biodiesel the sustainablility dimensions

8/14/2019 Biodiesel the Sustainablility Dimensions

1/12

Introduction

Biodiesel offers well-publicized envi-ronmental, economic, and nationalsecurity benefits. Biodiesel combus-

tion emits fewer regulated and non-regulatedpollutants than petrodiesel (with the possibleexception of nitrogen oxides). Further, its

lubricity extends engine life, and it is a bio-degradable product.

Biodiesel could benefit farmers and ruralcommunities, depending on ownership of pro-duction facilities and the mix and marketabil-ity of useful co-products. And biodiesel couldreduce dependence on foreign oil and associ-ated fluctuations in availability and price.

This publication addresses the sustainabilitydimensions of biodiesel production and use.

These dimensions include the net energybalance of biodiesel relative to other fuelsand the link between raising bioenergycrops and sustainable, soil-building prac-tices. Other considerations include thequalities of different biodiesel feedstocksand the economics of production and use.This publication also raises other issues,such as access, scale and ownership of pro-duction, co-product development, and theextent to which biodiesel and other biofuelscan effectively replace petroleum fuels.

All dimensions of biodiesel production anduse are fundamentally intertwined with eachother and with the topic of environmentalsustainablility. To isolate and address anysingle aspect of biodiesel invites referenceto others.

Biodiesel is a renewable and environmentally friendly fuel. This publication surveys many dimensions

of biodiesel production and use. Net energy balance, sustainable bioenergy crops, scale of production,

consumer access, and the economics of biodiesel are all critical when discussing a sustainable energy

future for this country. Above all, increased fuel efficiency and increased diesel engine use in the United

States will be needed in order for biodiesel to become a meaningful part of our energy future.

Sunflowers. Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.

Introduction ..................... 1

Background andContext .............................. 2

Qualities and Quantitiesof Biodiesel and Bio-diesel Feedstocks ........... 3

Conclusion ........................ 9

References ...................... 10

A Publication of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service 1-800-346-9140 www.attra.ncat.org

ATTRANational Sustainable

Agriculture Information Service

is managed by the National Cen-ter for Appropriate Technology(NCAT) and is funded under a

grant from the United States

Department of Agricultures

Rural Business-Cooperative Ser-vice. Visit the NCAT Web site

(www.ncat.org/agri.html) for more informa-

tion on our sustainable

agriculture projects.

ATTRA

Contents

By Al Kurki,

Amanda Hill,

and Mike Morris

NCAT Program

Specialists

NCAT 2006

Biodiesel:The Sustainability Dimensions
mailto:[email protected]?subject=Biodesel:%20The%20Sustainability%20Dimmensionsmailto:[email protected]?subject=Biodesel:%20The%20Sustainability%20Dimmensionsmailto:[email protected]?subject=Biodesel:%20The%20Sustainability%20Dimmensionsmailto:[email protected]?subject=Biodesel:%20The%20Sustainability%20Dimmensionsmailto:[email protected]?subject=Biodesel:%20The%20Sustainability%20Dimmensions


2/12

Page 2 ATTRA Biodiesel: The Sustainablility Dimensions

Background and Context

The Bigger PictureThe United States consumes transportationfuels at an extremely high rate per capitacompared to other industrialized countries.In 2001, for example, 522 gallons of petro-leum transportation fuels were expended for

every man, woman, and child in this coun-trycompared to 421 gallons per capita inCanada, 211 gallons in Germany, and 196gallons in Japan. (1)

Two major policy and practical changesmust occur for biodiesel to have a realimpact on this countrys energy future: A national commitment to energy effi-

ciency in every facet of American life.This may include community redesign,broad changes in food production and

delivery systems, greater commitment tomass transit, and increased mileage effi-ciency for vehicles.

A massive conversion from gasoline-pow-ered autos and light trucks to cleaner-burning diesel autos. This sort of changeis not without precedent. U.S. farmersswitched from gasoline to diesel poweredfarm equipment in the late 1970s and80san important factor in agriculturesbig energy use reduction since the 1970s.

Major automakers (General Motors, Toy-ota, Ford, and Daimler-Chrysler) plan toproduce more diesel-powered cars forthe U.S. market in the years ahead.

