Bulk soybean fatty-acid methyl ester biodiesel by continuous base transesterification

1. Scope and Applicability

This PCR covers continuous sodium-methoxide catalysed methanol transesterification of refined virgin soybean oil, with sulfuric-acid neutralisation, water washing, drying and actual polishing, yielding neat bulk methyl-ester liquid without fossil-diesel blending. The boundary extends to actual net loading at the plant, including real storage, handling, loading, returns/rework and support burdens. Soybean methyl esters, HVO hydrocarbons, alcohol fuels, fossil diesel and diesel blends are different reference products.

The original NREL technology report supports the selected industrial operations and distinctions between glycerol, water and alcohol; Desmet independently corroborates industrial serial CSTR/decanting and methanol-recovery feasibility. Together they support a methodology boundary, not any particular factory dose, yield, emission, geography or feed assay, and not the use of laboratory recipes as industrial inventories. Concrete data production requires the raw collection evidence below.

2. Product Category Identity

Field	Value
canonical_pcr_id	pcr.other-transportable-goods-except-metal-products-machinery-and-equipment.other-chemical-products-man-made-fibres.biodiesel
classification_refs	CPC 3.0 35491; narrower candidate scope, no accepted mapping asserted
covered_products	Neat bulk soybean fatty-acid methyl esters from refined soybean oil; continuous sodium-methoxide catalysis, sulfuric-acid neutralisation, water washing and drying
excluded_products	HVO/renewable-diesel hydrocarbons; ethyl/propyl esters; alcohol fuels; fossil diesel; diesel blends; mixed/waste-oil feeds; acid-esterification or enzyme routes; distilled glycerol; drum/IBC supply
representative_product	Unblended soybean methyl ester liquid, accepted for declared biodiesel specification, loaded in bulk
production_route	Refined-oil receipt → serial CSTR transesterification/decanting → methanol recovery → acid/water washing → drying/polishing → released-tank storage → bulk loading; crude glycerol demethanolisation/neutralisation
market_state	Whole actual supplied liquid at plant loading hose; residual water/methanol and quality retained, not pure ester-active mass

3. Reference Flow

Field	Value
What	Neat bulk soybean FAME biodiesel at actual net loading handover
How much	1 kg
How well	Actual accepted fuel specification, methyl-ester/oxygen assay and whole supplied state declared; no generic performance equivalence
How long or cycle	One net supply at the loading gate; no combustion/service life reference
reference_flow_link	delivered_biodiesel

Field	Value
Reference amount	1
Reference product flow	Biodiesel 888cd344-bb70-40b9-86d8-5a490a89718a
Reference flow property	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66
Reference unit group	Units of mass 93a60a57-a4c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66
Reference unit	kg
Required qualifiers	refined soybean oil origin and actual feed water/FFA/glyceride assays; continuous sodium methoxide route and whole supplied catalyst/acid compositions; neat methyl-ester identity and declared acceptance specification with actual oxygen assay; net-delivery loading gate and same-cohort Q with return reconciliation; site geography and supplier/utility compatibility; reporting period and opening/closing WIP and finished stocks with carried burdens; physical methanol/oil recovery and actual glycerol/waste states; allocation hierarchy and gate-specific evidence without automatic credit

The native biodiesel is a factory production-mix Product with Mass reference and unspecified supply geography/CAS. The full-name characteristic “Oxygen content 11%” must be retained and checked against actual analysis; it provides no tolerance or batch test result. The broad comment includes methyl/ethyl/propyl esters; this methodology permits methyl esters only. Any actual incompatible characteristic must be resolved before using this UUID; shared fuel use does not establish compatibility.

4. Measurement and Unit Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Required property	Required unit	Rule
reference_mass	reference product	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Use whole net delivered biodiesel mass, excluding tanker and transport packaging; Q is actual net delivery, not fresh production or ester-active content.
whole_solutions	material inputs	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Purchased oil, catalyst and acid solutions are whole external inputs. Assays form nested constituent/water ledgers without duplicate procurement.
volume_conversion	volume records	Mass 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200b9a66	kg	Use actual matched liquid density and temperature for volume-to-mass conversion. Integrated volume has no extra duration multiplier. Energy-referenced fuel requires an actual compatible reference and matched measured LHV before conversion to mass; no secondary flow coefficient supplies density or LHV.
electricity_units	electricity	Net calorific value 93a60a56-a3c8-11da-a746-0800200c9a66	MJ	Convert metered kWh to MJ using 3.6 MJ/kWh. This exact unit conversion is not a thermal efficiency or fuel calorific value. Steam heat requires actual supply/return enthalpy and a matching provider reference.

