What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name for 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.

Environmental & Safety Information

Acute Oral Toxicity/Rates Biodiesel is nontoxic. The acute oral LD50
(lethal dose) is greater than 17.4 g/Kg body weight. By comparison, table
salt (NaCL) is nearly 10 times more toxic.

Skin Irritation –Humans A 24-hr. human patch test indicated that undiluted
Bio diesel produced very mild irritation. The irritation was less than the
result produced by a 4 percent soap and water solution.

Aquatic Toxicity A 96-hr. lethal concentration for bluegill of biodiesel
grade methyl esters was greater than 1000 mg/L. Lethal concentrations at
these levels are generally deemed "insignificant" according to NIOSH
(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) guidelines in its
Registry of the Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances.

Biodegradability Biodiesel degrades about four times faster than petroleum
diesel. Within 28 days, pure biodiesel degrades 85 to 88 percent in water.
Dextrose (a test sugar used as the positive control when testing
biodegradability) degraded at the same rate. Blending biodiesel with
diesel fuel accelerates its biodegradability. For example, blends of 20
percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel fuel degrade twice as fast as
diesel alone.

Flash Point The flash point of a fuel is defined as the temperature at
which it will ignite when exposed to a spark or flame. Biodiesel’s flash
point is over 125° Celsius, well above petroleum based diesel fuel’s flash
point of around 58° Celsius. Testing has shown the flash point of
biodiesel blends increases as the percentage of biodiesel increases.

 

Therefore, biodiesel and blends of biodiesel with petroleum diesel are safer to store, handle, and use than conventional diesel fuel.