Even though the government is developing eco-projects, more attention should be

paid to start taking advantage of biodiesel extraction using different plants because it
will stop global warming, create new jobs and lower the oils price.
I. Biodiesel
A. History
B. Methods of extraction
II. Types of Biodiesel
A. Pinion tree
B. Palm Oil
C. Microalgae
III. Stop global warming
A. Preservation of the environment
B. Natural Fuel
III. Projects development in Ecuador
A. Cost
B. Project
1. Experimental project
2. Final project
C. Give people jobs
V. Helping the country to improve

Sandoval 1
Gustavo Sandoval Z
Mr. Geraldine Cedeo
September 17th, 2012
12th B
Biodiesel extraction of vegetable oil
What is biodiesel? The biodiesel is a liquid also called biofuel that is in a based
diesel fuel consisting of a long chain of alkyl made up of methyl, propyl or ethyl and
esters. It is obtained from the chemical reaction from natural lipids such as vegetable
oils, animal fats, etc. that mixed with alcohol, goes through an industrial process of
esterification and trans esterification, which is applied in the preparation of total or
partial replacements of petro diesel or gas oil that are obtained from oil. The biodiesel
has a lot of advantages for our environment like the decrease of the principal
contaminants emissions of vehicles; also the use of this natural fuel is an alternative
for a semiarid land that prevents erosion and desertification, biodiesel can be
blended with diesel from oil refining in different quantities.

Even though the

government is developing eco-projects more attention should be paid to start taking

advantage of biodiesel extraction using different plants because it will stop global
warming, create new jobs and lower the oils price.
At the end of the XIX century Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913), a German engineer,
invented the combustion engine that uses fuel oil and thereafter implemented early
versions of a machine that used peanut oil as energy. In 1970, biodiesel was
developed significantly as a result of the energy crisis and the high cost of oil, in
1982, in Austria and Germany, were held the first technical tests with this fuel plant
and in 1985, in Silberberg (Austria) built the first pilot plant producing biodiesel from

Sandoval 2
rapeseed or canola. According to Biodiesel Currently Germany, Austria, Canada,
United States, France, Italy, Malaysia and Sweden are pioneers in the production,
testing and use of biodiesel in cars. (Biodiesel, 2).
There are many extraction methods of biodiesel like (Figure 1), such as chemical
solvent extraction. In this process the solvent is added to the dried biomass or water.
Another method is the method of Bligh and Dyer that consists of a high speed
homogenized

mixture of methanol with chloroform mixed for 30 seconds, then

chloroform is added and allowed to homogenize for another 30 seconds. After that
water is added and allowed to be homogenized in 30 seconds, and filtering is
performed by centrifugation, and then separates the methanol and chloroform,
evaporation of the chloroform performs and you get the oil extraction by ultrasound
this is the acoustic wave exposure for the destruction of the cell wall, supercritical
fluid extraction. This method is characterized by short time of extraction and high
selectivity, autoclaving is similar to water extraction by subcritical. Osmotic shock is
the sudden reduction in osmotic pressure, enzymatic extraction. In this cell wall is
degraded by enzymes, mechanical destruction this homogenizers used phones, ball
mills and pressing systems, etc. According to Mark Mascal and Edward Nikitin The
biodiesel production plant oils extracted and then transformed into esters of fatty
acids, leaves behind many more components, but the new process converts these
components into chemicals called levulinic acid esters. At the same time, this leads
to a better mixing that works best at low temperatures than conventional biodiesel
(Mascal and Nikitin, 1). This last method will be the best, because it takes
advantages of all the resources that the other methods dont.
Biodiesel can be created from natural lipids that can be vegetable oils or animal
fats, in the case of animal fats using organic waste as cow dung, rabbit, among