Most farmers and ranchers operate againsttight margins. Capturing energy efficien-cies and making the best use of biofuels maybe nearly impossible without retooling cur-rent food production and distribution sys-tems. For example, when food is shippedover shorter distances, energy consumption

and freight costs are reduced. Creating localmarkets for locally grown foods can accom-plish this. Rotating nitrogen-producing orphosphorous-availing crops with cash cropscan save energy on the farm. Changing til l-age methods or technologies, and properlyscaling equipment to the farm operationcan also save energy. These changes maybe important precursors to the cost-effectiveproduction of biodiesel.

Biodiesel as aTransportation FuelSimply put, biodiesel is the product of mix-ing vegetable oil or animal fat with alco-hol (usually methanol or ethanol) and acatalyst, usually lye. Glycerin is the mainby-product.

Biodiesel performs very similarly to low-sulfur petroleum-based diesel in termsof power, torque, and fuel efficiency, anddoes not require major engine modifica-tions. Joshua Tickell, the author of severalbooks on biodiesel, claims it contains about12 percent less energy than petrodiesel(biodiesel = 37 megajoules per kilogramvs. petrodiesel = 42 megajoules per kilo-gram). This is partially offset by a sevenpercent average increase in combustion

efficiency of biodiesel. No overall perceiveddecrease in performance is noted for mostvehicles using biodiesel, even though, onaverage, there is five percent less torque,power, and fuel efficiency. (2)

Biodiesel is considered a safer fuel thanpetrodiesel. Biodiesel has a high flashpointof over 300F (150C), compared to 125F(52C) for petrodiesel. The flashpoint is thetemperature at which a fuels vapor can be

ignited. Biodiesel also has a relatively highboiling point and is generally consideredsafer to handle.

Modern diesel fuels are injected into ahighly compressed chamber where combus-tion occurs without a spark plug. Biodie-sel reacts more rapidly in the chamberwith less combustion delay than most pet-rodiesel fuels and is, therefore, assigneda higher cetane numberthe measure ofignition quality. Many of biodiesels emis-

sion benefits stem from its high ignitionquality. (3)

Biodiesel can be produced from virtuallyany kind of vegetable oilnew or used.The U.S. Department of Energy estimatesthat about 26.7 million gallons of biodie-sel were sold in 2003. Total U.S. dieselconsumption that year was more than 39.9

billion gallons. (4)

Anaerobic Digestion

of Animal Wastes:

Factors to Consider

Biodiesela Primer

Effi cient Agricultural

Buildings: an Over-view

Solar-Powered

Livestock Watering

Systems

Wind-powered

Electric Systems for

Homes, Farms, and

Ranches: Resources

Organic Soybean

Production

Sustainable Corn and

Soybean Production

Oilseed Processing for

Small-Scale Producers

Moving Beyond

Conventional Cash

Cropping

Related ATTRAPublications


3/12

Page 3ATTRAwww.attra.ncat.org

Qualities and Quantitiesof Biodiesel andBiodiesel FeedstocksAt cold temperatures, diesel fuels formwax crystals that cloud the product andaffect fuel performance. This tempera-ture threshold is called the cloud point

and occurs at 20 F (-7C) for most com-monly used grades of petrodiesel. Biodieselfuels generally have a cloud point between25 and 60F (4 to 16C), depending onthe amount of free fatty acids in the prod-uct. Waste vegetable oil contains more freefatty acids (FFAs) than virgin oils. Free fattyacids raise the cloud point of the fuel, sobiodiesel made from used cooking oil or ani-mal fat will cloud at higher temperaturesthan biodiesel made from new vegetable oil

feedstock.

The American Society for Testing and Mate-rials (ASTM) recommended in 1996 thatbiodiesel have a cloud point of at most 38F. The cloud point can be lowered with win-terizing additives formulated for diesel fuels.Biodiesel blends such as B20 (20 percentbiodiesel/80 percent petrodiesel) typicallyrequire no action beyond that necessary forordinary petrodiesel. (5)

The United States produces approximately3 to 5 billion gallons of waste vegetable oilevery year in restaurants. (7, 8) Much ofthis product goes to landfills; some is usedin the soap and cosmetics industry. Wastecooking oil could contribute only a smallpercentage of total U.S. diesel demand. Con-verting this waste into a relatively low-cost

resource, however, reduces the environ-mental degradation and costs of disposalin landfills.

The quantity of biodiesel produced fromcrops is also limited. If rapeseed were grownon every acre of cropland available in theUnited States in 2002, an estimated 36.3billion gallons of oil could be produced

very close to current national demand. (6)But of course it is not practical to use allavailable farmland to produce transporta-tion fuels. Moreover, very serious ethicalissues are raised by sacrificing croplandsfor vehicle fuel in a world where people arehungry and populations are growing. (For adiscussion of the food vs. fuel controversy,see the Web site Journey to Forever, www.journeytoforever.org.)

