Bio-Diesel

Bio-Diesel has the following beneficial characteristics:

• Reduces dependence on foreign oil
• Sustainable, non-toxic and biodegradable
• Promotes economic development
• Produces lower emissions
• Extended engine life

Bio-diesel is a fuel produced from renewable resources such as vegetable oil rather than petroleum and can be directly used as a fuel or blended with conventional diesel fuel made from petroleum (petro diesel). The benefits of bio-diesel are long: Bio-diesel can run in almost any vehicle that can run on petro diesel with few or no modifications.

Diesel makes up 22% of the ground transportation fuel in the United States, and, due to new breakthroughs, can now be manufactured in synthetic form at a cost using vegetable oil that is competitive with petroleum based Diesel. Bio-diesel has varying benefits: It is less toxic to humans, better for the environment and better for diesel engines. At 200 million gallons, bio-diesel made up just over 0.5% (of the nearly $100 billion of American fuel consumed in 2006. Bio-diesel production in the U.S. and abroad is growing dramatically and expected to continue.