Sandoval 3
others. These are transformed into humus then it can be used as renewable energy.
In the case of vegetable oils they can come from different types of plants such as
corn, beans, beets, corn, jatropha curcas (pinion), avocado, wheat, soybeans, sugar
cane, palm oil, algae, among others. According to Turner, Page Algae may seem an
odd choice to make biofuel, but to the Department of Energy has been fascinated
with the potential of algae to produce up to 30 times the amount of oil per acre than
crops traditionally used, such as corn and soy (Turner, 1). The most widely used of
these plants to make biodiesel are the jatropha curcas (Pinion), palm oil and
microalgae (Figure 4).
Furthermore, the Jatropha Curcas or pinion tree that can grow until it reaches 3
meters or more, produces a lot of fruits that contain oil. This oil has to be combined
with other natural components and after a process. In order to be grown, it is
transformed into natural fuel called biodiesel. It has to be cultivated in semiarid lands
and should have a regular temperature around 28 C and a height up to 2500 meters
over the sea level. According to Bio-ter.5u Because its versatility these
characteristics make the cultivation of this plant an interesting alternative to erode
areas that are unsuitable for other crops (Bio-ter.5u, 1).
In addition, palm oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the mesocarp of the fruit of the
palm Elaeis guineensis. Its the kind of oil with more volume of production that is only
surpassed by soybean oil. The palm fruit is slightly red, and its oil palm is native from
West Africa, being discovered 5,000 years ago. In America, the largest producers are
Colombia and Ecuador, the production of biodiesel from palm oil can be done by any
method as almost trans esterification with ethanol, using two catalytic media and
three process variables (temperature, catalyst content and Feed Molar Ratio of
ethanol oil). According to Carlos David Zapata and Carlos Andrs Henao Uribe A

Sandoval 4
test of the trans esterification processes, one being the neutralization of free fatty
acids and the second esterification with acidic conditions concluded that is better the
second process, because prior to esterification, biodiesel generates as much for the
same amount of crude oil input. (Zapata and Henao, 1)
Moreover,

microalgae

is

considered

as

the

first

and

photosynthetic

microorganisms, largely responsible for the atmosphere. Some of these species can
absorb carbon dioxide from the air and nutrients from the water, accumulating inside
large quantities of oil and releasing oxygen to the atmosphere. Oil can be extracted
from biomass generated by algae by trans esterification to produce biodiesel with
methanol. Some microalgae as Botrycoccus braunii, the Nannochloropsis sp. and
Schizochytrium sp. under certain conditions produce more than 65% oil. An area of
one hectare can produce about 136,900 liters of oil a microalgae whose dry biomass
contains about 70% oil. Instead one hectare of fertile soil for soybean yields 446 liters
to 172 liters maize and palm cultivation 5950 liters (Figure 3). According to Turner,
Page Algae are sustainable and highly tolerant organisms that have the ability to
grow in harsh conditions, making worthwhile expenditures required for each acre of
algae obtained 15,000 gallons of biofuel. (Turner, 1).
Biodiesel is a natural fuel, therefore it is a renewable fuel and is presented as a
substitute for diesel oil obtained advantages from the environmental point of view, as
it consumes less energy and thus produces lower greenhouse gas combustion effect.
When biodiesel is burned, the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere is recycled by plants
which will then be used to produce biodiesel. The emissions of carbon monoxide
from engine exhaust to biodiesel are on average 48% less than those of diesel,
particulate emissions in the exhaust of an engine to biodiesel are 47% lower than
particulate emissions from diesel engines. According to El Diario Biodiesel is a

Sandoval 5
renewable fuel that does not pollute the environment and can be used immediately
(El diario, 2)
In addition, an experiment was made in which in case 1, generates less
consumption of energy than case 2 and case 1 generate lower exhaust emissions
and presents a lower environmental impact category GWP and AP. In case 2 when
removing effluent containing methanol, all toxicity values that can harm the
environment and affect our health are cancelled, but also eliminates the formation of
photochemical smog. The magnitude of impacts HTPI, TTP and PCOP canceled in
the case 2, is much greater than the increase in GWP and AP, so that the total ratio
favors the 2, because this demonstrating that in case 2 the environmental impact is
reduced (Figure 2). According to Ecuador Inmediato Ecuadorian specialist said that
this project developed in an industrial scale will reduce the greenhouse gases, take
advantage of uncultivated lands and reduce the environmental impact (Ecuador
Imediato, 1)
On the other hand, biodiesel is a natural fuel, which in some cases is made up
only with natural ingredients, alcohol and some kind of vegetable oil. Sometimes it is
also used animal fat, but in other cases it is a mixture of vegetable oil, alcohol and oil
percentage. In most cases the biodiesel extracted from pinion tree is pure or mixed
with a little oil from 1% to 10% of the mixture. The most common made for different
types of vehicles is: 12% biodiesel with 88% petroleum. According to Piquin, Enrique
The pinion can produce 2 or 3 tons of seeds that transforms into 1800 liters of oil,
and this can be turned into 1680 of biodiesel (This biofuel combined with oil and
alcohol can substitute in a 100% the diesel that comes from petroleum) (Piquin,1).