Charles L. Peterson, PhD., of the Univer-sity of Idaho, notes that 37 million acres ofcropland were reported idle in 2002. Thatacreage might meet 11 percent of U.S. dieseldemand with 3.7 billion gallons of vegetableoil. Practical use of idle land would be lessthan the 37 million acres, though, becausemuch of the acreage is highly erodible, dry,and has poor soils.

Ninety percent of the biodiesel virgin oilfeedstock in the United States in 2001 was

from soybeans. There are many reasons whysoybean draws most of the market shareas a biodiesel feedstock. Soy is a versatile,nitrogen-fixing crop that yields oil and foodfor humans and livestock. Soybean meal isof higher market value than soy oil. Conse-quently, soy oil is a low-priced byproductavailable in relatively large volumes. Cur-

The Chemistry of Biodiesel

Transesterification is the term used to

describe the transformation of veg-

etable oil into biodiesel. Vegetable oil

is made up of three esters attached to

a glycerin moleculea triglyceride.

An ester is a hydrocarbon chain avail-

able to bond with another molecule.

During transesterification, the esters

in vegetable oil are separated from

the glycerin molecule, resulting in the

byproduct glycerin. The esters then

attach to alcohol molecules (either

methanol or ethanol) to form biodie-

sel. In order to prompt the esters to

break from the glycerin and bond with

the alcohol, a catalyst (sodium hydrox-

ide or potassium hydroxide) must be

used. The glycerin byproduct can be

further processed to make soap.

Free fatty acids are present in vegeta-

ble oil when it has been used in cook-

ing. When free fatty acids are present,

as in waste vegetable oil, more base

catalyst is required to neutralize the

FFAs, which renders the biodiesel fit

for use. (Adapted from From the Fryer

to the Fuel Tankby Joshua Tickell)

Ninety per-

cent of the

biodiesel

virgin oil feedstock

in the United States

in 2001 was from

soybeans.
http://www.journeytoforever.org/http://www.journeytoforever.org/http://www.journeytoforever.org/


4/12


rently, it is a cheaper virginfeedstock than other oil-seeds. The processing anddistribution infrastructurefor soybeans is already inplace, with more capac-ity being added as morebiodiesel production facili-ties come online.

However, the list of the topthirty plant species withthe highest oil yield peracre for biodiesel doesnteven include soybeans. Ofthe more common com-modity-style crops that canbe raised for biofuels in

this country, soy ranks as only the eighthbest oil-yielding crop.

This may be good news for farmers whodont or cant grow soybeans on theirfarms. Rapeseed (brassica napus) rates asthe highest yielding oil source in this coun-try at 122 gallons per acre. Sunflower hasthe third best yield on this shorter U.S.

list at 98 gallons per acre, followed bysafflower (80 gallons per acre) at fourth,and mustard, rated seventh (59 gal-lons per acre). Table 1 shows the oilyields in gallons per acre. (One gallonof oil = 7.3 pounds.) (4) Please keepin mind as you examine this table thatthe yields will vary in different agrocli-matic zones.

Soybeans. Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.

Table 1: OIL PRODUCING CROPS

Adapted from Joshua Tickell, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel. 3rd Ed. 2000.

Plant Latin NameGal Oil/

Acre PlantLatin Name

Gal Oil/Acre

Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis 610 Rice Oriza sativa L. 85

Macauba Palm Acrocomia aculeata 461 Buffalo Gourd Cucurbita foetidissima 81

Pequi Caryocar brasiliense 383 Saffl ower Carthamus tinctorius 80

Buriti Palm Mauritia flexuosa 335 Crambe Crambe abyssinica 72

Oiticia Licania rigida 307 Sesame Sesamum indicum 71

Coconut Cocos nucifera 276 Camelina Camelina sativa 60

Avocado Persea americana 270 Mustard Brassica alba 59

Brazil Nut Bertholletia excelsa 245 Coriander Coriandrum sativum 55

Macadamia Nut Macadamia terniflora 230 Pumpkin Seed Cucurbita pepo 55

Jatropa Jatropha curcas 194 Euphorbia Euphorbia lagascae 54

Babassu Palm Orbignya martiana 188 Hazelnut Corylus avellana 49

Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis 186 Linseed Linum usitatissimum 49

