# Biodiesel (FAME)

Biodiesel (FAME) is vegetable oil or waste fat reacted with methanol and blended into diesel; about 45-50 Mt a year, mostly Indonesia, EU, Brazil.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/

Capture · Bioenergy · No. 40

- Single chemical
- Feedstock: Crops and biomass
- about 45-50 Mt a year of FAME (2024-25, indicative, basis: UFOP biodiesel plus HVO of about 65 Mt in 2024 less about 15-18 Mt HVO)
- 1.6 t CO₂e per t
- HS 382600
 Capture · Bio-based chemicals · Foundation · Energy

Indonesia now burns about a sixth of the world's palm oil in diesel engines.

Chart: Illustration: Biodiesel (FAME)

##### Where it comes from

Chart: Map of where it comes from

Vegetable oil or waste fat is reacted with about 10% methanol, giving almost the same mass of biodiesel plus about 10% glycerine as a by-product.

##### Three things to know

1. Indonesia used 12.7 Mt of palm biodiesel in 2025, and its delayed B50 blend could lift that to 16.3-17 Mt.
2. EU defaults rate used cooking oil biodiesel 84% cleaner than diesel, but palm biodiesel from open-pond mills only 20%.
3. India made about 556 million litres of biodiesel in 2025 from roughly 2 billion litres of capacity, under 1% of its diesel.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Oils and fats**Palm, soy, rapeseed, used cooking oil, tallow
2. 2 **Pre-treatment**Waste oils degummed, dried and acid-treated
3. 3 **Transesterification**1 t oil plus 0.1 t methanol
4. 4 **Washing**Methanol recovered, glycerine separated, ester cleaned
5. 5 **Blending**Mixed into diesel at fuel terminals

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Energy overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/energy/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/resources/index.md)
- [Impact on the biosphere](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/biosphere/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/overview/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/links/index.md)