TBK BioDiesel Co-Inventor Janos THESZ  HUNGARY |  thesz@t-online.hu | 

TBK BioDiesel Process Technical Specs Web Page

Rape Seed Oil  VS  TBK BioDiesel from Rape Seed Oil Chemical Analysis

Traditional BioDiesel Process

As we all (should) know, traditional BioDiesel (BD, "FAME") is NOT a totally green fuel on account of its "methanolic" part, as methanol is fossil-derived (produced via oxidation of methane). Nor is the so-called second generation biodiesel (according to e.g. the Finnish "NExBTL" process) a really renewable fuel, as the hydrogen of the process is manufactured industrially through the oxidation of propane/butane, again fossils, whose very replacement should be the sole concern of a really green economy.

TBK BioDiesel Process

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What we do is a partial transesterification ("interesterification") of naturally occurring triglycerides with alkyl (ethyl) esters of short-chain fatty acids (acetic), whereby we get a mixture of modified triglycerides with reduced molecular masses (that is, with reduced viscosities) and the alkyl esters of displaced fatty acids:

(Our patent is pending. Application no.: PCT/HU 2008/000013, publication no.: WO2008096187).

The scheme depicts a 33 1/3 % exchange of long chains for short ones, but depending on the viscosity to be attained, further replacement of long chains is to be effected. So there is no glycerol formation, no washings, no sewage, but each and every atom of the biomass is utilized for fuel purposes.

We get an extra 10% mass of fuel out of a given amount of feedstock after the exchange of each third of the original (long) chains (that is, we require 10 or so % less arable land to produce a given amount of fuel than in the case of traditional BD).

The internal oxygen content of our fuel is about 30% higher than that of present biodiesel, affording better combustion properties, better emission profile, less soot, etc.

Moreover, in every case our product has a lower iodine-number than the corresponding biodiesel (owing to "dilution" of double-bonds), yielding greater resistance to oxidative degradations.

We have improved cold-properties (on account of the presence of a reduced molecular mass triglyceride), our volumetric energy density is 4-5% higher than that of present biodiesel, and so on.

Our production costs are lower, we can utilize glycerol-wastes of traditional BD processes as feedstock, we can work in traditional BioDiesel plants, etc.

So our stuff has half a dozen or so such merits, which considered even individually, should call for the immediate replacement of traditional "Biodiesel". And to top it all, our transesterifying agent ethyl acetate is a 100% green reagent -- manufactured for example through dehydrogenation of fermentation ethanol.

So such being the case, our combustible is the only real 100% bio (green) substitute of petrodiesel to date, and as such may I draw your kind attention to it, as your esteemed company has been a vanguard in the introduction of biofuels. We have some preliminary motor test results, but the complete evaluation and subsequent standardization of our fuel would require sources we do not possess at the moment, so we are thinking of cooperating with a long-time player in the field, aiming at mutual benefits.

I am attaching some data on the economics of our fuel as compared to the well-known German "Lurgi-process" for traditional Biodiesel.

Restpectfully yours,

J. Thesz

Breaking news!  2/1/2009

Quote from The Plant Journal (2008) 54, 593–607

Plant triacylglycerols as feedstocks for the production of biofuels

Timothy P. Durrett1, Christoph Benning2 and John Ohlrogge1,*

1Departments of Plant Biology, and 2Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA

"Acetyl TAGs are a modified TAG with a short two-carbon acetyl group rather than a longer acyl chain at the sn-3 position. This structure results in an oil of lower viscosity that has the potential to directly replace No. 4 diesel (a heavier grade). These unusual triacylglycerols are abundant in the seeds of some plant species, such as members of the genus Euonymus where they can form up to 98% of the seed oil. As with Cuphea, these species are not currently suitable for development as oilseed crops. Therefore, the transfer of enzyme(s) necessary for acetyl TAG production has been explored. To this end, a type 1 diacylglycerol transferase (DGAT1) involved in the production of acetyl glycerides has been isolated from developing seeds of Euonymus alatus (Milcamps et al., 2005). However, as with the previous examples, the heterologous expression of EaDGAT1 failed to yield high levels of acetyl TAGs." (Page 601-602, section "Direct use of plant oils as fuels", thus setting the target for genetic modification of plant oils).

Now, contrary to the (temporary) failure of geneticists, that is exactly what we have attained via a chemical "pathway", protecting the ensuing fuel in our patent application. (If we have two acetyl groups besides the one retained original long chain, viscosity is further lowered, so No. 2 diesel can be directly replaced by this modified triglyceride.)

Also, please note that in the above cited paper researchers indicate a strong correlation between iodine number and NOx emissions of a plant-oil based fuel. Owing to iodine-number reduction in TBK-BD fuel, we have every reason to predict that our stuff will have much reduced values in this respect as well, causing our fuel to surpass all petro-diesel emission parameters (contrary to conventional BD, whose NOx emission is inferior to petro-diesel).