BIODIESEL

2013

The aim of this project is to make a form of affordable renewable

energy in Trinidad and Tobago which would help reduce the Carbon
Foot print of this country, release cleaner emissions, as well as assist in
the reduction of the need of our finite, natural gas and petroleum.

UNIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

TAROUBA RD, SAN FERNANDO TECHNICAL
INSTITUTE
CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 3

PROBLEM ...................................................................................................................................... 4

SOLUTION..................................................................................................................................... 5

BENEFITS ...................................................................................................................................... 6

Environment ................................................................................................................................ 6

Health .......................................................................................................................................... 6

Economic..................................................................................................................................... 6

Vehicle ........................................................................................................................................ 7

STAKEHOLDERS ......................................................................................................................... 8

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 9

APPENDICIES ............................................................................................................................. 13

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The problem in Trinidad and Tobago is its current high ranking in the charts for greenhouse

gases, this problem which was noticed and raised some concern by the Ministry of Energy and

Energy Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago. A number of strategies are suggested to be looked into,

one of which is the use of biodiesel to mitigate the use regular diesel thereby reducing the

harmful emissions.

The implementation of this biodiesel initiative will involve an in-depth study into:

 Feedstock availability for the biodiesel plant,

 Collection, distribution and storage systems,

 Biodiesel process plant type and location,

 Finances,

 Overall cost-benefit analysis for complete project.

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PROBLEM

Trinidad and Tobago is ranked currently second in the world per capita in relation to Carbon

Dioxide emissions. Carbon Dioxide makes up 57% of Greenhouse gas emissions, based on

global emissions from 2004 given by the United States Environmental Protection Agency

(USEPA). Transportation accounts for 13% of the Global Greenhouse gas emission according to

the USEPA. Trinidad and Tobago has an increasing vehicle population and was ranked the forty

forth in the world comparing the number of vehicles per one thousand people in 2007. This has

raised concern into the increasing negative contribution Trinidad and Tobago has to the

environment. The Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs has taken notice this predicament and

has come up with a few strategies that they hope may assist with this problem.

The three strategies agreed upon include:

 Development of a Climate Change Policy,

 Establishment of Carbon Reduction Strategies Task Force and

 Establishment of a Renewable Energy Committee.

One of the propositions of the Renewable Energy Committee is to look into Biodiesel which

currently does not exist on a commercial scale in this country. The problem there in lies in the

implementation of a system in Trinidad and Tobago that will create cleaner emission fuel that

can be sold at a competitive price, using various sources that are renewable and can be obtained

and collected on a regular enough basis to ensure a smooth, continuous operation that will be

able to meet the increasing demand of this country’s growing fuel demands.

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SOLUTION

This problem will require a comprehensive study into the sources that can be used to create

biodiesel in Trinidad and Tobago, these sources will include waste cooking and grease trap oil,

non-food-crop oil and animal fats. The study will look into the amount of these source products

that will be available for conversion and which sources provide the greatest critical mass for the

successful production of biodiesel.

The solution will look at a detailed collection, storage and distribution system that will be used to

gather all the source products necessary and distribute the final product, including:

 Vehicles and equipment,

 Routes,

 Pick up times,

 Collection zones,

 Temporary storage of source products,

 Plant location,

 Biodiesel storage after processing, and

 Final distribution and usage of the product.

Once data on the critical mass is collected, an optimal plant size will be determined; this will

give the necessary information for the area of land required and hence allow the construction of

the biodiesel plant.

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BENEFITS

Environment

It was found that B20 (which is a mix of 20% to 80%, biodiesel to conventional diesel,) can

significantly reduce the amount of harmful greenhouse gases that enter the environment. This

mix has shown to reduce total hydrocarbons up to 30%, Carbon Monoxide up to 20% and total

particulate matter up to 15%. Biodiesel will help meet the goal made by the Ministry of Energy

and Energy Affairs for the net reduction of atmospheric Carbon.

The United States Department of Energy conducted a study that showed when compared

biodiesel produced approximately 78.5% less Carbon Dioxide emissions than petroleum diesel.

This makes biodiesel one of the best alternatives for diesel applications when looking into the

reduction of atmospheric Carbon.

Health

In the United States research was done that showed the problem, cancer causing, compounds

polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been

significantly reduced. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have shown a 75-85% reduction

with the nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (2-nitrofluorene and 1-nitropyrene) showing

a reduction of up to 90%. This makes it a much healthier alternative than the conventional

petroleum diesel, especially with the deplorable traffic conditions in Trinidad and Tobago.

Economic

Biodiesel can bring to Trinidad and Tobago economic benefits in the form of:

 Employment,

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  Investment options,

 Revenue with the sales to consumers

 Make Trinidad and Tobago less dependent on fossil fuels and natural gas as its

primary source of fuel, thereby making the country stable in terms of energy as

biodiesel is a renewable fuel that does not rely on any finite resources, this makes

it an almost indefinite source of energy.

Vehicle

Biodiesel has been shown to give the same performance benefits as that of regular diesel in

normal diesel engines, but the engine benefits more from the biodiesel because of the lubricity

and cleaning properties of the biodiesel. This lubricity helps extend the life of engine parts and

the cleaning out of build ups in the engine helps ensure optimal performance.

