Biodiesel refers to non-petroleum-based diesel fuel that is made from vegetable or animal fat. It can be used alone, or blended with conventional diesel without requiring modifications to an existing diesel engine or any of its internal components. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel source that shows great promise as a viable fuel source for many methods of transportation, including trains, ships, and aircraft.

The History of Biodiesel

You might think that the use of biodiesel is a new development. On the contrary, when Rudolf Diesel developed his first compression-ignition engine in 1898, he used peanut oil, not petroleum products, as the fuel.

In 1937, a patent was issued to G. Chavanne in Belgium for procedures that involved separating the fatty acids from glycerol in vegetable oils, and replacing the glycerol with alcohol.

Biodiesel Production

There are a variety of oils and feedstocks that can be used to produce biodiesel. Two examples are soybean oil and rapeseed oil. Additionally, waste vegetable oils, like those used in restaurants, are also a great source of biodiesel. An added benefit is that instead of restaurants having to dispose of the waste oil, it can be collected and recycled.

Animal fats including tallow, lard and even chicken fat are also good candidates for biodiesel production. Algae can also be used, but currently this is not financially viable in the commercial sense. Research continues, and undoubtedly other natural resources that can be processed into biodiesel fuel will be found.

It is actually possible for the everyday consumer to product biodiesel in their kitchen, at a cost of less than a dollar a gallon.

Biodiesel Applications for Consumers

Biodiesel is an outstanding alternative fuel that is commercially viable and usable by the average consumer today. It can be blended with diesel fuel or used in it’s pure form to fuel diesel powered vehicles. Older diesel engines can not burn 100% biodiesel, but a mixture of biodiesel and petroleum-based diesel fuel can be used without having to perform expensive engine modifications.

Many auto manufacturers are now producing cars with diesel engines manufactured specifically with biodiesel fuels in mind.

It is also possible to use biodiesel for home heating, providing that you don’t have an older boiler that utilizes rubber parts, which can deteriorate as a result of the solvent properties of biodiesel fuel. Care should be taken before attempting this, since pipes can become clogged without proper filtration.

Commercial Uses of Biodiesel

Sir Richard Branson’s “Virgin Voyager” train was the world’s first train modified to use biodiesel. It runs on 80% petrodiesel and 20% biodiesel. Sir Richard’s airline, Virgin Atlantic, is also experimenting with biodiesel as a passenger jet fuel.

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