5. System Boundary

Boundary Abstraction

Field	Value
declared_starting_condition	Externally refined soybean oil and separately supplied reagents/utilities at biodiesel-site receipt; full upstream burdens retained
starting_condition_role	foreground collection start, not burden-free cradle
product_classification_scope	Neat soybean FAME subset of CPC 3.0 35491 only
recursive_input_rule	Same-category returned or purchased biodiesel retains origin and inherited burdens. Internal transfer cancels; purchased product is not new onsite production.
upstream_dataset_requirement	Match oil cultivation/extraction/refining, actual country/land-use accounting and co-product allocation; match complete catalyst/acid formulation, methanol production mix, water and utilities. No waste cut-off inferred from price or name.
disclosure	Declare actual supply state, gate, geography, operations, stock/carryover basis, recovery interfaces, allocations and unresolved providers. Downstream road transport, use and combustion are outside the loading gate.

rule_id	applies_to	rule	source_ids
boundary_operations	sme_site	Include receipt/storage, reaction/separation, methanol rectification, wash/dry/polish, crude-glycerol conditioning to its actual gate, utilities, cleaning, rework, finished storage and loading. Split any actual additional chemical, fuel, packaging component, waste and elementary species into its own row before using a dataset; absent rows do not license a cut-off.	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-biodiesel-process, desmet-cstr-transesterification, desmet-methanol-recovery
boundary_stocks	all inventory rows	Keep raw period and cohort ledgers including failed/zero-output runs, returns and opening/closing raw materials, WIP, recovered alcohol/oil and finished goods. Transfer existing burdens with stocks; do not charge current deliveries for untouched closing stocks or omit the opening stock burdens actually delivered.
boundary_upstream	refined_oil	This route consumes refined virgin soybean oil with inherited cultivation/extraction/refining burdens. Waste oil is excluded. Any proposed waste-feed extension requires evidence of prior use, legal/physical waste state, collection/pretreatment, inherited burdens and allocation system; never apply universal zero burden.	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010

6. Process Inventory Structure

Process Map

process_id	process_name	inclusion	inclusion_condition	role	quantitative_reference
sme_site	Soybean methyl-ester joint production and bulk delivery	required	Selected refined-oil/continuous-methoxide/water-wash route	foreground	per 1 kg reference flow

This aggregate process retains raw subledgers and owners for each actual reaction, decanting, recovery, finishing, storage and loading operation; internal interfaces cancel on consolidation. Actual supply is bulk tanker loading, with no default disposable drum/IBC. Any genuinely included packaging, fuel or treatment reagent requires a separate atomic row before use; its burdens cannot be removed.

Process: Soybean methyl-ester joint production and bulk delivery (sme_site)

Inputs

Product flows

Refined soybean oil feed (refined_oil)

Receive refined soybean oil as the complete supplied oil, with actual water, free fatty acids, glycerides, phosphorus and insolubles assays. The native finished-oil production-mix identity has no specified supply geography or purity; upstream cultivation, extraction and refining must match the actual provider.

• Selected flow: Soya bean oil, refined a113893c-4722-4285-b86e-fddcc8b54e46
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_material
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-biodiesel-process

Separately purchased methanol makeup (fresh_methanol)

Account only separately acquired methanol withdrawn to the system, retaining purity and water assay. This CAS 67-56-1 market-average native identity describes coal gasification, coal coking and natural-gas production with pipeline/tank supply; it does not establish the actual mix, geography or provider burdens. Methanol already in catalyst solution and recovered internal methanol are not another purchase. Native supply geography is unspecified; the industrial-standard and pipeline/tank description does not establish a specific supplier grade or measured composition.

• Selected flow: Methanol (market average) adbc8430-7937-4ade-b7a5-cb1797dda661
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_material
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-methanol-recovery

Whole commercial catalyst solution (methoxide_solution)

Weigh the actual purchased sodium methoxide-in-methanol solution, with supplier concentration, residual water and impurities. Active sodium methoxide and methanol carrier are composition subledgers, not two additional external exchanges; no 25% or 30% concentration or in-situ NaOH preparation is prescribed.

