| It is proposed to construct a purpose-built factory to produce biofuel from renewable resources, for example, vegetable oils, edible tallow and rape seed oil, at a site at Belfast harbour estate in Northern Ireland. If successful the company behind the project, Evergreen Energy Ltd intends to develop further facilities throughout Ireland and Europe.
Biofuel, or Fatty Acid Methyl Ester, (FAME) is a fuel produced from renewable resources using a simple process known as transesterification. Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic, having significantly fewer emissions than petroleum-based fuels. It is a clear amber-yellow liquid with a similar viscosity to fossil diesel.
| However, in contrast to fossil diesel, biodiesel is non-explosive and has a flash point of 150 degrees centigrade as opposed to 64 degrees centigrade for fossil diesel.
Interestingly the process is not a new one, with scientists demonstrating working diesel engines running on biodiesel from as early as the 1800s. Wide availability of cheap mineral oil and limited environmental considerations, however, meant that mineral oil became the fuel of choice over the last century. |
