Biodiesel

Biodiesel is made from alcohol esters that are processed from the oils of veggies such as soybeans, mustard seeds, palm oil and rapeseeds. Biodiesel is biodegradable, non-toxic and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics making it safe and easy for wide spread use in all parts of the world and different environments and industries. Making biodiesel is actually quite simple when you think about it. You just mix the vegetable oil with the alcohol compound like methanol or ethanol along with a catalyst that is hydroxide-based such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.

Made from natural materials, biodiesel provides an alternative to regular diesel fuels that is comparable in terms of performance, but without the environmental risks. Field tests have shown that biodiesel can be used in conventional diesel fuel engines without requiring any mechanical modifications. It offers the same mileage, torque, horsepower, and hauling capability as conventional diesel. The tests also showed that biodiesel increased the lubrication of the engine, increasing engine efficiency by as much as 30 percent by improving lubrication and by cleaning out the engine system. Biodiesel is approved by the EPA and it is recognized as a fuel source in the United States. It has been given recognition for being better for the environment and a better option than regular diesel.

Based on U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture, using biodiesel fuel in place of petroleum-based diesel in an unmodified fuel tank will reduce the following emissions by the following amounts:
- Total Unburned Hydrocarbons: 67%
- Carbon Monoxide: 48%
- Particulate Matter: 47%
- Sulfates: 100%
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH): 80%
- Nitrated PAH (nPAH): 90%
- Ozone potential or speciated Hydrocarbons: 50%
Carbon Monoxide, Sulfates, and Particulate Matter are all classified as air pollutants under the “Clean Air Act”. Carbon dioxide emissions with biodiesel fuel had a 78% life cycle decrease. The entire process of growing, harvesting, processing, and transporting petroleum-based diesel and biodiesel fuel released 78% less CO2 into the atmosphere. This is important because according to the scientific community, carbon dioxide is believed to be the one of biggest contributors to global warming. Even enough biodiesel could be grown in 11,000 square miles to replace all petroleum transportation fuels.

As you can see, there is a lot of good in biodiesel. If people want to reduce the dependency of oil coming from the Middle East and do their share in protecting the environment, biodiesel fuel is the way to go. It is trend that is expected to continue and gain in popularity.