| About Biodiesel |  |
Biodiesel is a renewable, cheaper and cleaner burning
alternative to mineral diesel. Technically, biodiesel refers to a
variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels made from vegetable oils or
animal fats. The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel dates
back to 1895 when Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel
engine to run on vegetable oil. Diesel demonstrated his engine at
the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 using peanut oil as fuel. |
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| Renewable fuel | |
Biodiesel is a completely renewable fuel, made from oilseed crops
such as soybeans, rapeseed, jatropha seed, cotton seed and mustard
seed. Biodiesel is also made from waste vegetable oil and oil
derived from animal fat (tallow) waste that would otherwise be
disposed of. |
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| Using biodiesel reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. | |
| Carbon neutral | |
Biodiesel is effectively carbon neutral, the carbon dioxide emitted
on combustion is simply replacing the atmospheric carbon dioxide
originally extracted by the plants that were used to make the
vegetable oil. A 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored
by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces net carbon dioxide
emissions by 78 percent compared to mineral diesel. This makes
biodiesel is the best greenhouse gas mitigation strategy for today's
medium and heavy duty vehicles. |
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| Positive energy balance |  |
The DOE/USDA lifecycle
analysis shows for every unit of fossil energy it takes to make
biodiesel, 3.2 units of energy are gained. This takes into account
the planting, harvesting, fuel production and fuel transportation to
the end user. |
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Health benefits |
|
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel in the US to complete EPA
Tier I and Tier II Health Effects Testing under section 211(b) of
the Clean Air Act, which provide the most thorough inventory of
environmental and human health effects attributes that current
technology will allow. These independent tests conclusively
demonstrated biodiesels significant reduction of virtually all
regulated emissions, and showed biodiesel does not pose a threat to
human health. |
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| Cleaner emissions | |
The lifecycle production and use of biodiesel produces approximately
80% less carbon dioxide emissions, and almost 100% less sulphur
dioxide. Combustion of biodiesel alone provides over a 90%
reduction in total unburned hydrocarbons, and a 75-90% reduction in
aromatic hydrocarbons. Biodiesel further provides significant
reductions in particulates and carbon monoxide than mineral diesel.
Biodiesel provides a slight increase or decrease in nitrogen oxides
depending on engine family and testing procedures. Based on Ames
Mutagenicity tests, biodiesel provides a 90% reduction in cancer
risks. |
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| Better for diesel engines |
|
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any
conventional, unmodified diesel engine. It can be stored anywhere
that mineral diesel is stored and can be used alone or mixed in any
ratio with mineral diesel. |
|
Biodiesel is 11% oxygen by weight and contains no sulphur. The use
of biodiesel can extend the life of diesel engines because it is
more lubricating than mineral diesel, while fuel consumption, auto
ignition, power output, and engine torque are relatively unaffected
by biodiesel. |
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| Safer to handle |  |
Biodiesel is safe to handle and transport because it is as
biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt, and has
a high flashpoint of about 125C compared to mineral diesel, which
has a flash point of 55C. |
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