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FAQs
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 12 September 2005 |
 It may surprise you to know that biodiesel has actually been
around since before petro diesel, or fossil diesel. In fact, the Diesel
engine was originally designed to run on vegetable oils and fuels from
biomass. The processes used in making biodiesel from vegetable oils
(known as transesterification) were first conducted as early as
1853. When Rudolf Diesel first demonstrated his engine at the Paris
World Fair in 1900, he ran it on peanut oil.
In the 1920s, engine manufacturers altered their fuel intake designs to
allow for the use of less viscous fuels, such as those from petroleum
industry, allowing for the quick uptake of a cheaper product, which
virtually eliminated the biomass infrastructure. Environmental concerns
were almost non-existent then and the new cheap and dirty petrodiesel
took over and eventually just became known as the now ubiquitous
diesel, diesel fuel, or diesel oil.
It is odd that now we have to add the term “bio” to the front of the
fuel that the inventor of the engine had always designed it for. It
also seems odd that the public considers the use of biodiesel as a
strange and new development and petro diesel as the default standard.
Today, things have changed a little since the 1920s. Pollution is a
problem, regardless of whether one subscribes to the greater threat of
global warming or not, we no longer tolerate our vehicles belching out
black smelly smoke. Additionally, many of us are starting to notice
that fossil oils are a finite resource. We can see wars being fought
over this resource, as well as the price getting higher as reserves are
depleted. Regardless of whether or not one believes the Peak Oil
Movement, which says that oil production will reach it’s peak in just a
few more years, then decline rapidly as world demand soars, or the oil
companies, who paint a picture of many more years (possibly 30) of
cheap, smelly crude, it is obvious that the time of biofuels is now
being restored to its rightful place again.
Other FAQs
Can I use it in my engine?
What about performance and economy?
How is it made and where does it come from?
Is it a safe fuel?
What are the environmental benefits?
How can I make it?
Where can I buy it?
Tax issues.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 25 September 2005 )
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