Biodiesel Science

Matt Oconnor asked:


If you are looking for a way to save on your fuel costs, it’s time for you to take a look at the different fuel alternatives available for you. Petroleum prices have been steadily growing with oil getting more expensive in the world market. Before you find yourself worrying about the rising prices, it’s very welcome news that there are some alternatives that you can consider to alleviate your fuels expenses.

One of the more promising fuel alternatives available today is biodiesel. Biodiesel is processed fuel that derives from biological sources such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel as a processed fuel differentiates it from the use of straight vegetable oil or waste vegetable oil as alternative fuels.

Another advantage of biodiesel is that it can be readily used in current diesel engines as a fuel unlike straight vegetable oil fuel which may require the same diesel engines to be modified.

Biodiesel is also seen as an environmentally friendly alternative. It’s both biodegradable and non-toxic. It has low sulfur content and produces fewer particle emissions than your conventional petroleum based diesel fuel.

What’s more, the process of making biodiesel fuel has been extensively developed to a point that it is now possible to produce this alternative fuel right in your own home. There are now biodiesel kits made available to allow you as well as other consumers to make your own biodiesel to use.

If you’re really concerned with trying to bring down your expenses on fuel, investing on a biodiesel kit might be a wise decision. A biodiesel kit is simply a system that you can use to convert waste or straight vegetable oil into an alternative fuel that you can effectively use in your diesel-engined cars.

Most biodiesel kits are portable enough that you can set it up anywhere in your home. But most people prefer to set it up on vacant outdoor space such as a tool shed or just under an overhang.

So why should you buy a biodiesel kit? There are a number of reasons. One is to save money. With a diesel kit, you may be able to make your own alternative fuel which will be able to help you save about two dollars per gallon.

You will be able to produce and make use of cleaner and better quality diesel which can be a benefit to the environment. With biodiesel, you can also make your car engine run better on a cleaner alternative fuel which in turn can also help your car engine run longer. Not only will you be saving on fuel costs, you’re also helping the environment instead on contributing to its demise.

There are more reasons in store that will help you decide in getting your own biodiesel kit. You might be able to produce more biodiesel than you can use and sell it instead to make money.

By producing your own fuel with your own biodiesel kit, you no longer have to rely on oil companies for fuel. You never have to worry about the rising costs of conventional fuel. You can even produce biodiesel as fuel to produce electricity for your home or office. With all of these reasons, you can now look at a biodiesel kit as a worthwhile investment.

Ninadecaramelo asked:


I live in Phoenix, Arizona. Do you know of anyone who can convert my truck to biodiesel, and what do you need to do to convert a truck to biodiesel? I want to keep using my truck in an environmentally sound way, and I want to make a stand against using oil by not buying gasoline anymore!

bdowty01 asked:


I have a 1995 chevy Lumina LS 3.1 mid sized car. And what do i have to do to convert it to ethanol or biodiesel for cheap or free.

Levi Quinn asked:


Biodiesel is a diesel fuel that is non-petroleum based and consists of a chain of methyl, propyl, ethyl and esters. It is made by transesterification of animal fat or vegetable oil which are either used independently or are blended with petrodiesel in original cars. Biodiesel is regulated as an ester and excludes other various types of diesel fuels. Biodiesel is a product that that is distributed to be used in retail fuel markets. Diesel on the other hand is a fuel that is used in most diesel engines. It has a density of about 7.09 gallons which translates to about 18% more than petrol that has a density of 6.01 lbs/gallons. When burnt, diesel releases 38.6 MJ/I of combustion. 

One difference between biodiesel and diesel is that biodiesel requires earlier ignition phasing in order to guarantee peak efficiency. Using biodiesel rather than diesel helps preserve the environment compared to using diesel. It also lacks a legal penalty in ultimate performance from switching. Another great difference that biodiesel has over diesel is that its production is quite scalable. Small and large business, private consumers of oil, local co-operatives and large businesses have in the past produced biodiesel using local means such as by using feedstock that has been grown locally. This has helped contribute to the home economies of most nations.

Biodiesel can help save the environment in many ways. One, unlike the ordinary diesel, biodiesel uses waste products obtained from other farming products such as leaves and stems. These kinds of products are generally viewed as by products of the most important parts of the vegetation. This way, biodiesel helps increase the general efficiency since fewer natural resources are used to grow the materials. The other advantage of biodiesel especially to the environment is that it is produces lower emissions and is more energy efficient compared to other form of energy. Biodiesel is produced using the latest technology including the particulate trap and filters. This in the end helps reduce greatly the climate effects that are caused by the emissions that are currently in the atmosphere. 

In the third world countries, sources of bio diesel use marginal parcels of land. For instance, oil nuts are usually grown along rail lines and roads. In other tropical regions such as Indonesia and Malaysia, oil palm is grown rapidly in order to meet the high demand of biodiesel in countries like Europe and other world markets. This helps reduce over reliance on diesel thus help sustain the environments putting in mind that the source of the biodiesel is solar energy that is captured by growing plants during processes such as photosynthesis.

Bio diesel also helps in the reduction of greenhouse emissions, biodegradation and pollution. Biodiesel helps reduce the demand for first generation biofuels that is very likely to cause over reliance on other form of energy thus cause increase in emissions. This is because research has established that when fewer farmers produce food, the cost of food production will be on the rise.

Brian asked:


With fuel prices going up do you think that biodiesel can make it right now? Will higher feedstock prices outweigh the increased cost of biodiesel?