Sandoval 6
The project of biodiesel plant, is initially intended to demonstrate the feasibility of
producing biodiesel. Even though there are many types of them, not only according
to its variety but also by its raw materials and their content, the market study will
precisely determine which kind of biodiesel is more convenient to make in Quito.
Therefore, it will be the best way to produce, which in this case is the biodiesel fuel is
a liquid that is very similar in properties to the diesel oil, but obtained from renewable
products. According to El Diario La Fabril is strengthen the biodiesel industry, and is
working on a project to expand the cultivation of the pinion (El diario, 1)
The construction of a new plant to manufacture biodiesel, will cost in the first
phase of $ 38 million and in the second stage of a $ 25 million giving a total cost of $
63 million in total. There are different types of plant for manufacturing biodiesel that
range from mini plants that produce about 1,200 liters per day, up to industrial plants
that operate in a continuous process and produce about 144,000 liters per day.
According to Meyer, Patrick E. World governments spend an estimated USD 43-46
billion in renewable energy and biofuels technologies a year, but those funds are
small compared to the $ 557 billion spent on fossil fuel subsidies. (Meyer, Patrick E.,
1)
The industrial manufacture of biodiesel, does not differ roughly with the one
developed handmade at home, it is simply a trans esterification reaction, only with
some slight differences. Since in a project developed in an industrial scale, more
material, machinery, will be needed. According to Informador For every kilo and a
half of higuerilla seed is obtained enough oil to produce a liter of biodiesel, and
almost a kilo of starch which becomes 150 grams of ethanol or alcohol, commonly
used to increase the octane rating of gasoline; and this starch approximately one
percent may be used for the manufacture of glycerin" (Informador, 1)

Sandoval 7
On the other hand, the government are thinking in creating biodiesel industrial
plants, because now they are aware of the importance of developing this type of
projects that will bring many benefits to this sector. Biodiesel manufacturing plant that
are going to be built consist of two modules, one for the production of biodiesel or
biofuel of any type of vegetable oil and other for extraction of edible oils, Each of
these modules can process about 100 liters every 6 hours. According to Ecuador
Inmediato A pilot plant for the production of biodiesel began operating in the
northern city of Ibarra (Ecuador Inmediato, 1). This means that our country is starting
to be aware of the importance of developing this kind of projects.
In Ecuador, in 2005 La Fabril started to produce biodiesel production from oil palm
extract, becoming the only company in Latin America to have a biodiesel plant with
an annual production of approximately 130 million liters biodiesel. It is the only
industry in the region with international license EPA (Environmental Protection
Agency) to export United States. The company has two plants in Ecuador, one in
Manta and the other in Guayaquil. They have the technology that allows obtained by
trans esterification processes and ensure a high quality biofuel. According to El Diario
It was exported 55% of the national production of this oil, and it becomes an
excellent raw material for biodiesel production (El Diario, 1).
The construction of an industrial biodiesel production would leave many benefits in
all aspects as well as reduce environmental impact and also because it would create
many jobs sources, especially for agriculture sectors. For example, sometimes
farmworkers lose their crops because of heavy rains that destroy their harvest, so
this is a great alternative to generate jobs and keep them working. This will help them
to start developing another source of income because the workers in this field are
well trained in farming and also in harvesting activities. According to Galindo Vicente

Sandoval 8
Globasol will begin in July to built a plant based in Jatropha Curcas (Pinion) which
will create 12000 directly jobs (Galindo, 1)
Even though the developed countries like United States, Canada and some others
countries in Europe have the lead in the biodiesel extraction, they do not have all the
resources that our country has as the soil, that can be semiarid or arid soil. Other
favorable conditions are a good temperature in every place and to have a lot of
zones that are over the sea level. As a result of having all of these resources, the
conditions are perfect for the developing of Jatropha Curcas (Pinion Tree),
microalgae and for the oil palm. Consequently our government should think about
exploiting this resource, because if we have all of this in favor, we will be the leaders
in the biodiesel extraction. If we as a country start developing new projects and take
advantage of this we are helping our country to improve and also we are helping to
create a safe environment to live.