Imagine heading to the gas station and filling your gas tank with something other than petroleum. Many people don’t even realize that there is a potential option. Biodiesel is a fuel that is both clean burning and produced with renewable resources. Biodiesel is also biodegradable. It can be described as a diesel fuel that is made from a source other than petroleum.

Biodiesel can be created with either animal fats or simple vegetable oil. This particular fuel option isn’t a new concept, the idea was first brought up in Brussels in 1937, but it is gaining popularity and will likely become the fuel of the future. With the increasing fuel prices and a pending energy crisis looming, something has to change when it comes to filling our gas tanks. Some gas stations are already offering biodisel but very few people understand exactly what biodiesel is and how it will benefit the United Sates population.

The US Postal Service is already using biodiesel in its fleet. A popular misconception about biodiesel is that all engines will have to be retrofitted or redesigned. Not true, Biodisel will work in any diesel engine. It can also be blended for use in vehicles without diesel engines. Another benefit, biodiesel can be produced with United States grown products.

The United States will no longer have to rely on the Middle East for fuel and be dependent upon their resources. Our fuel prices and availability will not be contingent upon their government or politics. Using US grown products also gives the money back to the United States economy and not to the Middle Eastern governments. By producing this fuel on US soil, new jobs will be created, thus helping stimulate our economy. The farm industry will see tremendous growth as biodiesel will be using products grown on farms across our nation. Biodiesel is nontoxic and will be better for our already deteriorating air quality.

Studies have shown that the emissions produced by cars using biodiesel are almost nonexistent. Unlike petroleum, our daily driving will not be polluting the air we breathe or contributing to the greenhouse effect. Biodiesel is considered a high octane fuel. This means that it will help car engines work more efficiently and thus provide the owner with a higher engine performance.

A car’s engine will not be as loud and will last longer than if using petroleum based fuel. Currently, producing biodiesel is very expensive, but as the process is perfected and the idea becomes more popular with the public, prices should be lower. With the many benefits biodiesel offers to the car owners, the country and to our planet, biodiesel is certainly a very viable source of fuel for the future.

The term bio refers to life as a whole. The biofuel is obtained from dead and decomposed plants and animal waste which are found in all states of matter.

There are many advantages and disadvantages to biofuels when using them as energy sources. The main difference between fossil fuels and bio fuels is the time taken to replenish them. Biofuels are renewable resource and can be obtained easily compared to fossil fuels which take over a million years. The burning of biofuels is not as hazardous as fossil fuels.

The biofuels are classified into 4 types based on the generation and are aptly entitled as first, second, third and fourth generation bio fuels.

Vegetable fats, carbohydrates like sugar and starch, food-crops, animal fats etc. contribute in the production of biogas bio-diesel and also vegetable oil. They are typical referred to as first generation biofuels.

Wood is decomposed to form alcohols and diesel which in turn fall under the second generation of bio fuels. In general second generation bio fuels are produced from biomass which offers a better balance in comparison to first generation fuels.

Algae are the floating waste matter over the water which at times causes several problems to aquatic life. These algae when taken on a large scale provide a large amount of biofuels. They fall under the third generation of bio fuels and aren’t harmful to the land.

The bio fuel generated by scientific methods where micro organisms are allowed to breed on plants and carbon dioxide, fall under the fourth generation biofuels.

The main advantages of biofuels are that they offer a better alternative to the fast depleting fossil fuels. They are comparatively less hazardous as their combustion forms lower amount of carbon residues. Since they are prepared from very basic sources, they are cheap and highly beneficial.

However every coin has two sides and bio fuels have some disadvantages as well. The main problem is that they are not entirely environment friendly. This has always been a topic of debate. Another problem is the want of land. Bio fuel generation requires large areas for cultivation and this poses a huge problem. Again the problem is that of consumption as the same plant is used for both fuel generation and human consumption which becomes ironical.

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