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Title: BIODIESEL: THE USE OF VEGETABLE OILS AND THEIR DERIVATIVES AS ALTERNATIVE DIESEL FUELS

Author
item Knothe, Gerhard
item Bagby, Marvin

Submitted to: American Chemical Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/28/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Vegetable oils and their derivatives (especially methyl esters), commonly referred to as "biodiesel", are prominent candidates as alternative diesel fuels. They have advanced from being purely experimental fuels to initial stages of commercialization. They are technically competitive with or offer technical advantages compared to conventional diesel fuel. Besides being a renewable resource, biodiesel reduces most emissions while engine performance and fuel economy are nearly identical compared to conventional fuels. Several problems, however, remain, which include economics, combustion, some emissions, lube oil contamination, and low-temperature properties. An overview on all the mentioned aspects of biodiesel will be presented.