Advantages of Biodiesel

An increasing number of people would like to do something to help slow down climate change. Realistically, accommodating changes in our every day lives is the best way to ensure we will stay green. The type of fuel we use to power our vehicles is perhaps one of the most central decisions we can make in order to achieve our goal of sustainability because transportation is so central to our lives. So let�s consider the advantages of using biodiesel.

Biodiesel is a type of diesel that can be made of plant oils and other natural sources. While some types of biofuels have been shown not to be as green as they first touted to be, such as the ones derived from soy beans, corn and sunflower, in some cases there are environmental advantages of using biodiesel, especially in comparison with traditional diesel. Biodiesel made from waste has environmental advantages over biodiesel made from crops

The main advantages of using biodiesel come from the fact that its exhaust emissions contain less particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons while sulfur-containing compounds appear to be undetectable. On the negative side, the combustion of biodiesel in a diesel engine typically does increase the release in nitrogen oxides, which, in addition to inducing potential health effects, have been identified as an ozone precursor. However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a series of biodiesel exhaust emission standards for various on-road and off-road diesel engine types. These standards are intended to reduce specific components of diesel exhaust (such as nitrogen oxide and particulate matter concentrations) by decreasing fuel sulfur content and particle traps, among other methodologies.

There are health advantages of using biofuel as well. There is scientific evidence that diesel exhaust has a less harmful impact than petroleum diesel fuel, with little effect on human cells. In contrast, petroleum diesel exhaust has been found to kill throat cells and other cell cultures. However, there�s a consensus that more research is necessary into the effect that biodiesel exhaust can have on biologic systems.

Other advantages of using biodiesel include energy efficiency during production (in contrast with traditional diesel), de-centralised production (it can be produced locally, thus decreasing dependency on foreign countries) and increased vehicle lifespan since the machine benefits from a smaller amount of harmful elements.