Life Cycle Assessment of New Oxy-Fuels from Biodiesel-Derived Glycerol

Francesco Asdrubali, Franco Cotana, Federico Rossi, Andrea Presciutti, Antonella Rotili and Claudia Guattari
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Francesco Asdrubali: Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment "Mauro Felli" (CIRIAF), University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 63, Perugia 06125, Italy
Franco Cotana: Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment "Mauro Felli" (CIRIAF), University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 63, Perugia 06125, Italy
Federico Rossi: Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment "Mauro Felli" (CIRIAF), University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 63, Perugia 06125, Italy
Andrea Presciutti: Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment "Mauro Felli" (CIRIAF), University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 63, Perugia 06125, Italy
Antonella Rotili: Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment "Mauro Felli" (CIRIAF), University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 63, Perugia 06125, Italy
Claudia Guattari: Department of Engineering, University of Roma TRE, Via della Vasca Navale 79, Rome 00146, Italy

Energies, 2015, vol. 8, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Biodiesel is obtained by the process of transesterification of vegetable oils and animal fats and crude glycerol is the main by-product of the biodiesel manufacturing chain. As a result glycerol production has rapidly increased in the last decades. This work focuses on the development and the validation of a process to convert biodiesel-derived glycerol into a fuel for internal combustion engines. In order to obtain a higher conversion efficiency it was necessary to convert crude glycerol to tert -butyl ethers by means of an etherification process that was carried out in the laboratory. Then the obtained glycol-ethers mixture (GEM) was blended with a commercial diesel fuel to improve its thermal efficiency. In this paper a life cycle analysis for these GEM/diesel blends was carried out using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, in order to evaluate the environmental impacts of these new oxy-fuels; from GEM production to GEM use as an additive for diesel fuel. The LCA results highlight that the use of these new oxy-fuels in diesel engines can lead to an effective reduction in terms of greenhouse gases emissions throughout the entire life cycle.

Keywords: biodiesel; glycerin; additive; Life Cycle Assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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