Biodiesel Facts

Limited fossil fuels have sparked the debate for alternative fuel sources. Many technologies and innovations to generate alternative fuels have been developed and one of the latest controversial fuel sources in the list is Biodiesel. The term refers to fuel produced by biomass and does not contain regular fossil fuel. Some car companies, in spite of being aware of the argument on this fuel, have launched vehicles that operate on Biodiesel. Like every other fuel, biodiesel too has its pros and cons, let us discuss some of them and check how sensible they are.

When burnt, Biodiesel does not emit as many harmful gases as fossil fuels like petrol and diesel, so it can still be considered dependable. As carbon emission is the most talked international topic, this fuel is at least not worse than regular fuels. But again, some scientists have come to the conclusion that biodiesel produces more nitrogen and hence this reduces the credibility of this fuel type as an alternative.

Biodiesel can at least fulfill some of our requirements as fossil fuels are not unlimited and we will exhaust them soon. By advancing towards producing biofuel and increasing our reliance on it, we surely can move from the regular fuels to this option if need be. The key to producing it also lies with us, so the freedom of making it does help us in moving away from the non renewable fossil fuels.

For the production of Biofuels, we need to plant crops like soybeans, sugarcane, palms etc. This is helpful as the farmers get another cash crop to grow and hence it creates more income opportunities for them. But to meet the requirements of Biodiesel, a situation might arise wherein we will have to cut forest belts and jungles, thus making a heavier negative impact on the environment. It can also cause inflation and food scarcity as the farmers would like to go for the lucrative option of growing these biodiesel crops.

All these factors make it difficult for Biodiesel to replace other fuels and be the alternative. The production and use of this fuel creates environmental destruction and also emissions therefore it may not save the environment at all. Cutting forest belts for biodiesel again does not seem to a feasible step towards growing our own fuel. But this fuel can still be used until another fuel type is discovered or invented. But it is surely not the next major alternative for diesel.