Major Markets
Biodiesel is manufactured by specialist biodiesel producers
and generally sold in bulk form either to oil refiners / marketers
(who either blend with mineral diesel or in some cases sell
in B100 form), or direct (or via distributors) to end-users
such as trucking companies and bus fleet operators. In some
cases biodiesel producers are blending their own product with
mineral diesel to sell a blended product to customers. There
has been rapid growth in consumption and production of biodiesel,
particularly over the past two years. Europe is by far the
largest biodiesel market worldwide. This is primarily driven
by strong legislative backing and taxation incentives, high
penetration of diesel-powered vehicles, distributor support
and end user acceptance. Germany, France and Italy are the
largest end use markets among the Member States of the EU.
Other much smaller (but growing) markets are the United States
and parts of Asia Pacific.
Feedstock
Biodiesel can be produced from a variety of feedstocks including
vegetable oils (such as rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, palm
oil, soybean oil, coconut oil, jatropha etc), tallow, fish
oil and waste cooking oil.
Blending
Biodiesel may be utilized in a pure form (B100) or blended
with mineral diesel in a variety of proportions. B5 (a blend
containing 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent mineral diesel)
is commonly supplied in Europe. Most car manufacturers provide
engine warranties up to a 5per cent biodiesel blend.
Byproduct
The production of biodiesel yields glycerine as a byproduct.
Glycerine is a bulk commodity chemical with a wide variety
of end uses, primarily in the food, healthcare and pharmaceutical
industries.
Extracted from a report on the Biodiesel Market by Frost
& Sullivan |