• Selected flow: Sodium methoxide solution in methanol
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_material
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Whole neutralising acid solution (sulfuric_solution)

This selected variant uses actual sulfuric acid solution for catalyst/soap-phase treatment and, where documented, acidified washing. Record whole supplied solution and actual H2SO4/water assay; do not substitute a fixed concentrated acid grade or an acid-esterification feed route.

• Selected flow: Sulfuric acid solution for catalyst neutralisation
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_material
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Wash and cleaning water (soft_water)

Record externally supplied softened water used for ester washing, cleaning and actual makeup. Retain branch meters, treatment provider and water quality; internal wash-water reuse is a transfer and the report example is not a water-use factor.

• Selected flow: Softened process water
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_material
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Grid electricity (electricity)

Cover pumps, agitation, separation, vacuum, cooling, recovery, tanks, cleaning, handling and loading. This native identity is CN, 1–35 kV, grid-average consumption mix to user; use it only for that actual supply. The native energy-property label does not make electricity a combustible fuel or establish a fuel LHV. Other supply requires a separately verified identity and provider.

• Selected flow: Alternating current 3d76981f-964a-4865-b588-0e067a2a1163
• Flow property / unit: Net calorific value / MJ
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_utilities
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Indirect heating steam (heating_steam)

Meter actual external steam for reaction heating, methanol recovery, drying and tank heating, with pressure, temperature, phase/dryness and incoming enthalpy. Retain condensate-return state; steam is not a direct material reactant or an unspecified heat/fuel bundle.

• Selected flow: Steam supplied to indirect biodiesel-process heaters
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_utilities
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-methanol-recovery

Conditional polypropylene filter replacement (filter_medium)

Include only when the actual polishing filter is polypropylene; retain SKU, mass, replacement and retained-liquid records. A different actual polymer or an added adsorbent requires its own atomic row; no dry-wash resin route is covered by this water-wash profile.

• Selected flow: Polypropylene liquid polishing filter medium
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_material
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Waste flows

Elementary flows

Outputs

Product flows

Accepted net bulk biodiesel delivery (delivered_biodiesel)

The only terminal reference output is actual net bulk soybean FAME delivered at the plant loading hose, excluding tanker tare and returned quantities under the matched-cohort reconciliation. Record release certificate, actual oxygen assay, ester identity, residual methanol/water/glycerides and loading condition. It is not the newly released production quantity or closing tank inventory. The selected native Product is a factory production mix with the full-name characteristic “Oxygen content 11%”, no supplied assay tolerance, and unspecified supply geography/CAS. Retain that characteristic and the actual assay/compatibility decision without treating it as a measured default. Its broad comment includes methyl, ethyl and propyl esters; this row permits soybean methyl esters only, and does not adopt the native drop-in/clean/biodegradable marketing claims.

• Selected flow: Biodiesel 888cd344-bb70-40b9-86d8-5a490a89718a
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: 1 kg
• Value mode: fixed_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: collected_record
• Collection protocol: cp_gate
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-biodiesel-process

Actually marketable crude glycerol co-product (crude_glycerol)

Include as Product only with actual receiver acceptance and evidence of a usable traded crude solution. Measure the whole wet solution, glycerol/water/methanol/salts/soap/fat assay and gate, not theoretical pure glycerol or a fixed 80–85% grade. Pharmaceutical refining is outside this route. Unsaleable material is a distinct waste transfer, never this row plus waste for the same quantity.

• Selected flow: Demethanolised crude glycerol solution from soybean biodiesel
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Actual external condensate return (returned_condensate)

Record only actual external return, with mass, temperature and enthalpy; internal circulation cancels. The supply contract determines heat accounting; return is not automatically a saleable co-product, avoided-water credit or wastewater discharge.

• Selected flow: Condensate returned to external steam supplier
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_utilities
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Waste flows

Exported aqueous effluent (aqueous_effluent)

Measure actual exported wash/cleaning/recovery wastewater after internal reuse, with water, methanol, glycerol, oil, salts, pH and receiver records. COD/TOC may describe treatment demand but cannot identify species, supply a missing mass or determine reaction water. No zero-effluent marketing claim proves absence.

