Biodiesel—A Renewable Energy Source

What is biodeisel?

Biodiesel (mono alkyl esters) is a renewable liquid fuel produced from new or used vegetable oils or animal fats. Biodiesel is the product from a refining process called transesterfication. In this process, a triglyceride (such as soy bean oil) is mixed with methanol or ethanol and a catalyst (such as sodium or potassium hydroxide). The main source for biodiesel in the United States is soybean oil, but it can also be made from corn, cottonseed, peanut, canola, sunflower oils, waste animal fats, and used cooking oil. Other parts of the world may use local crops like coconut oil to produce biodiesel. The City of Chicago has made waste oil from restaurants into biodiesel fuel for use by the city’s transit buses and marine police boats.

History

The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel dates back to 1895, when Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. Dr. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, using peanut oil as fuel. Before World War II, biodiesel was introduced in South Africa to power heavy-duty vehicles.

Recently, environmental and economic concerns have renewed the interest in biodiesel throughout the world, especially in Europe, where it has been used for 20 years. Diesel-powered vehicles such as transit buses, heavy-duty trucks, and marine engines use biodiesel.