Many of us have frequently heard of biodiesel fuels. With the green energy movement and the increase in the price of gas and diesel it is not too surprising. Not many people really understand that biodiesel really is even though they have heard of it.
Vegetable oil is composed of two things that specifically have to do with biodiesel the alkyl esters and glycerin. There is a chemical process called transesterification that separates the alkyl esters from the glycerin. Glycerin is the byproduct of biodiesel production. The glycerin can be further purified and made into soap or used in other products from here. The alkyl esters are used in the biodiesel. Not all vehicles can run off of biodiesel though. Don’t ever try to put diesel into a gas combustion engine the results are disastrous for your engine. Biodiesel can only be burned in diesel engines. Correctly made biodiesel can be burned alone or in mixed with regular diesel. You will see blends labeled something like B20, which would indicate that 20% of the blend is biodiesel. There are some diesel engines that can run on straight biodiesel with little to no modifications needed to do so. 100% biodiesel can be made at home so this an be an advantage for some people. Please be aware that some car manufacturers will void your warrently if you run straight biodiesel in your vehicle. If you are interested in making your own biodiesel, there are some great resources to learn to do so online. Burning biodiesel blends offer some benifits other then just to your pocket book. Biodiesel is cleaner burning and more completely burned therefore making it more environmentally sound. Regular diesel doesn’t lubricate your engine as well as biodiesel does. Furthermore, if you burn blends you are stretching out the amount of petrolium for longer amounts of time.