New process boosts biofuel production by 24%
Chemists at the University of California (UC) Davis have developed a new process that allows safflower and other oilseed crops to be made into a combination of fuels, which has the potential to increase the production of biodiesel by 24%.
Mark Mascal, professor of chemistry at UC Davis, said, ‘Conventional biodiesel production extracts plant oils and then converts them into fatty acid esters that can be used to power engines’.
The new method changes the oils and carbohydrates of a plant into biodiesel using just one practice. This will also improve the performance features of the biofuel, especially in cold weather.
Although the cost of this new process may be considerably more than that of conventional biodiesel production, the yield increase and better performance should compensate for this.
Mark Mascal, professor of chemistry at UC Davis, said, ‘Conventional biodiesel production extracts plant oils and then converts them into fatty acid esters that can be used to power engines’.
The new method changes the oils and carbohydrates of a plant into biodiesel using just one practice. This will also improve the performance features of the biofuel, especially in cold weather.
Although the cost of this new process may be considerably more than that of conventional biodiesel production, the yield increase and better performance should compensate for this.
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