Biodiesel From Conventional Feedstocks - Biotechnology in China: Biofuels and Bioenergy - page 54

4 Constraints and Perspectives of Biodiesel Development................................................... 63

4.1 Feedstocks ................................................................................................................... 3

4.2 Processing Technologies ............................................................................................ 64

4.3 Marketing of Biodiesel ............................................................................................... 64

5 Major Players of Biodiesel R&D and Industrial Production............................................. 64

6 Summary .............................................................................................................................. 66

References.................................................................................................................................. 66

1 Introduction

Compared with mineral diesel, biodiesel that is produced from plant oils or animal
fats through the transesterification reaction with alcohols is more renewable, and
thus benefits not only energy substitution and reduction of the dependency on
imported oil, but also the rural economy through the engagement of the feedstock
production, two priorities in the agenda of the Chinese government, since the
country has experienced a drastic increase in oil imports within the past decade,
and in the meantime has the largest agricultural population in the world. On the
other hand, biodiesel consumption generates less environmental pollutants such as
SO x and NO x , and mitigates CO 2 emission. Biodiesel is also biodegradable,
making it especially suitable for farm and marine applications where the risk of
fuel leaking to the environment is high [ 1 - 3 ].
Execution of B5, B10 or B20 Standards, with 5, 10 or 20% biodiesel supplemented
into petroleum-based diesel, respectively, has been enforced in many countries
including the USA and European countries. Although biodiesel development in China
lags behind these countries, taking into account its output and R&D investment, more
effort has been made within the last few years, due to high prices of crude oils and
petroleum-based transportation fuels such as gasoline and diesel, which are making
biodiesel more economically competitive. In 2007, China enacted the Biodiesel for
Blending with Diesel Fuel (B100) National Standard, and in 2008, the National
Development and Reform Committee approved three demonstration projects for
biodiesel in Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hannan, which are owned by the China National
Petroleum Company (PetroChina), China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec),
and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), respectively, with a focus
on feedstock development and innovative technologies for cost-effective biodiesel
production. In 2011, the China Standardization Committee enacted the B5 Standard.
At present, the annual production capacity of biodiesel in China exceeds one
million tons, with private companies as the major players, producing biodiesel
from junk oil, acidified oil, and woody plant oil, mostly by chemical catalysis.
Meanwhile, research institutes and universities such as the China Research
Institute of Petroleum Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing University of
Chemical Technology, South China University of Technology, Zhejiang University
of Technology, and Sichuan University are devoted to developing innovative tech-
nologies for biodiesel production and collaborating with industry [ 4 - 6 ].
For example, Hunan Biorivers Co. Ltd. established a 20, 000 ton/year biodiesel