• Selected flow: Biodiesel wash wastewater exported for treatment
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-methanol-recovery

Discarded neutralisation sludge (salt_sludge)

Retain the actual single sludge stream with wet mass, water, sodium, sulfate, residual organics and treatment destination. Do not assume fertilizer saleability or subtract a pure-salt product credit; if the measured material differs, resolve its own identity before use.

• Selected flow: Wet sodium-salt and soap separation sludge
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Conditional discarded crude glycerol (waste_glycerol)

Use only for actual discarded crude-glycerol solution, retaining composition, rejection and destination. Keep it separate from saleable crude_glycerol and internal reprocessing; saleable versus waste classification requires evidence, not a negative/positive price rule alone.

• Selected flow: Unmarketable crude glycerol solution for treatment
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010

Final discarded ester (offspec_ester)

Include final off-spec ester discarded after actual recovery decisions, including delivery returns. Internal return, retesting or rework is not external waste and creates no new output; retain all rework burdens and stock carryover.

• Selected flow: Discarded off-specification soybean methyl ester mixture
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Spent polypropylene filter (spent_filter)

For actual filter_medium replacement only, measure spent medium with retained ester, water and solids and the receiving treatment. Do not also place the same retained liquid in another discarded-liquid row.

• Selected flow: Spent polypropylene biodiesel polishing filter medium
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_outputs
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Elementary flows

Actual methanol air release (methanol_air)

Capture speciated methanol from vents, tanks, loading and fugitive losses after recovery/control. Retain direct measurement or validated site-specific calculation, medium and abatement boundary; no total VOC or unrecovered-alcohol residual establishes this species amount.

• Selected flow: Methanol emitted to air
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_emissions
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-methanol-recovery

Actual evaporated water release (water_vapour)

Include actual uncondensed water discharged to air, separating co-emitted methanol. Recovered condensate is internal or an actual liquid outlet; water phase change is not chemical production of water.

• Selected flow: Water vapour emitted to air from biodiesel drying
• Flow property / unit: Mass / kg
• Amount rule: A_i / Q, reported once; A_i is the matched unnormalised delivery-cohort quantity and Q is net delivered kg; see section 8.
• Value mode: calculated_value
• Specificity: site_specific
• Normalization basis: per 1 kg reference flow
• Basis kind: reference_flow
• Evidence kind: calculated_from_collection
• Collection protocol: cp_emissions
• Sources: nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

7. Allocation and Co-product Handling

rule_id	applies_to	rule	source_ids
allocation_unallocated	joint production	Retain complete unallocated physical joint-output records first, including the actual wet crude glycerol, wastes and losses. Internal methanol/oil recovery is neither an external co-product nor an avoided-purchase credit. A waste-treatment fee alone does not settle product status.	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010
allocation_causal	shared burdens	Select attributional allocation, first subdividing measured ester-only, glycerol-only and shared operations. Assign direct burdens and demonstrate determining physical causality per remaining flow; wet mass share or theoretical stoichiometry alone is not a causal allocation model. Preserve the evidence and sensitivity.	jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010
allocation_residual	inseparable residual burdens	Only after documenting why subdivision and physical causality cannot resolve a residual, use the actual market values of all usable co-functions in their actual state at the same joint-process exit. Retain contemporaneous quantities, net gate receipts/contract values, moisture/quality, conditioning and transport adjustments and sensitivity. Do not apply a generic biodiesel:glycerol mass-price ratio, the 2004 price example, pure-glycerol prices or negative weights; missing/unstable values require review before numerical use.	jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010
allocation_no_credit	derived reference dataset	Keep waste-treatment burdens with the responsible process. No automatic glycerol, salt, methanol, oil or carbon substitution credit. Do not combine allocated burdens with a second avoided-product credit. Report unallocated multi-output and allocated biodiesel views separately so physical coproduct mass is never reduced to hide an allocation.	jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010

8. Foreground Data Collection, Calculation, and Quality Rules

Data Collection Protocols

Every collection_method produces only undivided raw-period numerators and complete stock/WIP carried burdens. The aggregation_rule label “per 1 kg reference flow” declares the final reporting basis only; collection performs no division. Card A_i/Q and calculation rule normalize_delivery are the same single reporting operation.

