What is Bio-diesel?

Bio-diesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources such as soybeans, sunflowers, canola, waste cooking oil, or animal fats. Bio-diesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a Bio-diesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines or oil-fired boilers or furnaces with little or no modifications. Bio-diesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

How is Bio-diesel made?

Bio-diesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification in which the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products-alkyl esters (the generic chemical name for Bio-diesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products)?

Why should I use Bio-diesel?

Bio-diesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil, creates jobs, and contributes to our own economy.

How do Bio-diesel emissions compare to petroleum diesel?

Bio-diesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The use of Bio-diesel in a conventional diesel engine or oil-fired furnace or boiler results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from Bio-diesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel.

Can Bio-diesel help mitigate "global warming"?

A 1998 Bio-diesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture, concluded Bio-diesel reduces net CO2 emissions by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel. This is due to Bio-diesel's closed carbon cycle. Most of the CO2 released into the atmosphere when Bio-diesel is burned is recycled by growing plants, which are later processed into.

Is Bio-diesel used as a pure fuel or is it blended with petroleum diesel?

Bio-diesel can be used as a pure fuel or blended with petroleum in any percentage. B20 (a blend of 20 percent by volume Bio-diesel with 80 percent by volume petroleum diesel) has demonstrated significant environmental benefits with a minimum increase in cost for fleet operations and other consumers.

What is B100?

Full strength (100 percent) Bio-diesel is often referred to as B100 or "neat" Bio-diesel. A blend of Bio-diesel containing 20 percent Bio-diesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel is referred to as B20. The most popular blend of Bio-diesel in the United Sates is B20, which offers significant reductions in harmful emissions at an affordable price.