Are Biodiesels the Solution to Our Energy Problems

[adam eddy]

In recent times biodiesels have been advertised as the answer to all
of the energy problems of the United States and other developed
countries. What biological resources offer is:


Cheaper fuel
Cleaner air
A renewable fuel source
A homegrown fuel alterative, allowing the United States to become free
from its over-dependence on foreign oil.What Are Biodiesel Fuels?

Biodiesel is a fuel for vehicles of all kinds such as cars, trucks,
buses and other such means of transportation. The renewable fuels are
actually made from fatty acid alkylesters which can be gotten from
vegetable oil, soybean oil, animal fats and other products such as
recycled restaurant grease. It is safe in a lot of ways and can be
handled, stored and transported easily.
What Are Its Benefits
If these renewable fuels are used in its pure form it makes for a fuel
that burns much more cleanly and emits a lesser number of air
pollutants. Biofuels also help in the reduction of dangerous emissions
of different hydrocarbons, sulfates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,
carbon monoxide and nitrated aromatic hydrocarbons. It also protects
from other forms of particulate matter that tend to enter the air with
the use of petroleum based fuels.
Scientific researchers currently believe that carbon dioxide alone is
one of the major causative factors of greenhouse gasses which are
linked in turn to global warming. The use of 100% biodiesel fuels is
able to reduce the effects of dangerous greenhouse gases by as much as
75%.
The environment alone isn't the sole beneficiary of the use of
bioogical fuel resources. Humans also benefit from the use of
biodiesels. These sorts of fuels are better for both our lungs as well
as our hearts; they also smell better to burn than diesel smoke.
Who Can Use Biodiesel Fuel?
A lot of these renewable fuel sources are currently available in one
form or the other today. A number of gasoline stations today offer
fuel that is partly a mixture of about 80% petroleum and about 20%
biodiesels. The consensus however is that a whole lot more has to be
done in order to provide fuels that are completely made of naturally
renewable resources to the general public.
Quite unlike most people think, most vehicles that were built after
1994 can handle biological fuels; some of them require some little
modifications while others require none at all. No special fuel pumps
or filling stations are necessary and fuel can actually be made rather
quickly and efficiently as well.
The soybean industry has been one of the proponents of biodiesel fuel
for a long time now. The strong points in favor of biodiesel fuels are
the positive effects it has on the environment and the nation's
economy. The recent surveys conducted by the United States Department
of Energy have shown that enough food exists to make approximately 2
billion gallons of biological based fuel.
The cost of biodiesels is quite negligible and soybean oil which is
the more popular ingredient for biodiesels is the most expensive at 20
cents a pound. The total costs of producing 1 gallon of fuel based on
soybean oil costs just a lot less than $1.50 per gallon. By using
recycled fats and grease you spend even less at a little more than a
dollar per gallon to make.
The Downside of Using Biodiesel Fuel
Different downsides exist with the use of these alternative fuels. Car
manufacturers believe that some biodiesel fuels may affect the
durability of a vehicle engine. They require whole lot more
maintenance than when they use conventional petroleum products. These
unique fuels also aren't that efficient in cold weather climates.
Further research is required to make the fuel work better in extremely
lower temperatures. On the whole however, these are the only minor
problems in the journey for a form of fuel supply that is cleaner,
cheaper and a lot more available
too.
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