Lots of people were talking about the alternatives to replace the comercial fuel thet we are using right now. One of the alternatives are biodiesel.Biodiesel is derived from the fats of animals and plants. Since the energy demands are increasing and fossil fuels or the current commercial fuel are limited, the research is directed towards an alternative renewable fuels. The advantages of using this alternative fuel are its renewability, biodegrability and better quality exhaust gases. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from vegetable and animal fats have shown promise as biodiesel, due to improved viscosity, volatility and combustion behavior relative to triglycerides, and can be used in conventional diesel engines without significant modifications. 
Biodiesel had higher oxygen content than the petroleum diesel and the use of the biodeisel in diesel engines have shown great reduction in emission of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur, polyaromatics, hydrocarbons, smoke and noise. In addition, burning of vegetable-oil based fuel does not contribute to net atmospheric CO2 level because such fuel is made from agricultural materials which are produced via photosynthetic carbon fixation. The substitution of conventional diesel fuels with fatty acid methyl esters already comprises a commercial activity in many countries of world. However, the use of biodiesel has not expanded into developing countries, due to the higher prices than conventional diesel. The higher cost of biodiesel is due to its production mostly from expensive high-quality virgin oil.
The use of low-cost feedstock such as waste frying oils and non-edible oils in an acid-catalyzed process should help to make biodiesel competitive in price with petroleum diesel. The most common way to produce biodiesel is by transesterification, which refers to a catalyzed chemical reaction involving vegetable oil and an alcohol to yield fatty acid alkyl esters and glycerol. Transesterification reactions can be alkali-catalyzed, acid-catalyzed or enzyme-catalyzed.
Biodiesel had higher oxygen content than the petroleum diesel and the use of the biodeisel in diesel engines have shown great reduction in emission of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur, polyaromatics, hydrocarbons, smoke and noise. In addition, burning of vegetable-oil based fuel does not contribute to net atmospheric CO2 level because such fuel is made from agricultural materials which are produced via photosynthetic carbon fixation. The substitution of conventional diesel fuels with fatty acid methyl esters already comprises a commercial activity in many countries of world. However, the use of biodiesel has not expanded into developing countries, due to the higher prices than conventional diesel. The higher cost of biodiesel is due to its production mostly from expensive high-quality virgin oil.The use of low-cost feedstock such as waste frying oils and non-edible oils in an acid-catalyzed process should help to make biodiesel competitive in price with petroleum diesel. The most common way to produce biodiesel is by transesterification, which refers to a catalyzed chemical reaction involving vegetable oil and an alcohol to yield fatty acid alkyl esters and glycerol. Transesterification reactions can be alkali-catalyzed, acid-catalyzed or enzyme-catalyzed.
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