Biodiesel

Like ethanol, biodiesel is a renewable, clean burning fuel produced from fatly acids or vegetable oil. Biodiesel can be made from a number of crops including soybeans, rapeseed, canola, sesame and cotton. It can also be made from recycled waste grease like the kind produced at your local McDonalds. Current research shows that biodiesel can also be made from algae, willow and poplar trees.

 

 

 

The process used to make biodiesel is a chemical process called transesterification, where glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process of transesterification leaves biodiesel and a byproduct of glycerin, which can be used in soap and cosmetics. Methyl-esters make up the biodiesel, while the glycerin is not used in the making of biodiesel. Although biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oil, biodiesel and raw vegetable oil are NOT the same thing. For more information on this visit: www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/

 

 

There are various blends of biodiesel; all blends other than B-100, or pure biodiesel, are mixed with diesel fuel. B-5 is 5% biodiesel and 95% diesel; B-20 is 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel; and again B-100 is 100% biodiesel. These different blends of biodiesel can be used in the place of fossil fuels in many applications. It is used in transportation as well as in both industrial and home heating fuel. Like ethanol, biodiesel is a fuel source that can greatly reduce carbon emissions, as well as other greenhouse gas emissions. This is because biodiesel is highly biodegradable. According to http://www.biodiesel.org/: “It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar.”

 

 

In Connecticut, biodiesel is currently used in fleets of the Department of Transportation (DOT) vehicles, as well as in public transportation. The University of Connecticut is a good example of using biodiesel for transportation purposes. The campus bus lines use a mixture of diesel fuel, and processed cooking oil (vegetable oil) from the campus's dining halls. This is an example that could be followed in colleges and universities not only in the rest of Connecticut, but in the United States.

 

 

For more information on biodiesel visit the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Energy Information Administration website.