Biodiesel is produced from vegetable or animal oils. Usually, the glycerine in the oil is replaced by methanol. Since this amounts to using a fuel (methanol; CH3OH) to produce a fuel (biodiesel) one is entitled to question of what energy gain is achieved. Invariably, vegetable oils are a mixture of many different triglycerides,but since one of the most common fatty acids found in vegetable oils palmitic acid, C16H32O2, we will assume that the our raw material is a pure triglyceride consisting of three palmitic acid groups Thus, the final product-the biodiesel-will be methyl palmitate C17H34O2.
a) Stoichiometrically, how many kg of methanol are required for each kg of vegetable oil.
b) If the methanol were directly as fuel energy would be released.
c) If 1 L biodiesel is used as a fuel, how much energy is released?
d) What is the methanol-to biodiesel energy ratio?