Pecan Carya illinoensis 183 Coffee Coffea arabica 47

Bacuri Platonia insignis 146 Soybean Glycine max 46

Castor Bean Ricinus communis 145 Hemp Cannabis sativa 37

Gopher Plant Euphorbia lathyris 137 Cotton Gossypium hirsutum 33

Piassava Attalea funifera 136 Calendula Calendula offi cinalis 31

Olive Tree Olea europaea 124 Kenaf Hibiscus cannabinus L. 28

Rapeseed Brassica napus 122 Rubber Seed Hevea brasiliensis 26

Opium Poppy Papaver somniferum 119 Lupine Lupinus albus 24

Peanut Ariachis hypogaea 109 Palm Erythea salvadorensis 23

Cocoa Theobroma cacao 105 Oat Avena sativa 22

Sunflower Helianthus annuus 98 Cashew Nut Anacardium occidentale 18

Tung Oil Tree Aleurites fordii 96 Corn Zea mays 18


5/12


Rotational Benefits of OilseedCrops Other than SoybeansHigher-yielding oil crops like safflower, mus-tards, and sunflower have significant rota-tional benefits. For example, deep safflowerand sunflower roots help break up hardpan

and improve soil tilth. Canola and rapeseedmake soil nutrients available for succeedingyears crops. Oil-yielding brassicas such asmustards, canola, and rapeseed help reducesoil-borne diseases and pathogens. Table 2shows the rotational benefits of certain oil-seed crops.

Oil Seed CropYield (GalOil/ Acre)

Rotational BenefitsManagement

Practices

Rapeseed/Canola 122 Both are cool season crops. Attract hoverflies whose larvae preyon aphids. Has value as green manure because it makes phos-phorus available for subsequent years crops and initial researchshows it inhibits growth of small weed seeds. Can serve as anutrient catch crop. Provides weed control at high seeding rates.Canola is edible version of rapeseed, winter and spring variet-ies are available. Winter varieties are not as winter hardy as win-ter small grains (wheat, barley). Tap root breaks up hardpan.Good rotation crop, breaking cycles of weeds, disease and insect

pests. Mellows soil.

Sclerotinia-susceptible.Should not be grownwithin five years of sun-flower.

Peanut 109 Peanuts are often grown in rotation with other crops to replacesoil nitrogen and decrease the need for synthetic fertilizers.

Sunflower 98 Catch crop for nutrients, breaks up hardpan and compacted soil,may reduce fusarium when used in rotation with grain crops,can serve as a windbreak. Row-cropping provides opportunityfor mechanical weed control during growing season.

Susceptible to sclero-tinia and should begrown once very fiveyears. Should not beraised in short rotationswith crucifers.

Saffl ower 80 Breaks up hardpan and compacted soil with its deep roots.

Crambe 72 Cool season cropsimilar to canola, but more disease resistant

and is tolerant of flea beetle damage.

Camelina 60 Cool season cropa crucifer like canola, rape, mustard, andcrambe. Has allelopathic effects and it is somewhat droughtresistant. It fairly weed competitive when winter or very earlyspring seeded.

Mustard 59 Primarily a cool season crop. Nutrient catch crop. Has nemati-cidal properties that reduce soil-borne pathogens. Can smotherweeds and has allelopathic effects on weeds.

Sclerotinia-susceptible.Should not be grownwithin five years ofsunflower.

Flaxseed/Linseed 49 A good crop for interseeding or to sow following a competitivecrop onto clean field. Not weed competitive on its own. It is alight feeder.

Soy 46 Fixes nitrogen, although most of the nitrogen is removed withthe bean harvest.

Poor choice for control-ling erosion or buildingorganic matter levels.

Lupine 24 Moderate nitrogen fixer, takes up soil phosphorusmaking itavailable for subsequent crops, reduces erosion and crop dis-ease, deep taproots can open and aerate soil.

Oat 22 Erosion control, enhances soil life, and adds organic matter.Serves as a catch crop and a nurse crop, can be used for weedcontrol in rotations, crop residue reduces nitrogen leaching.

Table 2: ROTATIONAL BENEFITS OF OIL SEED CROPS

See References section for sources.


