Biodiesel consists of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) created as the result of a reaction between an alcohol and oils/fats of vegetable or animal origin.

Methanol (wood alcohol) is usually the alcohol of choice, but ethanol may also be used.

The conversion process releases glycerine, a by-product of the biodiesel production process.

Process flow diagram for biodiesel.

Biodiesel may be used both as a CO2 neutral fuel in diesel engines, and as a bio fuel oil. The European diesel standard, EN 590, generally allows up to 5% biodiesel to be added, while a number of passenger cars, lorries and buses may run on 100% biodiesel with a few minor adjustments.

The structure of all oils/fats is principally the same, regardless of whether they are of vegetable or animal origin. They consist largely of triglycerides, and only the proportion of individual fatty acids differs. It is especially the content of unsaturated fatty acids in relation to the saturated fatty acids that is important for the product. As the following table shows, palm oil and animal fat contain almost the same level of unsaturated fatty acids, while the level is far higher in rapeseed oil and soy bean oil.

A high level of unsaturated fatty acids lowers the congealing point, not just for the oil/fat, but also for the resulting FAME. This is especially significant in connection with the use of pure biodiesel, while it is less important as regards admixtures.

Daka Biodiesel will primarily be produced using refined animal fat extracted from slaughterhouse by-products and dead animals from primary agriculture. Other by-products in the form of used cooking oil and other oils unsuitable for food production may also be used in the production process.

Denmark has a large animal production, and we must ensure that the by-products that are not of sufficient quality to end up on the dinner table are put to the best possible use.

For some people, the use of dead animals from agriculture will be controversial. These raw materials, however, are no different from those that reach the slaughterhouse. Traditional fossil fuels also stem from dead plants and animals, but we do not believe that we should wait 100 million years before the present by-products from agriculture can be recycled!