Quick Facts
Bio-diesel is a clean burning fuel which is produced from domestic resources, such as soybeans and the best part is that they are entirely renewable.
Though there is no petroleum content in it but certainly it becomes a powerful bio-diesel when mixed with petroleum.
Diesel engines can use bio-diesel without any modifications, making it the best biodegradable, nontoxic form of fuel available. This is safe to the extend that the common table salt has been found to be more toxic that bio-diesel.
Normally the usual vegetable oil based fuels need some kind of alteration done which can fuel specially made combustion- ignition engines, but the fact is that bio-diesel can be used in its simplest form to power the everyday diesel engines on the market today. Imagine companies shipping their products in big rigs run on bio-diesel and farmers running their equipment on this biodegradable product.
Process by which Bio-diesel is made is termed as transesterification. In this method the glycerin is removed from fat or vegetable oil. The process naturally leaves behind byproducts, including methyl esters, which is the chemical name for bio-diesel, and glycerin, commonly used in soap production.
The USP of bio-diesel is that it is free of sulfur and aromatics, something that can't be said about traditional fuels.
Bio-diesel has to its credit the registration with the Environmental Protection Agency as a legal fuel for sale and distribution, wherein it has cleared all of the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The same doesn’t hold true for other companies where they can’t sell vegetable oil fuel alternatives as they can't meet the fuel specifications that are necessary for registration with the EPA.
From environment point of view also Bio-diesel is much better as compared to the traditional fossil fuels. As this made from renewable resources that makes it better choice ensuring the protection of our environment for future generations as it has significantly lower emissions compared to the petroleum diesel most people put in their vehicles.
In a way Bio-diesel is also better for the economy as when bio-diesel is produced from USA grown products, such as soy beans, it lessons the countries dependence on foreign oil and reinvests American money back into the American economy.
With time this inventive fuel is befitting more by being available at a few select places or purchased directly from producers and marketers. Though this is a bit more high-priced than traditional fuels, but as the requirement for safe, biodegradable fuel alternatives increases, the price of bio-diesel should speedily descend.
