Feasibility study of biodiesel production from oilseeds in Tehran province

Abstract

Biodiesel is one of the proposed sources to replace fossil fuels. This renewable biofuel is compatible with current infrastructure and internal combustion engine systems. Potential measurement is necessary before manufacturing and industrial projects, and this is even more critical for biodiesel-related projects due to raw material issues. In this research, the potential measurement for the cultivation of oilseeds for biodiesel production in Tehran province has been done with the help of GIS software. The results of this potential measurement show that parts of the western and central regions of Tehran province are suitable for cultivating oilseeds for use in biodiesel production. However, about 90% of the areas of Tehran province are unsuitable for cultivating oilseeds, and its most significant limiting factor is soil texture. More than 50% of the surfaces of Tehran province have an unsuitable soil texture for growing oilseeds. In order to identify the optimal areas for planting oilseeds, the average cost variable of (Cave) per liter of biodiesel is introduced. The results show that the cost of production, transportation, distribution, and supply of raw materials in these areas is cost-effective when the average variable cost is less than 92 thousand rials per liter of biodiesel produced.