Biodiesel FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources such as soybeans, sunflowers, canola, waste cooking oil, or animal fats. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines or oil-fired boilers or furnaces with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
How is biodiesel made?
Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification in which the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products—alkyl esters (the generic chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products).
Why should I use biodiesel?
Biodiesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil, creates jobs, and contributes to our own economy.
How do biodiesel emissions compare to petroleum diesel?
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine or oil-fired furnace or boiler results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel.
Can biodiesel help mitigate "global warming"?
A 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces net CO2 emissions by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel. This is due to biodiesel's closed carbon cycle. Most of the CO2 released into the atmosphere when biodiesel is burned is recycled by growing plants, which are later processed into more fuel.
What is B100?
Full strength (100 percent) biodiesel is often referred to as B100 or "neat" biodiesel. A blend of biodiesel containing 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel is referred to as B20. The most popular blend of biodiesel in the United Sates is B20, which offers significant reductions in harmful emissions at an affordable price.
Can I heat my home with biodiesel?
Biodiesel is just as safe and performs as well as regular Number 2 heating oil, except that it burns cleaner. In fact, in most cases biodiesel can be blended with regular heating oil at a concentration up to 20 percent with no adverse effects. Higher concentrations can be used with minor oil-burner retrofits.
For more information about biodiesel in Vermont, visit the Vermont Biofuels Association.
Some of the above material was adapted from the National Biodiesel Board, www.biodiesel.org