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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Nanostructure and burning mode of light-duty diesel particulate with conventional diesel, biodiesel, and intermediate blends

The nanostructure of diesel particulates has been shown to impact its oxidation rate and burnout trajectory. Additionally, this nanostructure can evolve during the oxidation process, furthering its influence on the burnout process. For this study, exhaust particulates were generated on a light-duty diesel engine with conventional diesel fuel, biodiesel, and intermediate blends of the two at a single load-speed point. Despite the singular engine platform and operating point, the different fuels created particulates with varied nanostructure, thereby greatly expanding the window for observing nanostructure evolution and oxidation. The physical and chemical properties of the particulates in the nascent state and at partial oxidation states were measured in a laboratory reactor and by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy as a function of the degree of oxidation in O 2 . X-ray photoacoustic spectroscopy analysis, thermal desorption, and solvent extraction of the nascent particulate samples reveal a significant organic content in the biodiesel-derived particulates, likely accounting for differences in the nanostructure. This study reports the nanoscale structural changes in the particulate with biofuel blend level and during O 2 oxidation as observed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and quantitated by fringe analysis and Brunnauer–Emmet–Teller total surface area measurements. It was observed that initial fuel-related differences in the lamella lengths, spacing, and curvature disappear when the particulate reaches approximately 50% burnout. Specifically, the initial ordered, fullerenic, and amorphous nanostructures converge during the oxidation process and the surface areas of these particulates appear to grow through these complex changes in internal particle structure. The specific surface area, measured at several points along the burnout trajectory, did not match the shrinking core projection and in contrast suggested that internal porosity was increasing. Thus, the appropriate burnout model for these particulates is significantly different from the standard shrinking core assumption, which does not account for any internal structure. An alternative burnout model is supported by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image analysis.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Data for Solvent-Free Enzymatic Esterification of Free Fatty Acids with Glycerol for Biodiesel Application: Optimized Using the Taguchi Experimental Method

Presence of free fatty acids along with glycerides poses a technical difficulty for biodiesel production. This work used a Taguchi L9 design to optimize the solvent-free enzymatic process to result in the esterification of oleic acid with glycerol. Under optimal conditions the esterification reaction temperature of 60°C, enzyme dose of 5 wt%, glycerol: oleic acid molar ratio of 5:1, and reaction time of 3 h, a 75.235 ± 2.19% conversion of oleic acid to esters was achieved. With the addition of molecular sieves, the conversion increased to 86.73% ± 1.09%. However, using the parameters predicted by Taguchi design (60°C, 5 wt%, 5:1, and 4.5 h), 88.5% ± 1.11% of oleic acid could be converted to esters derivative. Diglycerides were the major product, and the reaction equilibrium was attained after 4 h. The immobilized enzyme could be used up to seven times with only a 10% reduction in the conversion. Thus, the process can efficiently reduce the free fatty acid content of oil to make it suitable for biodiesel production.

Conversion↗
DOE OSTI2012

Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind Biodiesel Project Green

Through extensive collaboration, Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (AIDB) is Alabama's first educational entity to initiate a biodiesel public education, student training and production program, Project Green. With state and national replication potential, Project Green benefits local businesses and city infrastructures within a 120-mile radius; provides alternative education to Alabama school systems and to schools for the deaf and blind in Appalachian States; trains students with sensory and/or multiple disabilities in the acquisition and production of biodiesel; and educates the external public on alternative fuels benefits.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Multi-Streamline Approach for Upcycling PET into a Biodiesel and Asphalt Modifier

The non-degradable nature of petroleum-based plastics and the dependence on petroleum-based products in daily life and production are dilemmas of human development today. We hereby developed a plastic waste upcycling process to address these challenges. A multi-stream fraction strategy was developed to process poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastics into soluble and insoluble fractions. The soluble fraction was used as a sole carbon source for microbial fermentation to produce biodiesel precursor lipids with an appreciable bioconversion yield. The insoluble fraction containing fractionated polymers was used as the asphalt binder modifiers. The downsized PET additive improved the high-temperature performance of the asphalt binder by 1 performance grade (PG) without decreasing the low-temperature PG. Subsequent SEM imaging unveiled alterations in the micromorphology induced by PET incorporation. Further FTIR and 1 H NMR analysis highlighted the aromatic groups of PET polymers as a crucial factor influencing performance enhancement. The results demonstrated the multi-stream fraction as a promising approach for repurposing plastic waste to produce biodiesel and modify asphalt. Finally, this approach holds the potential to tackle challenges in fuel supply and enhance infrastructure resilience to global warming.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Methods and catalysts for making biodiesel from the transesterification and esterification of unrefined oils

