New Recipe For Biodiesel Calls For Lime

Chemical and Engineering News
June 17, 2011

Renewable Fuel: Calcium hydroxide, better known as hydrated lime, transforms used soybean oil into biodiesel
A new method uses hydrated lime to transform soybean oil, recycled from other uses, into biodiesel, researchers report (Energy Fuels, DOI: 10.1021/ef200555r). The new method may provide an environmentally friendly route to biofuels, the team suggests.

Crops grown solely for fuel have been controversial because of the related loss of valuable food-producing land, forest, and other ecosystems, as well as the drain on water resources to grow some crops in water-strapped regions. But used vegetable oil is simply waste, and many researchers see it as a desirable source of raw materials for biodiesel, a replacement for fossil fuels made from plant or animal fats.

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