A ‘Shrimp Cocktail’ for Faster Biodiesel Production

shrimp shells making biodiesel production faster

A substance made from shrimp shells may transform biodiesel production into a faster, less expensive and more eco-friendly process, researchers are reporting. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Can’t make heads or tails of the title? Then read on to find out more.

So the problem is…

The increasing concern about global energy issues and the focus on alternative fuels like biodiesel. We all know about that of course and it’s mostly the reason why this blog exists in the first place!

So what have the Chinese done about it lately?

Develop a catalyst made from shrimp shells that could transform the production of biodiesel fuel into a faster, cheaper and more environmentally-friendly process.

Now you might wonder… why bother?

Today’s biodiesel production processes require catalysts to speed up the chemical reactions that transform soybean, canola and other plant oils into diesel fuel. Traditional catalysts cannot be reused and must be neutralized with large amounts of water, leaving behind a lot of polluted wastewater.

So…

The Chinese researchers have developed a new catalyst from shrimp shells that can convert canola oil into biodiesel in laboratory tests (89 percent conversion in 3 hours) faster and more efficiently than some conventional catalysts.