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STAKEHOLDERS

 Government

o Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs

o Ministry of Environment and Water Resources

o Ministry of Science and Technology

o Ministry of Finance and The Economy

o Ministry of Health

o Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment

 Source suppliers

o Farmers, producing crop necessary for the process

o Food suppliers for used cooking oil and grease trap oil

o Commercial farms and poultry depots to provide the animal fats needed

 Scientific and Engineering companies

 Financial Institutions

 Oil Marketing and Service Retailers

 Consumers

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REFERENCES

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FAQ. BioCubeâ„¢. Retrieved February 14, 2013, from http://biocubeco.com/faqs/what-

are-the-advantages-of-biodiesel-over-petroleum-diesel/

14, R. K., & 2008. (n.d.). Biodiesel Magazine | biodieselmagazine.com. Biodiesel Magazine |

biodieselmagazine.com. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from

http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/2879/the-skinny-on-fats/

Big Island Biodiesel - Pacific Biodiesel. (n.d.). Pacific Biodiesel - Pacific Biodiesel. Retrieved

February 18, 2013, from

http://www.bigislandbiodiesel.com/index.php/technologies/project/big_island_biodiesel

_opening_2012

Biofuel Production From Animal Fats. (n.d.). A North American Perspective. Retrieved

February 20, 2013, from worldrenderers.org/11.pdf

Carbon Reduction Strategies. (n.d.). National Energy Policy Consultations. Retrieved February

10, 2013, from www.energy.gov.tt/content/196.pdf

Commercial Biodiesel Plants & Commercial Biodiesel Processors Make Renewable Energy

Safely | 70CentsaGallon.com. (n.d.). Biodiesel Processor & Biofuel Equipment Solutions

for Renewable Energy | 70CentsaGallon.com. Retrieved February 10, 2013, from

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 http://www.70centsagallon.com/solutions/commercial-processors.html

Commonly Asked Questions. (n.d.). Biodiesel. Retrieved February 18, 2013, from

www.biodiesel.org/docs/ffs-basics/commonly-asked-questions.pdf?sfvrsn=6

Down to Earth Energy - Biodiesel Benefits. (n.d.). Down to Earth Energy - Home. Retrieved

February 20, 2013, from http://www.downtoearthenergy.net/biodiesel-benefits/

Economics of Biofuels| NCEE | US EPA. (n.d.). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved

February 19, 2013, from http://yosemite.epa.gov/ee/epa/eed.nsf/pages/Biofuels.html

Environmental Benefits. (n.d.). Biodiesel. Retrieved February 21, 2013, from

www.biodiesel.org/docs/ffs-health_environment/environmental-benefits.pdf?sfvrsn=4

Global Emissions | Climate Change | US EPA. (n.d.). US Environmental Protection Agency.

Retrieved February 19, 2013, from

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html

Guidance for Biodiesel Producers and Biodiesel Blenders/Users. (n.d.). Transportation and

Regional Programs Division Office of Transportation and Air Quality U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved February 24, 2013, from

www.epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/420b07019.pdf

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Health effects . (n.d.). Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons . Retrieved February 21, 2013, from

www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/PDF-files/ph-factsheet-PAHs-health.pdf

Industrial Biodiesel Plant Design and Engineering: Practical Experience. (n.d.). Chemistry and

Technology Conference, Session Seven: Renewable Energy Managemen. Retrieved

February 15, 2013, from europacrown.com/userImages/Biodiesel.pdf

International Synoposium on Alcohol Fuels. (n.d.). Global Biofuels Trade. Retrieved February

23, 2013, from www.eri.ucr.edu/ISAFXVCD/ISAFXVPP/GBT.pdf

Louis Dreyfus Commodities :: From farm to fork. (n.d.). Louis Dreyfus Commodities :: Home.

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Motor vehicles statistics - countries compared worldwide - NationMaster. (n.d.). NationMaster -

World Statistics, Country Comparisons. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/tra_mot_veh-transportation-motor-vehicles

Oil - production - Country Comparison. (n.d.). Index Mundi - Country Facts. Retrieved February

22, 2013, from http://www.indexmundi.com/g/r.aspx?c=td&v=88

REV (Revolution) Biodiesel | Process | Creating Biodiesel. (n.d.). REV (Revolution) Biodiesel |

Home. Retrieved February 18, 2013, from

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 http://www.revbiodiesel.com/process/creating_biodiesel.html

Strickland, J. (n.d.). HowStuffWorks "What are the environmental benefits of biofuels?".

HowStuffWorks "Auto". Retrieved February 20, 2013, from

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/biofuels/environmental-benefits-

biofuel.htm

U.S. Economic Impact of Advanced Biofuels Production | BIO. (n.d.). BIO | Healing, Fueling

and Feeding the World. Retrieved February 21, 2013, from

http://www.bio.org/articles/us-economic-impact-advanced-biofuels-production-1

Waste Management in Biodiesel Production - eXtension. (2012, March 26). eXtension -

Objective. Research-based. Credible.. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from

http://www.extension.org/pages/27660/waste-management-in-biodiesel-production

country. (n.d.). List of countries by vehicles per capita - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_vehicles_per_capita

 Camelina, T. L., girlfriend, t. b., & Montana farmers., n. s. (n.d.). Advanced BioFuels USA

» Montana Farmers Planting Less Camelina for Biofuel. Advanced BioFuels USA .

Retrieved February 22, 2013, from http://advancedbiofuelsusa.info/montana-farmers-

planting-less-camelina-for-biofuel

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APPENDICIES

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