A review of bio-oils from waste biomass: Focus on fish processing waste

Biofuels are derived from biomass using biochemical, thermochemical, and physical and chemical extraction processes. Waste oils from animal and vegetable sources continue to be important biomass feedstock due to the potential benefits over petroleum and some of the virgin vegetable oil based fuels. In this paper, the chemical, thermal, and physical properties of biofuels derived from virgin and waste sources are reviewed. In addition, the processes used for recovering bio-oils from animal fats (beef tallow, lard, and poultry waste) and greases, and purification and refining of bio-oils are discussed as well as the resulting performance as a fuel. Particular focus will be on production of biofuels from fish waste. The potential for biofuel from fish waste is a function of the location and size of the processing plant, type of fuel requirements, and characteristics of the fish waste.