What is Biodiesel?

You surely must have heard of all the hype that comes with biodiesel fuel. But what is biodiesel fuel exactly?

It really helps to know more about this fuel who is fast becoming the most appreciated alternative to regular fuel. What, with oil prices soaring as high as the heavens above, who would not welcome the cheaper and safer alternative of biodiesel? Therefore, if you are not too sure what biodiesel is, then the time to know more about it is certainly right now.

Biodiesel Is A Renewable Natural Resource

Biodiesel is fuel that is made from renewable resources. Just how renewable are these resources? Completely a hundred percent renewable. Now, a lot of people mistake biodiesel as being like vegetable oil. However, this is not true at all. Biodiesel can actually be directly used by diesel engines. This means that the fuel itself can be used in its unaltered and purest form. Vegetable oil fuel, on the other hand, needs to undergo modifications or alternations so that it can be readily used by engines. Moreover, only combustion-engines are able to use vegetable oil fuel. In this sense, it is obviously way easier to use biodiesel compared to vegetable oil fuel.

Biodiesel vs Diesel

But this does not mean that engines that are not powered by diesel cannot enjoy the benefits that come with biodiesel. Biodiesel does not have any petroleum content, but it can still be mixed with petroleum. This way, you can create a certain blend so that a larger variety of cars can use that blend. And coming from natural sources that you can find in your own home, biodiesel is completely biodegradable. You can also forego any worries about this fuel being toxic since it is not toxic in any way. This is indeed very, very safe to use. In fact, if you would compare biodiesel and table salt as to which is potentially toxic, table salt would actually be considered more dangerous. This is also supported by medical research studies.

Transesterfication

The process known as transesterfication is actually performed to produce biodiesel. What happens here is glycerin is removed from vegetable oil or fat first. The byproducts that are left behind include methyl esters and glycerin. The end result of biodiesel fuel is then free from aromatics and sulfur. These substances make traditional fuel more dangerous to use

With all these details, you no longer have to ask the question, "What is biodiesel fuel?" And with these advantages, you just might want to convert to biodiesel for your own consumption.