What is Biodiesel Fuel?

With air pollution not getting any better, it is time that more and more people should be considering using alternative means to help lessen the use of air polluting petroleum products for their vehicles.

Total cessation of petroleum use to power vehicles all over the world might be an impractical solution to the problem as of now. But a gradual progress in lessening the use of petroleum may help a lot in fighting the worsening problem of air pollution.

A better solution that some experts suggest and recommend is the use of alternative fuels to power current vehicles. One of the alternative fuels being suggested is biodiesel. Biodiesel is a type of diesel fuel derived from biological sources.

Biodiesels are usually processed from vegetable oils as compared to ordinary diesel fuel which comes from air-polluting petroleum sources. Aside from vegetable oils, biodiesel can also be processed from animal fats and recycled used non-petroleum oils.

Processed biodiesel can be used in its pure form or as a blend to current diesel fuel to run some vehicles. Currently, vehicles that use biodiesel usually make use of the blended variety which is composed of five percent biodiesel mix with conventional diesel fuel.

What makes biodiesel easier to integrate into public use is that some current diesel engines can already run on pure biodiesel. But most car manufacturers still recommend using the blended form consisting of not more than five percent biodiesel.

What makes biodiesel an attractive alternative is that it is a renewable resource since it can be made from vegetable oils that can be grown in farms. Biodiesel is also biodegradable and is non-toxic. The usually biodiesel produces only 40 percent carbon dioxide emissions than conventional diesel.

Because there are already diesel engines that can readily use biodiesel in order to run, there is no need for car manufacturers to make vehicles that just run on biodiesel fuel. It has also been cited that biodiesel may even help in cleaning the engine as it is used since it offers better solvent properties than the standard diesel used today.

Another benefit is that a diesel based engine is better when it comes to fuel burn efficiency than the best gasoline powered engines. Most combustion engines offer 50 percent fuel burn efficiency whereas the best gasoline engines can only afford 23 percent fuel burn efficiency.

There are also some disadvantages that come with biodiesel use. Currently, most auto makers have not yet warranted the use of fuel blends with biodiesel content of above five percent. This might discourage some people to use more biodiesel for fear of losing the warranty of their cars. And because biodiesel is not yet as used widely, they may still cost more than conventional diesel fuel.

Although biodiesels may emit less carbon dioxide, studies have shown that it might emit more nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere which can cause smog to form. Biodiesels are generally not suited for use in low temperatures. Despite these disadvantages, biodiesels continue to be a very attractive alternative fuel for vehicles today.

The potential for its use to an increasing number of people all over the world may just help in lessening the dependence on petroleum based fuels. Not only that, its use might just be the helping hand that we can extend to our worsening environmental condition.