Biodiesel Data & Stats

Biodiesel Data & Stats

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Did you know? Algae are expected to yield 200 times the oil than most other field crops

Biodiesel‘s has physical properties very similar to conventional diesel (source: Alternative Fuels Data Center, Department of Energy, Govt of USA)

Biodiesel's Physical Characteristics

Specific gravity

0.87 to 0.89

Kinematic viscosity @ 40°C


3.7 to 5.8


Cetane number

46 to 70

Higher heating value (btu/lb)

16,928 to 17,996

Sulfur, wt%

0.0 to 0.0024

Cloud point °C

-11 to 16

Pour point °C

-15 to 13

Iodine number

60 to 135

Lower heating value (btu/lb)

15,700 to 16,735
Typical Extraction Yields of Oil from Oilseeds

(Kg of oil from 100 Kg of oilseed)

Oilseed Extraction

Castor 36
Palm 36

Rapeseed 37

Soybean 14

Sunflower 32

Yield of Various Plant Oils

Crop Oil in Liters per hectare

Castor 1413

Sunflower 952

Safflower 779

Palm 5950

Soy 446

Coconut 2689

Some Gasoline/Petrol & Diesel Facts:

Sulfur Content: 0.05 percent maximum allowed for diesel

Density: 7.076 lb/gal (diesel) 6.15 lb/gal (gasoline)

Heating Values: Diesel: 19300 Btu/lb (136,567 Btu/gal); Gasoline: 20300 Btu/lb (124,845 Btu/gal) - Approximately 45-47 GJ/T

American standard testing methods (ASTM) tests and limits for Diesel fuels

Test ASTM Test No. ASTM limits for no. 2 Diesel fuel

Carbon residue (wt.%) D 524 0.35 % max.

Cetane no. D 613 40 min.

Distillation range (K) D 86 555–611

Flash point (K) D 93 325 min.

Higher heating value (MJ kg_1) D 2015 45.2 min.

Viscosity (mm2 s_1) D 445 1.9–4.1

Kinematic Viscosity Specs & Standards

Specifications: (viscosities in mm2/s)

Europe Petrodiesel: 2.0–4.5

Europe Biodiesel : 3.5–5.0

US specification of viscosity for low-sulfur No.2 diesel fuel: 1.9-4.1 mm2/s (this is the fuel that is biodiesel is most often compared to)

US Specification for No. 1 diesel fuel is 1.3–2.4 mm2/s.

Most alkyl esters of vegetable oils have kinematic viscosities less than 5.0 mm2/s.

Other References

Some interesting sites:

  • Plant Oils Database – provides resources and links for over 200 different plant oils and related plant extracts
  • BDPedia – The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia

Agriculture Directories

BDPedia.com, the Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia, provides links, provides directory and web links resources for the biofuels, biodiesel. It is intended to be useful for research and information as well as for buyers, sellers, manufacturers, traders, suppliers, producers, exporters and importers. It will make an effort to provide biofuel feedstock, plant oil feedstocks, vegetable oil info and link, details on oilseeds, bio-fuel, bio-diesel, bio-fuels, plant oils production and uses, and biofuels trade & market resources, data, statistics such as price, prices, demand-supply for buyer, seller, manufacturer, trader, supplier, exporter and producer