Biodiesel from Beef Tallow Industrial Agricultural Products Center

Industrial Agricultural Products Center
Biopolymers, Biochemicals, Biofuels, Biopower

Tallow Biodiesel

Nebraska leads the nation in commercial cattle slaughter, producing about 1 billion pounds of tallow annually. That tallow could provide the cheapest large quantity source of raw materials for biodiesel available. To help producers of beef tallow capitalize on this material, the Industrial Agricultural Products Center has developed new uses for it.

Researchers have combined 65 percent of tallow methyl esters with 35 percent of fuel ethanol. Mixing 20 percent of this blend with 80 percent No. 2 diesel resulted in a fuel with a viscosity identical to diesel alone. Engine performance was good.

The method most commonly used to convert fats and oils into biodiesel is transesterification. The products of the conversion are alcohol esters and glycerol. With a new processing system, the IAPC expects to make smaller manufacuring facilities economically competitive, and compatible with rural communities. Small-scale biodiesel processing facilities could eventually provide a base for other bioprocessing opportunities. For example, facilities might be adapted to extract tallow's components to make other products such as lubricants, solvents, polymers, and plastics.

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For further information, contact the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Industrial Agricultural Products Center, 208 L.W. Chase Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0730. Telephone call: (402) 472-1634; Fax: (402) 472-6338