About Biodiesel

Biodiesel is a clean burning, alternative fuel safe to use in any diesel engine. It is non-toxic and safe to transport. B100 Biodiesel contains no petroleum but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. More common blends are B20 (20% biodiesel), B50 (50% biodiesel), and so on. Diesel engines can operate on any blend of biodiesel without modification. Biodiesel is manufactured from oils such as soy, canola, and used vegetable oil. Biodiesel is not the same thing as raw vegetable oil. Fuel-grade biodiesel must be produced to strict industry specifications (ASTM D6751) in order to ensure proper performance.

Operationally, biodiesel blends perform very similar to low sulfur diesel in terms of power and torque. Additionally, biodiesel acts as a cleaning agent that clears build up from fuel lines and has been shown to actually increase diesel engine life. Initially, the release of deposits may end up in fuel filters so filters should be checked more frequently at first. The use of biodiesel in existing diesel engines does not void parts and materials workmanship warranties of any major US engine manufacturer.

Environmental Benefits

Biodiesel reduces net carbon dioxide emissions contributing to global warming by 78% compared to petroleum diesel. The CO2 released into the atmosphere when biodiesel is burned is recycled by growing plants which can later be processed into fuel. The average lifetime diesel soot cancer risk for a resident of Jackson County is 1 in 7,308. This risk is 137 times greater than EPA's acceptable cancer level of 1 in a million. Pure biodiesel emissions have decreased levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH compounds that have been identified as potential cancer causing compounds. Also, particulate matter, and emission linked to asthma and other diseases, is reduced by about 47%. Carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas, is reduced by about 48%. The exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compare to petroleum diesel. The ozone (smog) forming potential of biodiesel hydrocarbons is 50% less than that measured for diesel fuel. Pure biodiesel (B100) is non-toxic and biodegradable.