Biodiesel from Plant Material
With the ever increasing cost of gasoline, many vehicles now run on the much more economical diesel fuel. However, with the growing push toward more environmentally friendly fuels for vehicles, are their any viable alternatives for diesel vehicle owners other than diesel fuel? Indeed there is and Biodiesel is making a big splash in the fuel industry.
Biodiesel is the name coined for the clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resourcessuch as vegetable oils and is the only alternative fuel that can potentially be used directly in any existing, unmodified diesel engine. Because of its close similarity to diesel fuel, biodiesel can also be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a Biodiesel blend. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
Biodiesel fuel is produced from any fat or oil through a refining process called trans-esterification. This process is a reaction of the oil with an alcohol to remove the glycerin, which is a by-product of biodiesel production.
Fuel-grade Biodiesel as an alternative fuel must be produced to strict industry specifications in order to ensure proper engine performance. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
Biodiesel fuel that meets the industry specifications for an alternative fuel is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as a legal motor fuel for sale and distribution. “Biodiesel” is standardized as mono-alkyl ester and other kinds of diesel-grade fuels of biological origin are not included. 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 the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The use of Biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. Plus the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from Biodiesel are essentially eliminated in comparison to regular diesel fuel.
Of the major exhaust pollutants, both unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides are ozone or smog forming precursors and the use of Biodiesel as an alternative fuel results in a substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons. Emissions of nitrogen oxides are either slightly reduced or slightly increased depending on the duty cycle of the engine and testing methods used.
The use of Biodiesel fuel as an alternative to petroleum based fuel is really a step in the right direction when it comes to both environmental as well as economic concerns. It is safer, burns cleaner, and is easy to make.
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