The Basics of Biodiesel
Understanding the Alternative Fuel
Biodiesel is made by a chemical process where the glycerin is subtracted from the vegetable oil or fat. You cannot simply pour vegetable oil into your diesel engine! Through this process called transesterification, you end up with 2 products, the obvious glycerin, can be used for making soaps, and methyl esters (technical name for biodiesel.).
Biodiesel is much better for the environment due to it being made from domestic resources, and the fact that biodiesel does not emit as much emissions as petroleum diesel. Using biodiesel in the United States will make us far less dependent on other countries for their oil. Biodiesel can also be used as an alternative heat source for homes and businesses, used in place of natural gases.
Biodiesel can be blended with petroleum diesel. Not all vehicle manufacturers recommend using biodiesel, but many are growing toward the trend. Vehicle manufacturers who make car that can run on biodiesel blends, recommend anywhere from 5% biodiesel and 95% petroleum diesel, while other manufacturers say their vehicles can run on as much as 30% biodiesel and 70% petroleum diesel. Always check with your vehicles manufacturer to find out what is the best blend for your vehicle.
Biodiesel is becoming more and more popular across the world, and is being made more readily available. Many gas stations have already added biodiesel to their pumps, along side of petroleum diesel. Though biodiesel is available all over the world, you may not see it in small town's just yet, but you soon will. Biodiesel is already available in bigger cities and are expanding rapidly.
In closing anything we can do to better our environment or help to make it better is worth the effort. Biodiesel can be a great thing for our country in that we will not have to spend billions of dollars buying oil from international locations. Our money could be spend right here at home. It will take time to make biodiesel as popular as petroleum or gasoline, but our country will be ready and waiting.
Published by Laura Fleenor
I am a divorced mother of 4 children (one in heaven), college graduate, and a webmaster. I was born and raised in Southern Indiana, and have also lived in the Tampa, Florida area. View profile
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- Using biodiesel in the will make us far less dependent on other countries for their oil.
- Biodiesel can be blended with petroleum diesel.
- Not all vehicle manufacturers recommend using biodiesel, but many are growing toward the trend.