Universal Bioenergy, Inc. is focused on making biodiesel fuels. Biodiesel is a diesel-equivalent processed fuel derived from biological sources such as vegetable oils or fatty animal products. Once processed, it can be used as a replacement fuel in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles. It is clean-burning and is renewable. Exhaust from automobiles that run on biodiesel tends to smell a little like French fries. Biodiesel typically produces up to 78% less net lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions than petroleum-based diesel. So, the fuel is all around good for the environment.
The company announced yesterday that they have negotiated two process technologies that may lower the cost to produce their biodiesel. The first of these technologies will allow the use of lower cost, higher free fatty acid feedstocks while producing other value-added byproducts. These include a furnace oil and a lubricant base oil that can sell for prices 20-25% higher than biodiesel as stated by the technology developers. Another advantage is this process does not produce glycerol which is quickly becoming more difficult to dispose of or sell. The second process will allow the lowering of the reaction temperature by up to 35 degrees F while maintaining output. This chemically modified process can save energy and operating costs.
Since the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, biodiesel use has been increasing in the United States. Fueling stations make biodiesel readily available to consumers across Europe, and increasingly in the USA and Canada. A growing number of transport fleets use it as an additive in their fuel. In September 2005, Minnesota became the first U.S. state to mandate that all diesel fuel sold in the state contain part biodiesel, requiring a content of at least 2% biodiesel. Global biodiesel production reached 3.8 million tons in 2005. Approximately 85% of biodiesel production came from the European Union.
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