to the public sector and the other half to the private sector.[16] On
1 July 2006, Pune Municipal Corporation took the lead among Indian
cities in using bio-diesel from jatropha in over 100 public buses.[17]

Ahmednagar
Gulabrao Kale studied the prospects of plantation in the Ahmednagar
district in Maharashtra and under his guidance, Govind Gramin Vikas
Pratishthan (GOGVIP), decided to plan under DPAP program of
government. Initially, it was a very difficult task to make farmers ready
for the Jatropha plantation. When 2025
20
farmers were offered the plan,
only 23
3 farmers were convinced to plant jatropha. Lack of literacy was a
big hindrance in convincing the farmers. It was hard to convince them
about the future benefits of the plant and its potential to produce biobio
diesel, an equivalent of diesel. But after untiring and continuous efforts
more than 1000 farmers are working with the GOGVIP for the Jatropha
planting program now. For this task, under the watershed development
program, GOGVIP took an area of 10.92 square kilometres for making
CCT'S. To date, more than 2 million Jatropha plants have been planted in
the target area of the five villages of Vankute, Dhoki, Dhotre, Dhavalpuri
and Gajdipoor in the project. The villages are in the remote locations and
that made connecting them with GOGVIP a difficult task.[18][19]
Eastern India
D1 Williamson Magor Bio Fuel Limited was a joint venture company
between D1 Oils plc, UK and Williamson Magor group. This biodiesel
initiative was incorporated in July 2006. Advocating the creation of
energy from renewable resources, the company had promoted Jatropha
Plantations on the wasteland possessed by the farmers in the North
Eastern States, Orissa and Jharkhand. The Company had a
comprehensive network to manufacture bio-diesel
bio
from the oilseeds
harvested by the farmers.
Biodiesel initiative hoped to benefit local communities through
commercial plantation of Jatropha.
Jatropha NGOs and self-help groups were also
involved.

Analysis