Biodiesel Facts

You may have been gearing a lot about the alternate source of energy to petroleum diesel that is non-polluting and environment friendly. There have been reports on cars running on biodiesel being tested and the results are very promising. So what is biodiesel? Biodiesel is a clean-burning renewable source of energy that is made from vegetable oils, recycled cooking oils and animals fats.

You can use biodiesel in any diesel engine without any modification of the machine. Biodiesel can be used in the pure form called the B100. It can also be blended with diesel fuel in any ratio. B20 is the most commonly used form of biodiesel that has 20% blend of biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel. Let us look at some of the biodiesel facts for kids.

Biodiesel Facts for Kids

• Biodiesel contains no petroleum and can be mixed with petroleum diesel in any ratio.
• Biodiesel is very simple to use, non-toxic, free of sulfur, aromatics and is biodegradable.
• Biodiesel has shown to have no ill effects on human health and the environment.
• A study has shown that there has been 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as compared to petroleum diesel with the use of biodiesel.
• Biodiesel is a renewable source of energy and can be made as and when needed.
• Biodiesel is made in America and hence helps the country to become energy independent and help save millions of dollars used to buy crude oil from foreign countries.
• Biodiesel helps in starting the engine faster and helps in smooth running of the engine. This helps in reducing the levels of unburned fuel.
• If the biodiesel gets mixed with water source, it can harm the aquatic and marine life because of the vegetable oil.
• Biodiesel is non-flammable and therefore not as dangerous as petroleum products for storage and transportation.
• Biodiesel can help in reducing the cancer causing emissions.
• Biodiesel is not only used for running vehicles and machines, but can also be used as heating oil in homes, power generation and is also an effective cleaner, paint remover and solvent.
• Biodiesel production uses less energy than that required for production of diesel.
• Biodiesel production helps in more BTU's per gallon as compared to any other type of alternative fuel.
• The closed carbon cycle of biodiesel helps in reduction of the Global Climate Change.

Biodiesel Facts and Figures

• Biodiesel is an efficient fuel that shows 100% reduction in sulfur dioxide, 40 - 60% reduction in soot particles, 10 - 15% reduction in carbon monoxide.
• Biodiesel production gives rise to 96% less hazardous solid wastes and uses 79% less water. The consumption of energy is 70 - 90% less than petroleum diesel in biodiesel production.
• The biodiesel sales have increased to 1.39 billion gallons per year in 2007.
• About 7.3 pounds of soybean oil is used by one gallon of soy biodiesel.
• About 1.4 gallons of biodiesel is produced from one bushel of soybeans.

As you can see in the above mentioned biodiesel facts, this alternative fuel has many uses. You are aware that the gasoline prices in America and in fact all over the world has reached the sky. This increase in gasoline prices hits the economy hard and any natural disaster spells doom for petroleum diesel users. You can read more on biodiesel fuel pros and cons.

These biodiesel facts prove that this alternative fuel has many benefits that are not only pocket friendly but environment friendly. Above all, biodiesel is a renewable source of energy and the biodiesel production requires much less finance as compared to buying petroleum diesel. Thus, the government has started to give tax benefits to people using alternative fuel as the source of energy.

As biodiesel facts point out, it is one of the best type of alternative fuel source. Biodiesel production involves use of vegetable oil like rapeseed, soybean oil or any animal fat. Thus, the materials are readily available and production of these vegetables leads to increase in agricultural income too. There is less production of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides that contribute in global warming. Thus, reduction in green house gas emissions has become the aim of the government and therefore there is lot of funding towards the increase in use of biodiesel as fuel.

Biodiesel performs as well as traditional fuel and even helps in increasing your mileage. Engines last longer with bio-fuels and the wear and tear of engines reduces considerably. There is less engine noise due to higher cetane ignition rating due to use of biodiesel. Biodiesel will help in decreasing a country's dependency on other countries for fuel and help create more jobs for the citizens. Thus, if you are looking for an alternative fuel that will not only help save you green paper but also help you do your bit towards the environment, then switch to biodiesel. This was all about biodiesel facts and I hope you have understood the importance of alternative fuels in our life.