BIODIESEL
What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is the name of a clean-burning alternative fuel, produced from vegetable oils such as soybean oil, canola oil, palm oil, etc; animal fat, such as beef tallow, lard of poultry fat and restaurant waste oils, such as frying oils. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in unmodified diesel engines and it reduces some exhaust pollutants. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
Biodiesel is produced from any fat or oil such as soybean oil, through a refinery process called transesterification. This process is a reaction of the oil with an alcohol to remove the glycerin, a by-product of biodiesel production.
Fuel-grade biodiesel must be produced to strict industry specifications (ASTM D6751) in order to ensure proper performance. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Biodiesel that meets ASTM D6751 and is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency is a legal motor fuel for sale and distribution. Raw vegetable oil cannot meet biodiesel fuel specifications, it is not registered with the EPA, and it is not a legal motor fuel.
Biodiesel is registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and meets clean diesel standards established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Neat (100 percent) biodiesel has been designated as an alternative fuel by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
There are five primary reasons for the development of biodiesel in the U.S.
- It provides a market for excess production of vegetable oils and animal fats.
- It decreases the country’s dependence on imported petroleum.
- Biodiesel is renewable and does not contribute to global warming (Greenhouse effect).
- The exhaust emissions from biodiesel are lower than with regular diesel fuel.
- Biodiesel has excellent lubricating properties.
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