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Future Biodiesel Feedstocks?

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  • 29-11-2010 11:23am
    #1
    solarant1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭


    It doesn't take you hours of reading to figure out that the biodiesel industry is in trouble. Unless of course you are in Malaysia or Indonesia where palm oil is still overflowing and cheaply.

    One of the key reasons for the problems that the biodiesel industry face is the choice of feedstock - or to be more precise, the lack of choice. In most parts of the world (especially in countries like India), use of soy, palm or sunflower as a feedstock is out of question as these countries do not even produce enough of these oils to meet their citizens' food requirements!

    Plus anyway, the yields of any of the above mentioned feedstock is such that they cannot replace petroleum even if all the crop land in the world are used for cultivating them!

    So, what is the answer? Algae? But algae is still in the research stages...

    Ultimately, we need to find feedstock whose yields are very high, and that can grow in marginal lands with relatively low inputs of water, fertilizer and pesticides.

    What is your opinion on the future of biodiesel and the future of biodiesel feedstock?


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    #2
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    My honest opinion is that we are up sh1tcreek in this country as far as biofuels are concerned.

    I know a tillage farmer with 1200 acres. In order to have enough diesel for his own needs he would have to grow 200 acres of OSR. He can only grow OSR 1 year in 4, so 800 acres has to be 'managed' around the 200 acres of OSR. This means that 2/3 of the farm is geared towards growing the diesel to run the farm.

    Perhaps you should be asking is diesel the ideal fuel to be producing? Maybe methane would be a better option.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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    #3
    El Siglo
    Registered Users Posts: 3,803 ✭✭✭El Siglo


    I think in America there's a serious amount of investment going into diatom research as an alternative fuel source. It's big business at the moment, I'm on the ipod but I'll throw up a few links when I get chance tomorrow.


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    #4
    twomill
    Registered Users Posts: 28 ✭twomill


    would it be possible to produce ethanol cheaply enough from sugar beet in this country as an alternative to petrol? some websites say it's an ideal source but i don't know how cost efficient it would be but look at the amount of jobs it would create if it were, from growing to transportation to brewing etc. any views???


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    #5
    BotanyRox
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭BotanyRox


    Alas there is no sugar beet in ireland anymore...we import it all


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    #6
    harry21
    Registered Users Posts: 519 ✭✭✭harry21


    Biogas is the way forward for Ireland. Lots od the feedstock can be found from waste sources.

    Biodiesel and ethanol, although fine fuels, require too mush re-direction of land use!


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    #7
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,664 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Hey Harry any comments on farmers growing maize just to feed an AD plant to produce biogas? Lots of it happening in Germany now.:confused:

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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    #8
    harry21
    Registered Users Posts: 519 ✭✭✭harry21


    There are goog yields from maize, but In Ireland farm scale test have shown that grass is better far as I know. As I mentioned, the problem is re-directing land from food production to growing fuel. We can hardly feed all the people in the world now.

    I don't see biofuels as a long term solution to any problems. Hydrogen tech or some fancy antigravity thingy :confused: etc are the long term. But again, I think biogas from waste seems to make sense.


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