Chapter 4
Current Status of the Biodiesel Industry
and Its Assessment of Feedstocks
Changzhu Li, Aihua Zhang, and Peiyi Yu
Abstract Sustainability is a key principle in natural resource management, and it
involves operational efficiency, minimization of environmental impact, and socioeconomic considerations. All of which are interdependent. It has become increasingly
obvious that continued reliance on fossil fuel energy resources is unsustainable,
owing to both depleting world reserves and the greenhouse gas emissions associated
with their use. Therefore, there are vigorous research initiatives aimed at developing
alternative renewable and potentially carbon neutral solid, liquid, and gaseous biofuels as alternative energy resources. Biodiesel is gaining more and more importance as
an attractive fuel due to the easier access to feedstock with the Government support.
This chapter given an overview of biodiesels, introduce the manufacturing status
both China and abroad, focusing on detailed information of biodiesel and byproduct
glycerol on both the preparation principle and commercial process. It was found
that, whereas there are outstanding issues related to reproducible and environmentfriendly, biofuels could progressively substitute a significant proportion of the fossil
fuels required to meet the growing energy demand.
Keywords Biofuels · Biodiesel · Preparation principle · Commercial process
C. Li (B) · A. Zhang · P. Yu
National Joint Laboratory of Oil Energy Plants High Efficient Conversion, Changsha 410004,
China
e-mail: lichangzhu2013@aliyun.com
Laboratory of State Forestry Administration on Utilization Science for Southern Woody Oil
Resource, Changsha, China
Hunan Academy of Forestry, Changsha 410004, China
Hunan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Lipids, Changsha 410004, China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
C. Li et al. (eds.), Industrial Oil Plant,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4920-5_4
109
Current Status of the Biodiesel Industry
and Its Assessment of Feedstocks
Changzhu Li, Aihua Zhang, and Peiyi Yu
Abstract Sustainability is a key principle in natural resource management, and it
involves operational efficiency, minimization of environmental impact, and socioeconomic considerations. All of which are interdependent. It has become increasingly
obvious that continued reliance on fossil fuel energy resources is unsustainable,
owing to both depleting world reserves and the greenhouse gas emissions associated
with their use. Therefore, there are vigorous research initiatives aimed at developing
alternative renewable and potentially carbon neutral solid, liquid, and gaseous biofuels as alternative energy resources. Biodiesel is gaining more and more importance as
an attractive fuel due to the easier access to feedstock with the Government support.
This chapter given an overview of biodiesels, introduce the manufacturing status
both China and abroad, focusing on detailed information of biodiesel and byproduct
glycerol on both the preparation principle and commercial process. It was found
that, whereas there are outstanding issues related to reproducible and environmentfriendly, biofuels could progressively substitute a significant proportion of the fossil
fuels required to meet the growing energy demand.
Keywords Biofuels · Biodiesel · Preparation principle · Commercial process
C. Li (B) · A. Zhang · P. Yu
National Joint Laboratory of Oil Energy Plants High Efficient Conversion, Changsha 410004,
China
e-mail: lichangzhu2013@aliyun.com
Laboratory of State Forestry Administration on Utilization Science for Southern Woody Oil
Resource, Changsha, China
Hunan Academy of Forestry, Changsha 410004, China
Hunan Engineering & Technology Research Center of Lipids, Changsha 410004, China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
C. Li et al. (eds.), Industrial Oil Plant,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4920-5_4
109