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.

Key Advantages of Biodiesel:

1. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel in the US to complete EPA Tier I
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.

2. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any conventional,
unmodified diesel engine. It can be stored anywhere that petroleum diesel
fuel is stored.

3. Biodiesel can be used alone or mixed in any ratio with petroleum diesel
fuel. The most common blend is a mix of 20% biodiesel with 80% petroleum
diesel, or "B20."

4. 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 petroleum diesel fuel. 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.

5. 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 petroleum diesel fuel, while fuel consumption, auto
ignition, power output, and engine torque are relatively unaffected by
biodiesel.

6. 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 flash point of
about 125°C compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which has a flash point of
55°C.

7. Biodiesel can be made from recycled cooking oils and fats
as well as domestically produced, renewable oilseed crop such as Jatropha curca.

8. Biodiesel is a proven fuel with over 30 million successful US road miles,
and over 20 years of use in Europe.

9. When burned in a diesel engine, biodiesel replaces the exhaust odour of
petroleum diesel with the pleasant smell of popcorn or french fries
.
10. The Congressional Budget Office, and Department of Defense, US
Department of Agriculture, and others have determined that biodiesel is the
low cost alternative fuel option for fleet operations.

National spending to import petroleum sends significant amounts of dollars
out of our domestic economy every year.

Biodiesel offers the potential to shift this spending from foreign imports to
domestically produced energy.

"With its ability to be used directly in existing diesel engines, biodiesel offers the immediate  potential to reduce our demand for petroleum in the transportation sector."

Biodiesel contributes jobs to the local economy. Economic work conducted at
the University of Missouri estimated the benefits of producing biodiesel in a
metropolitan region. This study concluded that 100 million gallons of
biodiesel production could generate an estimated $8.34 million increase in
personal income and over 6,000 additional temporary or permanent jobs for the metropolitan region.