protocol_id	process_id	flow_role	record_type	raw_fields	collection_method	unit	frequency	temporal_coverage	site_scope	aggregation_rule	quality_evidence
cp_gate	sme_site	bulk reference delivery	delivery and inventory reconciliation	lot/cohort ID; release and loading dates; gross/tare/net kg; accepted shipments; returns and resupply IDs; opening/closing WIP and finished kg; inherited burden vectors; new first-acceptance production kg	Owner: loading and quality managers. Weigh actual net loading on calibrated equipment and reconcile signed acceptance/returns by unique physical lot. Keep new release, internal transfers and net delivery as separate unnormalised records; include actually delivered opening finished stock and leave undelivered finished stock with its carried burdens.	kg	each loading/return and inventory close	one declared matched reporting period and stock cohorts	actual soybean-FAME site and loading hose	per 1 kg reference flow	calibration; certificates; signed loads/returns; stock ledger
cp_material	sme_site	external feed and reagent withdrawals	metered material ledger	receipt/withdrawal kg; opening/closing stock; supplier SKU and complete formulation; oil water/FFA/glycerides; acid and catalyst active fraction/carrier; temperature/density; spills; failed-run/rework IDs	Owner: stores and process engineer. Retain unnormalised receipts, actual withdrawals and stock movements for the complete matched period, including unsuccessful operations; distinguish purchased whole solutions from their nested constituents. Attribute stocks and carried burdens by lot without dividing by Q.	kg	each receipt/withdrawal and assay	same period and cohorts as cp_gate	feed, reagent and filter stores and actual unit branches	per 1 kg reference flow	weighing; supplier certificate; assays; stock logs
cp_utilities	sme_site	electricity and steam/condensate	meters and state records	start/end kWh; steam kg; supply/return pressure/temperature/dryness/enthalpy; timestamps; integrated volume or rate/duration flag; operation owner; idle/startup/failure/rework/tank/loading loads	Owner: utilities engineer. Retain raw totals by operation and complete period, including support and zero-output loads. Distinguish integrated meter readings from rates; record condensate state and meter allocation evidence. Collection performs no Q division.	kWh; kg; pressure; temperature; kJ/kg	continuous meters and each period close	same period and stock-burden cohorts	reaction/recovery/finishing and actual storage/loading utilities	per 1 kg reference flow	calibration; bills; enthalpy basis; submeter reconciliation
cp_outputs	sme_site	co-products and waste outlets	outlet mass and acceptance records	stream and lot IDs; whole wet kg; water/methanol/glycerol/ester/oil/soap/salts assay; receiver and sale/rejection status; inventories and inherited burdens; treatment records; actual net gate values	Owner: co-product sales and environmental managers. Retain each actual physical outlet and composition before any allocation; separate sold crude glycerol from discarded solution and distinguish internal recycle from external transfers. Preserve raw unnormalised period quantities and stock burdens, including rejected runs.	kg	each outlet/assay and stock close	same matched period and cohorts	actual outlet gate and receiving facility	per 1 kg reference flow	receiver certificates; lab methods; waste manifests; invoices
cp_emissions	sme_site	methanol and water air outlets	speciated air monitoring	source ID; medium; concentration; actual wet/dry gas volume; sampling duration only for rates; control efficiency evidence; methanol/water separately; startup/tank/loading/fugitive coverage	Owner: environmental engineer. Retain direct measured mass or validated concentration with matched integrated gas volume and reference conditions; use rate times duration only when raw data are rates. Keep raw numerator, detection limits and unresolved species without residual fitting or division by Q.	kg	campaign/continuous per actual source	same reporting period including nonproductive periods	controlled and fugitive air outlets	per 1 kg reference flow	sampling plan; calibration; detection limits; gas basis
cp_recovery	sme_site	internal methanol/oil and species balances	recycle, reaction and stock audit	gross reactor charges; fresh reagent; carrier methanol; recovered methanol/oil kg and assay; loop start/end inventory; phase outlet kg and water; actual glycerides/FFA/soap/salts/glycerol/ester species; independent reaction/speciation evidence	Owner: process chemist. Record raw internal movements, assays and actual chemistry independently of whole-stream closure. Ester exchange produces glycerol without net reaction water; FFA methyl esterification is a different water-producing reaction excluded here. Methoxide protonation, hydroxide neutralisation/hydrolysis and phase evaporation have different species/water effects; prove actual species and extents before calculation.	kg	each operating/stock interval and assay	matched complete period and cohorts	each reactor, separator, recovery and tank interface	per 1 kg reference flow	assay methods; PFD; independent chemistry records; uncertainty

