| Copyright (c) 2008 Mervyn Rees | | | | * Biodiesel is more expensive to produce by the Gas |
| Efforts to find affordable replacements to current | | | | Companies right now than other fuels currently in use |
| vehicle fuel choices, biodiesel has quickly become one | | | | (although rising costs in fossil fuel production could |
| of the leading alternatives. | | | | outstrip this problem shortly). |
| Biodiesel is considered a renewable eco-friendly | | | | * Biodiesel will need a lot of vegetable oil and animal |
| resource derived from vegetable oil or animal fats. | | | | fat to meet the demand, and critics suggest that |
| Once the vegetable oil or animal fat is processed, it | | | | land use dedicated to filling the need will be |
| becomes a combustible material, like the | | | | astronomical, and largely an inefficient use of land in |
| petroleum-based diesel currently used today in many | | | | supporting the demand. |
| vehicles. In fact, it is used daily around the world, and | | | | * The EPA reports that American restaurants |
| is already rapidly becoming the main stay of a lot of | | | | produce 300,000,000 gallons of waste cooking oil |
| family budgets, with ever increasing popularity. | | | | every year, and although biodiesel can be produced |
| Biodiesel can and is being produced from rapeseed, | | | | from it, in the past it went to producing soaps, etc, |
| soybeans, algae, palm oil, hemp, lard, mustard seed-in | | | | but the cost of collecting it has caused Biodieselers to |
| fact, any vegetable oil source, and yes, even waste | | | | celebrate because a lot of them are happy to collect |
| vegetable oil, fish oil and animal fats. In fact, the | | | | it for free. |
| August 2005 edition of National Geographic reported | | | | There is a lot of support in the potential of biodiesel |
| one biodiesel user who got his waste vegetable oil | | | | eventually helping to replace fossil fuels. In order to |
| free from a local potato chip shop and spent eight | | | | generate an accurate calculation on whether it's a |
| dollars a month to turn it into biodiesel, which as we | | | | viable alternative or not, there are a lot of things that |
| know is common practice now in many places. | | | | need to be taken into consideration. Check out my |
| Some of the advantages of biodiesel include: | | | | new book 'The Secrets of Biodiesel' and really get a |
| * Biodiesel is an excellent way to use the vegetable | | | | handle on this. |
| oil and animal fats produced today, solving the hugely | | | | Biodiesel commercially, is not cost effective today |
| potential problem of waste products otherwise | | | | because it is not produced in such a large-scale. If it |
| disposed of badly and the past problems that caused | | | | were manufactured on a larger scale, it may have a |
| our environment. | | | | greater effect on price. To use a different example, |
| * Biodiesel is biodegradable on land or in water, so | | | | it costs more-per-car to produce only one or two |
| naturally safer for all animal and plant life. | | | | cars than it costs to produce 10 cars, or a hundred |
| * Biodiesel is nontoxic. | | | | cars, or thousand cars. (This is why Henry Ford is |
| * Biodiesel can be safer in accidents because it has a | | | | hailed as a genius of the production industry, because |
| much higher flash point (300° Fahrenheit) than | | | | he reduced car prices by creating an assembly line). |
| regular diesel or gasoline, and is considered a | | | | So once the scale of biodiesel is ramped up, the cost |
| non-hazardous material. | | | | will be more effective. |
| * Biodiesel is a better solvent, so it cleans engines | | | | The cost of biodiesel has become very affordable as |
| that have been dirtied and stained by long-term use | | | | a way to fuel cars and heat homes of our individual |
| of regular petroleum diesel. | | | | Biodieselers, however, replacing the current |
| * Biodiesel can be used right now, in any | | | | processing plants that take oil and turn it into fuel |
| concentration with current petroleum diesel engines, | | | | may be so high that it is prohibitive, and asking |
| making the transfer from one to the other very | | | | drivers to switch vehicles or swap engines may not |
| easy. However, older petroleum diesel engines may | | | | be an alternative for everyone. So clearly, there will |
| experience a higher degradation of seals and gaskets | | | | need to be a "phasing in" effect in order to increase |
| which can easily be changes for modern plastic | | | | biodiesel or other bio-fuels, thereby greatly reducing |
| alternatives used today. | | | | the stranglehold of petroleum-based fuels. |
| * Biodiesel usage dramatically reduces carbon | | | | Another factor to consider is the social cost. While |
| monoxide emissions and carbon dioxide emissions. | | | | many people do have the best intentions in mind to |
| * Biodiesel reduces sulphur emissions by 100% | | | | reduce emissions and waste and improve on their |
| (because it does not contain sulphur), which will help | | | | use of fossil fuels, people still make decisions based |
| contribute to the Kyoto protocol mandate of | | | | on their own personal impact; how much money and |
| reducing sulphur emissions. | | | | time will they save? There may be lots of people |
| Proponents say it may replace the fossil fuels used | | | | that are concerned about ecology, but there are so |
| today to power vehicles. But it still has a ways to go: | | | | many more people concerned about whether they |
| * Biodiesel just like regular diesel tends to gel at | | | | can afford to make the transition. Until biodiesel |
| temperatures that are very low, but this can also be | | | | becomes the cheaper choice, the general public will |
| rectified with additives. | | | | not make the transition. |