Fatty acid methyl esters as diesel fuel. Economic, ecological and energetic implications

Carlos Gómez Herrera

doi:10.3989/gya.1995.v46.i2.914

Fatty acid methyl esters as diesel fuel. Economic, ecological and energetic implications

Authors

Carlos Gómez Herrera Profesor de Investigación (CSIC) jubilado y Académico Numerario de la Real Academia Sevillana de Ciencias

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/gya.1995.v46.i2.914

Keywords:

Diesel fuel substitute, Ecology, Economic analysis, Energy balance, Information (paper), Physical properties, Rapeseed oil methyl esters

Abstract

Changes in the "Common Agricultural Policy" of the European Union have increased the rapeseed crops on "set-aside" lands remarkably. Rapeseed oils are transesterified with methanol to obtain fatty acid methyl esters. Blends of these esters with diesel oil are sold in petrol stations in different european countries like any other fuel.
This informative article starts by reviewing basic characteristics of diesel fuel, and continues with an analysis of physical properties, chemical composition and present specifications for the rapeseed methyl esters. Subsequently several implications derived from the industrial development of this biofuel are discussed. These implications are economic (production, consumption, prices, subventions, tax exemptions), ecological (nearly zero emissions for whole cycle of carbon dioxide, other exhaust emissions from combustion, ecobalances), and energetic (complete evaluation of energy expenditure for production, energetic ratios).

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Published

1995-04-30

How to Cite

Gómez Herrera C. Fatty acid methyl esters as diesel fuel. Economic, ecological and energetic implications. Grasas aceites [Internet]. 1995Apr.30 [cited 2025May1];46(2):121-9. Available from: https://grasasyaceites.revistas.csic.es/index.php/grasasyaceites/article/view/914

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Issue

Vol. 46 No. 2 (1995)

Section

Reviews

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