Thermoeconomic Analysis of Biodiesel Production from Used Cooking Oils

Emilio Font de Mora, César Torres and Antonio Valero
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Emilio Font de Mora: Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumption – CIRCE, University of Zaragoza, Mariano Esquillor 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
César Torres: Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumption – CIRCE, University of Zaragoza, Mariano Esquillor 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain
Antonio Valero: Centre of Research for Energy Resources and Consumption – CIRCE, University of Zaragoza, Mariano Esquillor 15, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain

Sustainability, 2015, vol. 7, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: Biodiesel from used cooking oil (UCO) is one of the most sustainable solutions to replace conventional fossil fuels in the transport sector. It can achieve greenhouse gas savings up to 88% and at the same time reducing the disposal of a polluting waste. In addition, it does not provoke potential negative impacts that conventional biofuels may eventually cause linked to the use of arable land. For this reason, most policy frameworks favor its consumption. This is the case of the EU policy that double-counters the use of residue and waste use to achieve the renewable energy target in the transport sector. According to different sources, biodiesel produced from UCO could replace around 1.5%–1.8% of the EU-27 diesel consumption. This paper presents an in-depth thermoeconomic analysis of the UCO biodiesel life cycle to understand its cost formation process. It calculates the ExROI value (exergy return on investment) and renewability factor, and it demonstrates that thermoeconomics is a useful tool to assess life cycles of renewable energy systems. It also shows that UCO life cycle biodiesel production is more sustainable than biodiesel produced from vegetable oils.

Keywords: biodiesel; UCO; exergy; exergy cost; ExROI; renewability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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