6/12


State agricultural experiment sta-tions, Extension Service or theNatural Resource ConservationService (NRCS) may have infor-mation on specific oilseed cropsthat can be raised in certainlocales and the best rotations forsoil-building and pest suppres-sion benefits. Sustainable agri-culture groups are often help-ful, since they may have farmermembers who have experienceraising brassicas or other oilseedcrops in rotation. Rotational ben-efits are also outlined in other

sources listed in the References sectionof this publication.

The Energy Balance of

Biodiesel Compared toEthanol and Petroleum DieselA debate within scientific and policy cir-cles centers on the net energy balance ofvarious ethanol and biodiesel feedstocks.The energy balance is a comparison ofthe energy stored in a fuel to the energyrequired to grow, process and distributethat fuel. (7) In this publication we use themost commonly quoted energy balance sta-tistics available at press time.

Biodiesel provides a positive energy bal-ance, according to most sources: for everyunit of energy needed to produce biodiesel,2.5 to 3.2 units of energy are gained. Evi-dence suggests virgin oil from sources otherthan soy may have an even higher energycontent. Overall, biodiesel is said to havethe highest energy yield of any liquid fuel.According to the Minnesota Department ofAgriculture Web site (8):

Biodiesel provides an energy yieldof 3.2 (soybean oil).

Bioethanol provides an energy yieldof 1.34.

Petrodiesel provides an energy yieldof .843.

Petro gasoline provides an energy yieldof .805.

Economics of BiodieselProduction and Use

Many studies have been conducted on thepotential macroeconomic benefits of large-scale biodiesel production in various loca-tions around the country. These studies alsogive some indication of the potential eco-

nomic impacts across the nation. Accord-ing to the Hampel Oil Distributors BiodieselFact Sheet (9), three major economic benefitswould accrue to a state (in this case, Iowa)from the increased use of biodiesel:

1) Biodiesel expands demand for soybeanoil, which raises the price processors payfor soybeans.

2) Soybean farmers near the biodiesel plantreceive slightly higher prices for soy-beans.

3) The presence of a facility that createsenergy from soybeans adds value to thestates industrial and income base.

The University of Missouri estimates that100 million gallons of biodiesel productioncould generate an approximate $8.34 mil-lion increase in personal income and morethan 6,000 temporary or permanent jobs ina metropolitan region. (10) Another studypredicts a 100 million-gallon biofuels plant

could generate a one-time economic boost of$250 to $359 million during the construc-tion phase.

Additionally, the local economic base is pro-jected to expand by $250 million throughannual direct spending of $140 million.More than 100 new full-time jobs would becreated at the plant and more than 1,500indirect jobs in the state, and annual com-munity household income in the area wouldincrease by $50 million.

A 1998 USDA economic study estimatedthat a sustained national market for 100 mil-lion gallons of biodiesel could increase thevalue of the U.S. soybean crop by more than$250 million and increase soybean oil pricesby 14 percent. A 70 million gallon demandwould add 10 to 18 cents per bushel to theprice of soybeans. (11)

Canola. Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.


7/12


The cost of the vegetable oil feedstockis the single largest factor in biodieselproduction costs. In 2004, wholesale biodie-sel costs ranged between $1.25 and $2.50per gallon, before taxes, depending on trans-portation, distribution, and feedstock costs.

Commercially produced biodiesel has tomeet the ASTM D-6751 quality standard.

Some biodiesel users and home brewersare wil ling to accept tradeoffs in small-scaleproduction. Waste vegetable oil can be usedto make biodiesel, and is often availablefree or at low-cost compared to virgin feed-stocks.

Straight vegetable oil (SVO) can also be usedas a fuel, but there are risks. It is much moreviscous than either petrodiesel or biodie-sel and must be filtered to five microns andheated to at least 140F before use in die-

sel engines. It doesnt burn the same in theengine and many studies have found thatit can cause lacquering and other kinds ofengine damage.

If you are tempted to try SVO, a profes-sional engine conversion is strongly rec-ommended. This conversion often includesinstalling a second fuel tank, al lowing youto start and shut down on biodiesel or pet-rodiesel. The basic idea is to use only pre-heated SVO and to clear your fuel lines

before shutting down the vehicle.

The economics of producing and usingbiodiesel on a small scale are outlined inATTRAs publication Biodiesel - a Primer(12) and in other sources, such as MariaMark Aloverts excellent Biodiesel Home-

brew Guide. (13) The examples outlined inBiodiesel: a Primerdemonstrate that afive-gallon batch of biodiesel yields a much dif-ferent economy of scale than does a 250-gal-lon run.