A method of forming a biodiesel product and a heterogeneous catalyst system used to form said product that has a high tolerance for the presence of water and free fatty acids (FFA) in the oil feedstock is disclosed. This catalyst system may simultaneously catalyze both the esterification of FAA and the transesterification of triglycerides present in the oil feedstock. The catalyst system according to one aspect of the present disclosure represents a class of zinc and lanthanum oxide heterogeneous catalysts that include different ratios of zinc oxide to lanthanum oxides (Zn:La ratio) ranging from about 10:0 to 0:10. The Zn:La ratio in the catalyst is believed to have an effect on the number and reactivity of Lewis acid and base sites, as well as the transesterification of glycerides, the esterification of fatty acids, and the hydrolysis of glycerides and biodiesel.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Enhancement of CO2 and H2 Uptake for the Production of Biodiesel in Cupriavidus Necator

Cupriavidus necator fixes CO{sub 2} through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle using electrons and energy obtained from the oxidation of H{sub 2}. Producing biodiesel-equivalent electrofuel from renewable CO{sub 2} and H{sub 2} has immense potential, especially if the fuel is compatible with the existing fuel infrastructure. This research addressed enhanced substrate utilization by focusing on two strategies: (1) optimizing transcriptional regulations to afford over-expression of Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO), the enzyme responsible for assimilation of CO{sub 2} into the CBB cycle; and (2) hydrogenase over-expression by introduction of additional copies of genes encoding a membrane-bound hydrogenase (MBH), a soluble hydrogenase (SH), and their maturation machinery to enhance oxidation of H{sub 2} to generate NAD(P)H and ATP required for CO{sub 2} fixation. Incorporation of these strategies into a single production strain resulted in 6-fold CO{sub 2} and 3-fold H{sub 2} uptake improvement, in vitro, with the overarching goal of providing abundant reducing equivalents towards the economic production of biodiesel in C. necator.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Metals Analysis of Biodiesel Blends

The goal of this study was to compare metals analysis methods for biodiesel blends. Thirty-five B20 samples were collected from public stations and private fleets throughout the United States. All samples were analyzed for blend content and critical properties under the ASTM D7467 specification. Although not part of the specification, metals content, specifically Na, K, Ca, Mg, and P, is becoming an increasingly larger concern for industry. This study compared the metals content of the B20 samples using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES) methods. All three techniques showed improvements over the current detection limits of 1 ppm for Na, K, Ca, and Mg, and 5 ppm for P. Some differences were found between methods, but agreement was generally acceptable at the very low levels present in these samples. The MP-AES technique showed good promise for future development for this type of analysis.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Effects of soybean varieties on life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of biodiesel and renewable diesel

This study presents a life-cycle analysis (LCA) of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of biodiesel (BD) and renewable diesel (RD) produced from soybean varieties with altered oil profiles and meal composition. The varieties evaluated include those with high oleic oil content (78% of oil being oleic oil vs. the current content of 25%), high lipid content (25% vs. the current content of 19%) or high protein content (45% vs. the current content of 35%). The results suggest that high-oleic soybean oil could reduce GHG emissions of RD by 1 g CO 2 e/MJ by reducing hydrogen consumption in the hydro-treating stage of RD production. With the default allocation method (mass-based allocation between oil and meal), changes in lipid and protein contents have negligible impacts on GHG emissions of BD/RD pathways. Since high-protein soybean meal has a higher nutrient value, we employed the market-based allocation for sensitivity analysis. Assuming a market price of $1.17/dry kg and an average of two substitute feeds with similar protein contents (corn gluten and fish meal), the allocation factor for soybean meal increases from 63 to 81%. Compared with the results for the case with commodity soybean using mass allocation, GHG emissions could be 1.9 and 1.8 g CO 2 e/MJ lower for BD and RD, respectively. In addition to product-level LCA, we employed a land-based LCA to evaluate the effect of soybean properties on product slates with the same land area and the associated displacement of conventional products. The results suggest that high-lipid soybeans may offer more GHG savings than other varieties as the higher BD/RD yield replaces more fossil diesel. © 2023 UChicago Argonne, LLC, Operator of Argonne National Laboratory and Northrup, Ag. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Industrial Chemistry and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Optimization of microwave-enhanced methanolysis of algal biomass to biodiesel under temperature controlled conditions