Calculation Rules

rule_id	Applies to	Formula or rule	Inputs	Output	source_ids
raw_units	all inventory rows	Convert raw units before normalization: mass from traceable weighing or matched volume times measured density; kWh times 3.6 gives MJ; a rate times duration gives an integrated quantity, whereas an integrated volume is used once. Steam heat is measured mass times actual supply-minus-return enthalpy when that is the provider basis.	cp_material; cp_utilities; cp_emissions	raw compatible numerator totals
cohort_carryover	all inventory rows	Keep physical production and delivery stock equations separate. For the matched product/route/state, production receipts enter finished stocks only once. Net supplied Q comes from signed loading less reconciled same-cohort returns, with repeated delivery of the same retained lot not counted twice. Derive delivery-attributable unnormalised burden vectors from actual current burdens plus inherited opening WIP/finished/return burdens, less burdens retained in closing WIP/finished stocks and separately assigned other co-functions. Preserve waste/loss/rework burdens with their responsible cohort; do not subtract a physical closing mass directly from an energy or other burden numerator. Unresolved cohort attribution blocks a numerical result.	cp_gate; cp_material; cp_utilities; cp_outputs; cp_recovery	unnormalised delivery-cohort vectors and Q
normalize_delivery	all inventory rows	a_i = A_i / Q; A_i is each reconciled unnormalised delivery-cohort exchange or attributable burden and Q is actual accepted net bulk delivery in kg; report this division once and require Q positive. The resulting reference row is 1 kg. Card amount expressions and protocol aggregation_rule name this same reporting operation, not additional divisions. Keep the complete unallocated joint-output balance and separately disclose the allocated biodiesel view; do not apply allocation a second time in the provider or subtract a second coproduct credit.	A_i; Q; cp_gate; cp_material; cp_utilities; cp_outputs; cp_emissions; cp_recovery	inventory per 1 kg reference flow	jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010
physical_species	all inventory rows	Reconcile complete external wet masses and internal stocks with uncertainty, then independently reconcile C/H/O/Na/S and actual molecular species across glycerides, methyl esters, methanol, glycerol, fatty acids, soaps, salts and water. An ideal triglyceride-plus-methanol equation supports reaction identity only, never observed yield. Protonating sodium methoxide or reacting it with residual FFA yields methanol rather than automatically forming water; hydroxide, acid-esterification and hydrolysis routes have different water terms and must not be substituted. Determine chemical water formation/consumption from independently identified actual reactions/extents and phase water from measured phase records; never solve unknown reaction water and unknown outlet from one residual or COD.	cp_recovery; cp_material; cp_outputs; cp_emissions	separate mass, element, species and water audits	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004

Data Quality Requirements

requirement_id	Applies to	Requirement	Evidence
quality_gate	all inventory rows	Retain complete matched raw records, calibration, traceable state/assay and stock burden genealogy. Zero is demonstrated absence, not missing data. Failed runs remain in coverage; Q=0 prevents a per-kg result.	cp_gate; cp_material; cp_utilities; cp_outputs; cp_emissions; cp_recovery
quality_identity	native rows and providers	Verify whole names, route, medium, property reference and supplier compatibility. Biodiesel native oxygen-content 11% is a declared identity characteristic with no assay tolerance supplied; retain the actual oxygen test and compatibility decision, never a measured default. General native description includes ethyl/propyl esters but this PCR is methyl-only; native geography is unspecified.	supplier and native identity review; assay certificates
quality_evidence	all rows	NREL is a 2004 technology report covering industrial options and separate laboratory exercises, not a plant inventory. Desmet documents industrial hardware/feed flexibility and recovery feasibility, not audited yields, zero discharges, specifications or site consumption. Collect all actual amounts; no numerical operating range is imported.	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004, desmet-biodiesel-process, desmet-cstr-transesterification, desmet-methanol-recovery

