Biodiesel production from slaughter wastes of broiler chicken: a potential survey in Iran

Abstract

AbstractBiodiesel is a kind of biofuels that can be mixed with diesel and used as fuel. Selecting cheap and available feedstock is a prominent step in producing biodiesel economically. This paper presents the pros and cons of biodiesel and its production methods. The diesel demand is significantly high in Iran, especially in the transportation sector; On the other hand, the amount of produced waste is significant in chicken slaughterhouses. Considering this type of feedstock as a source to produce biodiesel not only can reduce the associated environmental problems, but also can supply some of the diesel needs. Hence, this paper also estimates biodiesel production potential from poultry slaughter waste and its cost. Based on the results, 736 kilotonnes of poultry slaughter waste is produced annually in Iran, which can be used as feedstock to produce 112 million liters of biodiesel by transesterification process with the production cost of around 14,277 rial/liter; i.e. 30% of diesel demand in the transportation sector can be supplied by B2 (98% diesel and 2% biodiesel) or diesel demand growth in this sector converted to B20 to increase economical and environmental sustainability.