What is Biodiesel ?

This website has been designed to give a high level backgroud about Biodiesel. The advantages of biodiesel stem from the fact of being a man made fuel that is better for the environment and less expensive than using natural resources which are becomming more and more scarce.

What is biodiesel - the benefits

Biodiesel can be used as both an alternative fuel and an additive for petroleum diesel.

Biodiesel oil is an alternative diesel fuel demonstrated to have significant environmental benefits in terms of:-

• decreased global warming
• reduced emissions
• greater energy independence and
• a positive impact on agriculture.

The main ingredient in biodiesel oil is usually soybean oil which is in abundant supply and with the advantage of being very cheap to produce. The benefits of biodiesel over conventional diesel are numerous and using the biodiesel alternative has become, by many drivers, a seriously considered replacement for "fossil" diesel because it is inexpensive and can help your vehicle run much better. You will also find you spend less at the pumps because biodiesel oil is said to provide better fuel mileage for your vehicle. You do not have to worry about the temperature either because biodiesel oil works well in both hot and cold temperatures without any trouble for your vehicle.

Biodiesel Oil and Governments.

The United States government are 100% behind the use of biodiesel oil for an alternate fuel source. They have invested a great deal of time and money for both research and development of effective biodiesel manufacturing. They have also set guidelines and standards that companies have to meet or exceed in order to offer biodiesel to consumers. As far back as 2003, the US government decided to give companies that were manufacturing biodiesel oil a tax exemption in order to reward them for their efforts.

Biodiesel Oil and safety.

Biodiesel oil is safe to handle, store and transport and it causes less damage than traditional petroleum diesel if spilled or accidently released into the environment. Biodiesel oil is very safe for the environment due to the types of oils it is made from. Biodiesel oil is also biodegradable and non-toxic, this means consumers can get the benefits they need from this alternate fuel source without damaging the environment. This is very important due to the increased use of fuel around the world. Biodiesel oil is also less combustible than petroleum diesel as it has a flashpoint of around a third less. The use of biodiesel oil significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions and serious toxic air pollutants that are present in other conventional petroleum based fuel. Recent studies show biodiesel oil releases at least 50% less carbon dioxide into the air than other sources of fuel.

You will find biodiesel offered at the pumps may be 100% oil or it can be blended with petroleum. It is important to find out what you are paying for before you to commit to buying it. Some people experience their fuel filters becoming clogged when they use a blended form of biodiesel. You will also find it is more expensive to purchase than the pure form of it.

Hopefully you now know the answer to the question what is biodiesel and the more people find out about biodiesel and when it becomes more easily available only then will more people adopt it and then we will see real benefits to our environment.

• Biodiesel facts and benefits of using biodiesel
  
  A quick guide to biodiesel facts, why biodiesel fuel is different to conventional diesel, blends of biodiesel and where it can be used.
• Biodiesel Fuel, the environment and your car
  
  An introduction to biodiesel fuel and the use of biodiesel fuel as an economical alternative green fuel for traditional petroleum diesel powered vehicles.

Click hear to go ... Back to Biodiesel Oil Home Page