Biodiesel

From WikiCover

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel derived from natural sources such as vegetable oils and animal fats and can be blended seamlessly into diesel fuel.

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Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel made from oils derived from farm crops and animal fats and can be used in most conventional diesel engines with no significant engine modification. It can be used in pure form (100 percent biodiesel) or in a blended form, in which it replaces a percentage of regular diesel. Its environmental benefits include the fact that it results in 78 percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than petroleum diesel and that the ozone forming potential of biodiesel hydrocarbons is fifty percent less than that measured for petroleum diesel.

Compared to petroleum-based diesel, biodiesel significantly reduces air emissions, complies with strict low sulfur mandates, and can be used in diesel blends with no modifications or infrastructure changes. Furthermore, biodiesel supports the U.S. farm economy, improves regional and national energy security, expands tight fuel inventories, and reduces America's foreign oil dependence

In 2006, the National Biodiesel Board estimates that more than 250 million gallons of biodiesel were consumed in the United States, up from 75 million in 2005. The industry intends to replace five percent, or three billion gallons, of the country's petroleum diesel for on-road uses by 2015.