The energy balance in the Palm Oil-Derived Methyl Ester (PME) life cycle for the cases in Brazil and Colombia

The use of biodiesel produced from the transesterification of vegetable oils with methanol and ethanol is currently seen as an interesting alternative to fossil fuels. The output/input energy relation in the biodiesel production life cycle can be an important indicator of the techno-economic and environmental feasibility evaluation of production of biodiesel from different oleaginous plants. Due to increasing environmental concerns about the emissions from fuel-derived atmospheric pollutants, alternative sources of energy have been receiving greater attention. This work does not look to carry out a complete life cycle assessment (LCA) but rather just to focus on the energy balance in the Palm Oil-Derived Methyl Ester (PME) life cycle, taking into account practices in Brazil and Colombia. This work will show the differences between the results attained for the two cases. The output/input energy relation for the evaluated case studies ranged from 3.8 to 5.7, with an average value of 4.8. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.