The effect of a "controlled temperature" approach was investigated in the microwave-enhanced simultaneous extraction and transesterification of dry algae. Experimental runs were designed using a response surface methodology (RSM). The process parameters such as dry algae to methanol ratio, reaction time, and catalyst concentrations were optimized to evaluate their effects on the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield under the "controlled temperature" conditions. Thermal energy associated with the microwave transesterification process was calculated at various temperature levels using the optimized process parameters. Algal biomass characterization and algal biodiesel analysis were carried out using various analytical instruments such as FTIR, TEM, GC-MS and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis under both nitrogen and oxygen environments was performed to examine the thermal and oxidative stability of the algal fatty acid methyl esters.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Biodiesel versus diesel exposure: Enhanced pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and differential morphological changes in the mouse lung

The use of biodiesel (BD) or its blends with petroleum diesel (D) is considered to be a viable approach to reduce occupational and environmental exposures to particulate matter (PM). Due to its lower particulate mass emissions compared to D, use of BD is thought to alleviate adverse health effects. Considering BD fuel is mainly composed of unsaturated fatty acids, we hypothesize that BD exhaust particles could induce pronounced adverse outcomes, due to their ability to readily oxidize. The main objective of this study was to compare the effects of particles generated by engine fueled with neat BD and neat petroleum-based D. Biomarkers of tissue damage and inflammation were significantly elevated in lungs of mice exposed to BD particulates. Additionally, BD particulates caused a significant accumulation of oxidatively modified proteins and an increase in 4-hydroxynonenal. The up-regulation of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines/growth factors was higher in lungs upon BD particulate exposure. Histological evaluation of lung sections indicated presence of lymphocytic infiltrate and impaired clearance with prolonged retention of BD particulate in pigment laden macrophages. Taken together, these results clearly indicate that BD exhaust particles could exert more toxic effects compared to D. - Highlights: • Exposure of mice to BDPM caused higher pulmonary toxicity compared to DPM. • Oxidative stress and inflammation were higher in BD vs to D exposed mice. • Inflammatory lymphocyte infiltrates were seen only in lungs of mice exposed to BD. • Ineffective clearance, prolonged PM retention was present only after BD exposure.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Lithium modified zeolite synthesis for conversion of biodiesel-derived glycerol to polyglycerol

Basic zeolite has received significant attention in the catalysis community. These zeolites modified with alkaline are the potential replacement for existing zeolite catalysts due to its unique features with added advantages. The present paper covers the preparation of lithium modified zeolite Y (Li-ZeY) and its activity for solvent free conversion of biodiesel-derived glycerol to polyglycerol via etherification process. The modified zeolite was well characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Nitrogen Adsorption. The SEM images showed that there was no change in morphology of modified zeolite structure after lithium modification. XRD patterns showed that the structure of zeolite was sustained after lithium modification. The surface properties of parent and modified zeolite was also observed N{sub 2} adsortion-desorption technique and found some changes in surface area and pore size. In addition, the basic strength of prepared materials was measured by Hammet indicators and found that basic strength of Li-ZeY was highly improved. This modified zeolite was found highly thermal stable and active heterogamous basic catalyst for conversion of solvent free glycerol to polyglycerol. This reaction was conducted at different temperatures and 260 °C was found most active temperature for this process for reaction time from 6 to 12 h over this basic catalyst in the absence of solvent.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Novel Biological Conversion of Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide Directly into Biodiesel

OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. (OPX), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Johnson Matthey will develop and optimize a novel, engineered microorganism that directly produces biodiesel from renewable hydrogen (H 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The proposed process will fix CO 2 utilizing H 2 to generate an infrastructure-compatible, energy-dense fuel at costs of less than $2.50 per gallon, with water being produced as the primary byproduct. NREL will perform metabolic engineering on the bacterium Cupriavidus necator (formerly Ralstonia eutropha) and a techno-economic analysis to guide future scale-up work. H 2 and CO 2 uptakes rates will be genetically increased, production of free fatty acids will be enhanced and their degradation pathway blocked in order to meet the ultimate program goals.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2013