The Bulk Commodity TreadmillLarge plots of undifferentiated plant spe-

cies grown on the same ground year afteryear or in very short rotations are known asmonocultures. The negative environmentalaspects of monocultures are well researchedand proven. The same holds true for any oil-seed crop considered for biodiesel. Monocul-ture crop production can deplete the soil oforganic matter and essential nutrients, whichcan result in soil compaction, erosion, ordownstream nutrient loading. Monoculturesalso create more insect, pathogen, and weed

management challenges.Monocultures exhibit an economic dimen-sion as wellat what point does any cashcrop become an undifferentiated bulk com-modity raised in such high volumes that itdoesnt have enough value for growers toturn a profit? Many farmers and ranchersare raising more diverse, higher-value foodcrops and animals because they perceivethat subsidized, bulk commodity productionis economically unsustainable for them. This

is a factor to consider in producing biofuelcrops as well.

Ownership and Design ofBiodiesel ProductionOwnership and design of biodiesel produc-

tion is also related tofeedstock price and afair rate of return tofarmers. Farmer own-ership of at least partof the production pro-cess beyond the farmgate keeps more dol-lars in farmers pock-ets and in the localcommunity. This hasbeen proven time andagain, most recently inthe Midwest with etha-

Mustard. Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.

E

ntrepreneurs

and scien-

tists inMontana discovered

that a biodiesel

plant could not pay

farmers a sustained

fair price for their

bioenergy crops

(canola or industrial

rape) unless the

co-products could

be manufactured

and sold.


8/12


nol production. According to David Morrisof the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Iffarmers own the ethanol plants; that is, ifthey own a share of the manufacturing facil-ity that converts their raw material into afinished product, they can receive dividendsof 20-30 cents per gallon. (14)

Another dimension related to farmers

making a reasonable profit is the value ofbiodiesel co-products. For example, entre-preneurs and scientists in Montana consid-ering biodiesel development in that statediscovered that a biodiesel plant could notpay farmers a sustained fair price for theirbioenergy crops (canola or industrial rape)unless the co-products could be manufac-tured and sold.

This means that abiorefinery is probably

the most economically sustainable meansof larger-scale biodiesel production. Withinthis production design or paradigm, thecrude vegetable oil pressed from bioen-ergy crops is the base for all sorts of prod-ucts, ranging from relatively lower valuebiodiesel to biolubricants for motors. The

crop pressings have potential value asbiopesticides and animal feed. Table 3shows some of the possible co-products ofbiodiesel. (15)

Biorefineries are not a new concept. Theyare, in fact, similar to petroleum refineries.However, their process complexities, capi-talization, and permitting requirements go

far beyond making biodiesel in the garageor farm shop.

Scale of Biodiesel ProductionIn the Kansas-based Land Institutes Sun-shine Farm project, researchers concludedthat farm-scale biodiesel production mightnot be cost effective for farmers to pursueindividual ly, but that some level of commu-nity-scale biodiesel production with stan-dards satisfactory to engine manufacturers

would be more feasible. (16) Individualswould each have to spend too much energyand resources to produce biodiesel on afarm. Small community-scale biodiesel pro-duction would likely produce more biodieselfor less effort. That scale of production wasnot precisely defined in the Land Institute

report. Far more researchand documented practi-cal experience in biodie-sel production in dis-

persed, near-farm, andcommunity-level settingsis needed.

Larger scale biodieselproduction is progress-ing rather quickly. In July2005, 35 biodiesel pro-duction plants were on-line in the United States.Many new plants havebegun production, with

an expected increase inproduction to more than100 million gallons bythe end of 2005. Thenew plants range in ini-tial production capacityfrom about 5 mil lion gal-lons per year (MGY) at aplant in Indiana to a pro-

Table 3: VALUE ADDED TREE

Adopted from Paul Millers Value Added Tree in A Biobased Vision for Montana and the Pacific Northwest. 2003.


9/12


posed 30 MGY plant in Iowa. (17, 18)Archer Daniels-Midland has plans for a50 MGY plant in North Dakota (usingcanola), and Cargill plans a 37.5 MGYplant in Iowa.

Scale is a strong determinant of who canafford to own all or part of a plant orbiorefinery, bear the risks, and accrue

the benefits of that ownership. For exam-ple, the 5 MGY Indiana plant will costapproximately $10 million. The newplant is expected to expand capacity to30 MGY over time. A planned 20 MGYplant in Wisconsin is expected cost 10 to15 million dollars. (19)

Access to BiodieselBiodiesel is currently available in moststates that produce oilseed crops, and

many farmers use biodiesel as a meansof fostering production and raising publicawareness. Nonetheless, farmers accessto biodiesel for farm use is another dimen-sion that requires consideration and raisespotential for a sad irony.