9. Validation Rules

rule_id	applies_to	rule	source_ids
validate_reference	delivered_biodiesel	Require a unique Product terminal row consistent with reference_flow_link and the Mass reference. Reject HVO, fossil diesel, blended fuel, alcohol or incompatible ester identity.	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004
validate_quantity	all inventory rows	Require positive matched Q, complete raw-period and inherited stock burdens, unique return/resupply reconciliation and one normalization. New release plus closing finished stock is not a second production output; actual delivery and release must not be equated.
validate_chemistry	cp_recovery	Reject theoretical-yield factors, duplicate formulation constituents, COD/residual-fitted species or water, omitted failed runs or unverified internal-recovery credits. Require independent species/phase evidence and uncertainty-aware mass/element closure.	nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004
validate_allocation	joint production	Require actual glycerol/residue market or waste state, gate-matched allocation evidence and an unallocated physical balance. Missing causal/residual value evidence prevents numerical use; it is not resolved by generic prices or wet mass shares.	jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010
validate_completeness	all inventory rows	Record checks performed, skipped and findings; missing auxiliary providers, actual site data, added atomic flows or native compatibility remain explicit gaps. The PCR does not certify fuel specification, scientific approval or TIDAS schema conformity.

10. Published Dataset Profile

Field	Value
dataset_role	secondary_dataset; background_dataset
downstream_use	One kg net bulk supplied soybean FAME at the declared loading gate with inherited stocks and reviewed allocation; multi-output view retained separately
allowed_use	Declared matching route, feedstock, quality, geography, period and provider basis only
excluded_use	Universal biodiesel/HVO/fossil-diesel proxy; diesel-blend composition; fuel combustion; pure glycerol; automatic waste-feed credits; plant factors from laboratory examples
required_metadata	Q delivery gate; new-release and stock reconciliation; feed/formulation assay; route; location; period; oxygen/specification evidence; recovery; coproduct/waste status; allocation; native/provider limits
required_quality_disclosure	Raw completeness; WIP/finished-stock carried burdens; failed/zero-output/rework coverage; chemical/phase water evidence; uncertainty; unresolved identities and no unsupported factors
update_trigger	Feed/route/gate/specification, catalyst/acid formulation, provider geography, recovery or coproduct market/treatment changes

11. Data Sources

source_id	type	reference	used_for
nrel-biodiesel-technology-2004	handbook	Van Gerpen, Shanks, Pruszko, Clements and Knothe, Biodiesel Production Technology, NREL/SR-510-36244, July 2004, https://docs.nlr.gov/docs/fy04osti/36244.pdf	Printed pp. 1–6, 30–36, 75–77 and 79: triglyceride/FFA distinction; refined soy feed; base/catalyst solution; industrial reaction/separation/wash/dry and methanol/glycerol operations. Whole report includes laboratory exercises, ideal triolein, dated prices and illustrative quantities; none are adopted as plant yield, recipe, dose, effluent factor or acceptance specification.
desmet-biodiesel-process	literature	Desmet, Biodiesel, publisher page, https://www.desmet.com/en/biofuel/biodiesel	Industrial continuous methylester technology and refined vegetable/soybean feed feasibility; not audited factory factors, actual site geography, guaranteed 100% yield or zero effluent.
desmet-cstr-transesterification	literature	Desmet, Transesterification, publisher page, https://www.desmet.com/en/biofuel/biodiesel/transesterification	Serial industrial CSTR/decanter and glycerine separation configuration; equipment capacities and performance marketing are not foreground values or proof of selected catalyst chemistry.
desmet-methanol-recovery	literature	Desmet, Methanol rectification, publisher page, https://www.desmet.com/en/biofuel/biodiesel/methanol-rectification	Physical methanol rectification/condensation and internal reuse; no 100% recovery, zero emission/wastewater or energy factor is imported.
jrc-ilcd-allocation-2010	official_guidance	European Commission JRC, ILCD Handbook: General guide for LCA — Detailed guidance, first edition March 2010, §7.9.3, printed pp.257–258, https://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/uploads/ILCD-Handbook-General-guide-for-LCA-DETAILED-GUIDANCE-12March2010-ISBN-fin-v1.0-EN.pdf	Attributional allocation of inseparable multifunctional operations: virtual subdivision/determining physical causality then residual market value at actual process-exit state. Not a biodiesel-specific allocation fraction, waste cut-off, energy credit, price or compliance certification; the sawmill example continuing later is not used.