Biodiesel and vegetable oil is a renewable substitute fuel for petrol diesel made from vegetable or animal fats. It can be used in any mixture with mineral diesel as it has very similar characteristics but it has lower exhaust emissions. Using Biodiesel and cooking oils results in large reductions in overall carbon dioxide emissions and it is carbon dioxide that is a major contributor to climate change. In fact when the Biodiesel is manufactured from waste vegetable oil the fuel is almost carbon neutral i.e. the carbon dioxide released during combustion and manufacture is offset by the carbon dioxide consumed during the growth of the crops that are used to produce the raw oil. Biodiesel seamlessly integrates with current engine technology and fuelling infrastructure. It’s the first clean fuel that does not require fleet operators to purchase new vehicles or construct new facilities. Advantages of Using Biodiesel and cooking oils:

Offers improved lubricity over petrol diesel Runs in existing unmodified diesel enginesHigher cetane rating than mineral diesel for better engine performance Higher flashpoint than petroleum diesel makes it safer to handle. Exhaust emissions are reduced,Integrates with the existing fuelling infrastructure Low-risk - simple to phase in and out of use Local renewable source of energyReduced toxicity to plants, animals and humans Biodegradable

source:Planet fuel

Biodiesel is made through a process called transesterification whereby the glycerine is separated from the vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products - biodiesel (Mono-alkyl ester) and glycerine (a valuable by-product used in soaps and other products).

source:Green fuel

Vegetable oil is made for human consumption in food from a variety of seeds like:Sunflowers,soya beans,rapeseeds,peanuts,colza,corn,etc.

Vegetable oil as fuel has been around for over a century. Dr. Rudolf Diesel actually invented the diesel engine to run on vegetable oil and in-fact when he presented his showed his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, his engine was running on a fuel derived from peanut oil. Prior to his death in 1913 he stated that; "The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it." and "The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time." However due to the low cost of mineral oils at the time his engine was modified to run such oils. However, in European countries since the mid 1990's and in UK since 2002 reductions in biofuels duty has made the use of biodiesel and veg oils economically viable as is now seen to be the "sustainable fuel of the future".

Life for the diesel engine began in 1893 when the German inventor Rudolph Diesel published a paper called “The Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Engine”. What the paper described was a revolutionary engine in which air would be compressed by a piston to a very high pressure thereby causing a high temperature. Because of the high temperatures created, the engine was able to run a variety of vegetable oils including hemp and peanut oil. At the 1911 World's Fair in Paris, Rudolph ran his engine on peanut oil and declared 'the diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and will help considerably in the development of the agriculture of the countries which use it.” Diesel was a man with a vision, he believed his highly efficient engine would allow people to take on and break free from the large industries, which had virtually monopolised the dominant power source of the time - the expensive and inefficient steam engine. Not everyone shared his vision though. In 1913 Rudolph Diesel died mysteriously. Shortly after finishing supper one night during a channel crossing aboard his steamboat he simply disappeared. His body was found a few days later adrift in the English Channel. His death has never been properly explained but it is thought that he may have been assassinated by the German government to keep diesel engine technology out of the UK submarine fleet. Germany was preparing for war at the time but Rudolph Diesel remained friends with many leading members of the British government and military.

Shortly after his death Germany introduced diesel-engine U-boats. This was not technology they would have wanted to share. After Rudolph Diesel's death the petroleum industry capitalised on the diesel engine by naming one of their by-products of the gasoline distillation process 'diesel fuel'. Within a few years, the petroleum companies had monopolised the market for cheap fuel with their by-product and it was largely forgotten that diesel engines could be powered on just about anything The next 70 years would see nearly all research focused on how to improve the performance of the engine using petroleum based diesel fuel. Production of Diesel fuel has polarised into the hands of a few multi-national companies. The western World’s obsession with the supply of fossil fuel has seen wars, human rights abuses and environmental destruction just to control the source of this fuel. Today the diesel engine is the workhorse of the 21st century. It is used around the planet to power cars, boats, trucks, buses and ships and diesel generators are the favoured emergency back up supplies in the event of an electricity failure. Using biodiesel offers a chance to break this hold and return production of fuel back to small-scale local producers. The ability to produce a high-grade road fuel using a local waste product, without the need for expensive technology is just one of the many advantages of Biodiesel. Nearly 100 years after his death we might see Rudolph Diesels vision achieved.

source:Planet fuel