Alternative fuels from plant seed oils and agricultural wastes

Authors: Dunn, Robert

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/2022
Publication Date: 7/19/2022
Citation: Dunn, R.O. 2022. Alternative fuels from plant seed oils and agricultural wastes [abstract]. Virtual Soybean Forum & Think Tank Workshop.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: There are many forms of alternative diesel fuel that can be obtained from sustainable agricultural feedstocks. The most popular form in the United States is biodiesel (BD), which is generally defined as fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) obtained from plant seed oils, animal fats, used cooking oils, and other lipids. BD has made good progress as a fuel extender for the transportation industry, and it is routine to see some pumps labeled as “B20” where 20 volume percent of the fuel is blended with BD. Domestic production of other alternative diesel fuels such as ‘renewable’ diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has also grown in recent years. RD and SAF have some advantages over BD, such as better storage stability, lower cold flow properties (cloud point and cold filter plugging point), better ignition quality and higher energy content (better fuel economy). The demand for renewable alternative diesel and aviation fuels will increase in the near future as more industries adapt fuels that can lower net increases in greenhouse gases. This demand has created a need to identify and develop new feedstocks to expand current supplies. This presentation examines different types of low-cost nonfood feedstocks that may be developed for conversion to BD, RD and SAF.