Five Facts About Biodiesel

With concerns surrounding depleted petroleum resources and the impact of vehicle emissions on the rise, alternative fuel sources are being constantly researched, and in the case of biodiesel, utilized. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that has passed the Health Effects Testing Requirements and is commonly viewed as a fuel of the future. Yet few really understand the timeline, potential, and issues that biodiesel presents in the twenty first century.

1. Biodiesel Production: Biodiesel is produced by creating a chemical reaction between vegetable oil or animal fat and alcohol, and is most often blended at different ratios with petroleum. A wide variety of organic substances can be used to produce biodiesel, including rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, animal fats, lard, grease, and fish oil. Although there are many resources that biodiesel can be made from, almost 90% of this alternative fuel is made with soybeans.


2. The History of Biodiesel: Biodiesel was created before there were any fully functional diesel engines. The alternative fuel found its first use in vehicles in World War II, where several countries were low on oil resources and started considering alternatives. Since then biodiesel is most known because of its potential to reduce petroleum dependency.


3. Biodiesel Usage: Most often found in petroleum mixtures, biodiesel is used in a variety of industries and machines. Biodiesel is used to fuel public transportation vehicles, fleets of commercial trucks, and even some passenger vehicles. There are also trains that are able to run on biodiesel or biodiesel mixtures. Interestingly, this alternative fuel can be used as a heating component in both commercial and residential applications.


4. The Future of Biodiesel: It is difficult to predict the future of biodiesel as a petroleum alternative. There are many factors to consider when contemplating the future of biodiesel, namely resources. There is not enough land or irrigation systems in the United States to replace petroleum dependency with biodiesel dependency, however research is constantly being conducted. Scientists are discovering new ways to cultivate biodiesel without putting stress on preexisting resources, including research surrounding algae and bacteria.


5. The Environmental Implications of Biodiesel: Aside from providing a safe alternative to petroleum, biodiesel is also widely appreciated for its lower level of particulate emissions. If the correct additives are present biodiesel can produce 20% less emissions than petroleum. However, it is very difficult to measure the carbon footprint of biodiesel. Emissions are produced during biodiesel transportation, and the process of creating biodiesel also emits pollutants, for example.


There are many perks to utilizing biodiesel as an alternative to petroleum, including renewable sources and possible decrease in emission output. However, more research needs to be undertaken to better determine the true environmental impact of various biodiesel crops. Similarly, alternative sources of biodiesel need to be further cultivated if we can ever expect to utilize biodiesel to its full capacity.