Farmers who raise crops for biodiesel in iso-lated rural areas may not have ready accessto the finished fuel. Unless farmers intend tomake biodiesel on location, or a larger scalelocal biodiesel production facility is online,

many farmers find they cannot use the fuelthey are working to create.

On its Web site, the National BiodieselBoard lists about 50 suppliers to contactto have biodiesel shipped across the U.S.Almost every state has at least one pumpstation that offers some blend of biodiesel,though not necessarily within practical dis-tance for most potential customers. The siteposts a map of retail outlets for biodieselacross the country. The board recommendsasking regional fuel distributors to get morebiodiesel supplied locally. (20)

ConclusionResources are available to help farmersand consumers determine the best meansto manage the advantages biodiesel has tooffer. Biodiesel has tailpipe benefits and

holds great promise as a sustainable energysource, if several sustainability principles aretreated seriously:

1. Capture as much energy efficiency aspossible on and off the farm, to reduce

transportation fuel demand, reduce pro-duction costs, and improve energy bal-

ance.

2. Convert as much waste as possible intoa useable resource, such as convertingwaste vegetable oil into fuel.

3. Put oil-producing crops and high-qual-ity agricultural lands to their highest andmost sustainable use, which will often befood production instead of energy pro-

duction.

4. Raise bioenergy crops that enhance soil

and water resources.

5. Create a range of diverse opportunitiesfor biodiesel production in terms of thescale, design, and ownership so farmersand rural communities can share in the

economic benefits.

Photo courtesy of USDA ARS.


10/12


References1. Anon. 2004. Transportation: Motor Gasoline Con-sumption per Capita and Diesel Oil Consumption perCapita, 2001. World Resources Institute, Washington,DC. Downloaded November 2005.http://earthtrends.wri.org

2. Tickell, Joshua. 2000. From the Fryer to the Fuel

Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil asan Alternative Fuel. 3rd Edition. Tickell Energy Con-sulting, Tallahassee, FL. 162 p.

3. Anon. No date. Biodiesel. Free-definition. Down-loaded August, 2005.www.freedefinition.com/Biodiesel.html

4. Anon. 2004. Estimated Consumption of VehicleFuels in the United States, 1995-2004; Table 10.USDOE. Downloaded August 2005.www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/datatables/

afvtable10_03.xls

5. (2, p.31-32)

6. Peterson, Charles L. No date. Potential Productionof Biodiesel. University of Idaho. Downloaded August2005.www.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/Publications.htm

7. (2, p.36)

8. Groschen, Ralph. No date. Energy Balance/LifeCycle Inventory for Ethanol, Biodiesel and PetroleumFuels. Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Down-loaded September 2005.www.mda.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/MsmFind.exe?query=

biodiesel+energy+yield

9. Anon. No date. Hampel Oil Distr ibutors BiodieselFact Sheet. Downloaded August 2005.www.hampeloil.com/powerdiesel/fuelfact.html

10. Anon. No date. Kansas City TransportationAuthority Tallow Based Biodiesel Test. Prepared by

Marc IV Consulting, Inc. and Kansas StateUniversity. 39 p.

11. Sheehan J. et al.; 1998. Lifecycle Inventory ofBiodiesel and Petroleum Diesel for Use in an UrbanBus. National Renewable Energy Laboratory for theU.S. Department of Energy Office of Fuels Develop-ment and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Officeof Energy. Golden, CO. May. 4 p.

12. Ryan, David. 2004. Biodiesela Primer. ATTRAPublication. National Center for AppropriateTechnology, Butte, MT. 14 p.

13. Alovert, Maria Mark. 2004. Biodiesel Home-brew Guide. Version 9. May 8. 85 p.

14. Morris, David. 2005. West Wings Ethanol Prob-lem. Alternet. February. Downloaded August 2005.

www.alternet.org/envirohealth/2114715. Miller, Paul. 2003. Value-Added Tree in A Bio-based Vision for Montana and the Pacific Northwest.Presentation at the Greening Under the Big Sky con-ference. Big Sky, MT. June.

