Biodiesel is a natural and renewable domestic fuel alternative for diesel engines made from vegetable oils, mostly soy and corn. It contains no petroleum, is nontoxic and biodegradable.
A fuel derived from sources such as vegetable oils that are the equivalent of diesel refined from petroleum; diesel has a higher energy density than gasoline. A variety of oils serve as a source of biodiesel including rapeseed, soybean, and even waste vegetable oil. Other crops that show promise include mustard, flax, sunflower, canola, and even algae.
This type of fuel burns clean, which results in a significant reduction of the types of pollutants that contribute to smog and global warming and emits up to 85% fewer cancer-causing agents. It is the only alternate fuel approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has passed every Health-Effects Test of the Clean Air Act and meets the requirements of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Biodiesel is made using an alcohol like methanol and a chemical process that separates glycerine and methyl esters from fats or vegetable oils. Growing crops requires time and significant investment, and the fuel must be made and shipped to a local station. For these reasons, biodiesel is more expensive than petroleum, gallon for gallon. This must be considered against the many economic advantages, however, that arise from a domestic form of fuel, a cleaner environment, an improvement in air quality, and a reduction of cancer-causing agents.
Biodiesel is safe to handle because it is biodegradable and non-toxic. It reduces all the emissions, and can be used alone or mixed in any amount with petroleum diesel fuel. Biodiesel runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine. No engine modifications are necessary to use biodiesel and there is no “engine conversion”. Increased utilization of renewable biofuels results in significant microeconomic benefits to both the urban and rural sectors, and the balance of trade. It is clear that more can be done to utilize domestic surpluses of vegetable oils while enhancing our energy security.
Because biodiesel can be manufactured using existing industrial production capacity, and used with conventional equipment, it provides substantial opportunity for immediately addressing our energy security issues.