San Francisco Biofuel Program: Brown Grease to Biodiesel Demonstration

Municipal wastewater treatment facilities have typically been limited to the role of accepting wastewater, treating it to required levels, and disposing of its treatment residuals. However, a new view is emerging which includes wastewater treatment facilities as regional resource recovery centers. This view is a direct result of increasingly stringent regulations, concerns over energy use, carbon footprint, and worldwide depletion of fossil fuel resources. Resources in wastewater include chemical and thermal energy, as well as nutrients, and water. A waste stream such as residual grease, which concentrates in the drainage from restaurants (referred to as Trap Waste), is a good example of a resource with an energy content that can be recovered for beneficial reuse. If left in wastewater, grease accumulates inside of the wastewater collection system and can lead to increased corrosion and pipe blockages that can cause wastewater overflows. Also, grease in wastewater that arrives at the treatment facility can impair the operation of preliminary treatment equipment and is only partly removed in the primary treatment process. In addition, residual grease increases the demand in treatment materials such as oxygen in the secondary treatment process. When disposed of in landfills, grease is likely to undergo anaerobic decay prior to landfill capping, resulting in the atmospheric release of methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG). This research project was therefore conceptualized and implemented by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to test the feasibility of energy recovery from Trap Waste in the form of Biodiesel or Methane gas.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Assessment of BQ-9000 Biodiesel Properties for 2019

This is the third report in the series documenting the annual quality of neat biodiesel (B100) produced and sold in the United States in 2019. Only companies that participate in the industry voluntary quality program, BQ-9000. Each company that agreed to participate, voluntarily provided monthly data to a third-party group. This third-party group of industry experts removed any identifying information and randomized the data prior to providing to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for statistical analysis.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Biological Design of Lemnaceae aquatic plants for biodiesel production (Final Technical Report)

Support from this award enabled us to expand critical genomic and epigenomic resources available for the study and engineering of duckweeds, and to complete design-build-test-learn cycles that culminated in the engineering of high oil duckweeds. We shared our findings with the public and scientific community in a series of peer-reviewed publications highlighted within. We successfully reengineered metabolism, dramatically increasing oil content by diverting a substantial portion of accumulated carbon from starch. This sets the stage for the use of fast growing aquatic duckweeds as robust, highly productive sources of biodiesel, with the capacity to outperform soybean oil crops.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Impact of Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel, 1-Octanol, Dibutoxymethane, n-Undecane, Hexyl hexanoate and 2-Nonanone with Infrastructure Plastics as Blends with Diesel

In this work the volume and hardness were measured for thermoplastics and thermosetting resins with diesel containing up to 30% of the following blend stocks: biodiesel, renewable diesel, n-undecane, dibutoxymethane, 1-octanol, hexyl hexanoate, and 2-nonanone. Thermoplastics included polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyoxymethylene (POM), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), nylons, acetals, polyetherimide (PEI), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a PET co-polymer, polyphthalamides (PPAs), polyarylamide (PARA) and ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE). Three thermosetting resins were also evaluated. The material specimens were exposed to the test fuels under ambient conditions for 16 weeks. In general, the volume and hardness of the specimens were relatively unaffected following exposure to the test fuels; however, n-undecane produced significant swelling in polypropylene and may not be suitable for use with this material. N-undecane, along with hexyl hexanoate and 2-nonanone also caused low levels of swelling in nylon, which was not significant enough to preclude the use of nylons in sealing applications with these fuels.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2013

2013 DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) Project Peer Review—Biodiesel Cellulosic Ethanol Research Project (Hendry County Sustainable Biofuels Center)

The presentation provides an overview of the Biodiesel Cellulosic Ethanol Research Project (Hendry County Sustainable Biofuels Center). It summarizes the project history, timeline, budget, partners, objectives, goals, future plans and in closer detail reviews the used approaches and technical accomplishments. The main project goals were (1) developing strategies and tools that assist in the creation of economically and environmentally sustainable bioenergy industries within ecologically-sensitive regions such as South Florida and, in particular, the greater Everglades, (2) using these bioenergy strategies and tools in evolving the existing agricultural, urban, and ecological sectors towards more sustainable structures and practices and (3) using bioenergy as a focal point in the larger effort to mitigate climate change and sea level rise, realities with particularly catastrophic consequences for South Florida. The project started on Oct 1, 2010 and ended on Feb 28, 2013. It yearly average budget was $369,770, with the Dept. of Energy annual cost share of $317,167. The main project partners were Hendry County, University of Florida - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Intelligentsia International, Inc., Edison State College and University of South Florida. Used approaches, main accomplishments and results in the categories of (1) technical research, (2) education and (3) business development are presented in detail. The project uniqueness is mainly related to the use of system approaches and integrating several systems analyses. Relevance of the project applicable to sustainability of bioenergy, food production, & restoration is explained, critical success factors are challenges are outlined and future work drafted. Finally, the main publications and presentations catalogue list is presented.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