16. Bender, Marty. 2001. Energy in Agriculture andSociety: Insights from the Sunshine Farm. March 28.10 p. Downloaded August 2005. www.landinstitute.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/03/28/3accb0712

17. Higgins, Jenna (contact). 2005. Biodiesel Plants

Join Growing Number of Production Facilities.National Biodiesel Board News Release. July 1. 2 p.

18. Wharton, Marc. 2005. First Biodiesel Planta Reality in Indiana. Evergreen Renewables.December 9. 2 p.www.biodiesel.org/resources/memberreleases

19. Richmond, Todd. 2005. Company Ready toStart States First Biodiesel Plant. Associated Press.December 9.

20. Anon. Guide to Buying Biodiesel. No date.National Biodiesel Board. Downloaded August 2005.www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/guide/

Resources for Table 2Minnesota Department of Agriculture informationWeb site. Accessed September 2005.www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/crops/camelina.htm.

Putnam, D.H., J.T. Budin, L.A. Field, and W.M.Breene. 1993. Camelina: A Promising Low-input Oil-seed. p. 314-322. In: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.),New Crops. Wiley, New York.

UC SAREP Online Cover Crop Database. Universityof California at Davis. Accessed September, 2005.www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/ccrop.exe

Wallace, Janet. (ed.) 2001. Organic Field Crop Hand-book. Second edition. Canadian Organic Growers.Ottawa, Ont., Canada. 292 pp.
http://earthtrends.wri.org/http://www.freedefinition.com/Biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.freedefinition.com/Biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.freedefinition.com/Biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/datatables/afvtable10_03.xlshttp://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/datatables/afvtable10_03.xlshttp://www.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/Publications.htmhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/MsmFind.exe?query=biodiesel+energy+yieldhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/MsmFind.exe?query=biodiesel+energy+yieldhttp://www.hampeloil.com/powerdiesel/fuelfact.htmlhttp://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21147http://www.landinstitute.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/03/28/3accb0712http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/memberreleaseshttp://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/guide/http://www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/crops/camelina.htmhttp://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/ccrop.exehttp://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/ccrop.exehttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/crops/camelina.htmhttp://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/guide/http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/memberreleaseshttp://www.landinstitute.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2001/03/28/3accb0712http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/21147http://www.hampeloil.com/powerdiesel/fuelfact.htmlhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/MsmFind.exe?query=biodiesel+energy+yieldhttp://www.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/Publications.htmhttp://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/alternate/page/datatables/afvtable10_03.xlshttp://www.freedefinition.com/Biodiesel.htmlhttp://earthtrends.wri.org/


11/12


Web ResourcesNational Biodiesel Boardwww.biodiesel.org

Veggie Van Home Pagewww.veggievan.org

Biodiesel Americawww.biodieselamerica.org

Journey to Foreverhttp://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html

DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable EnergyAlternative Fuels Data Centerwww.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/biodiesel.html

Minnesota Department of Agriculture DiversificationOptionsCropshttp://mda.state.mn.us/mgo.crops/default.htm

Saskatchewan Food and AgricultureCropping Decisionshttp://agr.sk.ca/docs/econ/econ_farm_man/production/cereals/cropdecisions99.asp

Biodiesel and Straight Vegetable Oil Kits for Vehicles,Biodiesel Coops, Producers and Morewww.ecobusinesslinks.com/biodiesel.htm

Notes
http://www.biodiesel.org/http://www.veggievan.org/http://www.biodieselamerica.org/http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/default.htmhttp://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/DOCS/Econ_Farm_Man/Production/Cereals/cpgspecialty05.pdfhttp://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/DOCS/Econ_Farm_Man/Production/Cereals/cpgspecialty05.pdfhttp://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/biodiesel.htmhttp://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/biodiesel.htmhttp://www.agr.gov.sk.ca/DOCS/Econ_Farm_Man/Production/Cereals/cpgspecialty05.pdfhttp://www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/default.htmhttp://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/biodiesel.htmlhttp://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.biodieselamerica.org/http://www.veggievan.org/http://www.biodiesel.org/


12/12

Page 12 ATTRA

Biodiesel: The Sustainability Dimensions

By Al Kurki, Amanda Hill and Mike Morris

NCAT Program Specialists

NCAT 2006

Paul Driscoll, EditorAmy Smith, Production

This publication is available on the Web at:www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/biodiesel_sustainable.html

orwww.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/biodiesel_sustainable.pdf

IP 281

Slot 281

Version 021606

biodiesel the sustainablility dimensions

Documents