Biodiesel fuel is a renewable alternative fuel made for standard diesel engines. It is made from co-products and by-products derived from agricultural sources such as soybean oil, rapeseed, old used cooking oil, and corn oil. It is a non-toxic and biodegradable fuel with no trace of petroleum.

Interestingly biodiesel can be utilized for the diesel engines alone or blended with petroleum diesel.
In order to be called biodiesel fuel in strict sense, the biofuel must conform to the quality standards laid down by the ASTM D 6751.

The following paragraphs aim to provide a clear comprehension of what is regarded as biodiesel fuel.

Different blends of biodiesel fuel:

Biodiesel fuel is mostly used in blended form. The commonest blend is known as B20. It refers to containing 80% petroleum and 20% biodiesel. Similarly, if you are wondering what is biodiesel fuel blend B2, you should know that it is 98% petroleum plus 2% biodiesel fuel mix.
The letter B in the name of the mix indicates the volume of biodiesel it contains.
Noticeably, using B100 that is biodiesel fuel in the purest form necessitates certain changes in the engine. The modifications help in preventing problems related to maintenance and performance.

What sets biodiesel fuel apart from other alternative fuels?

Biodiesel possesses a host of unique qualities that other alternative fuels like alcohol fuels, biomass, and algae-based fuels lack.

1. Firstly, since it meets the standards specified in the 1990 Clean Air Acts Amendments, it has also passed the testing requirements for determining health effects. This property is not possessed by other alternative fuels.
2. Secondly, its viscosity is much nearer to the diesel fuel and that is why the fuel drop that biodiesel has been much lower. This property helps in burning the fuel cleaner.
3. Thirdly, it has greater lubricating properties than the lower sulphur diesel fuels have. Due to this reason, when biodiesel fuel is used, the fuel system remains protected from friction. The biodiesel fuel lends its lubricating quality to the fuel injection equipment also, and thus, extends its life.
4. Biodiesels ability to provide better combustion combined with lubrication lead to better energy output of the engine.
5. Finally, this fuel does not have any effect on synthetic rubbers like FKM-GF-S and FKM-GBL-S which are frequently used in vehicles being manufactured presently.

However, biodiesel does have an effect on certain kinds of natural rubbers.
Similarly, it interacts with copper and zinc, but does not affect stainless steel at all.

Benefits and shortcomings of biodiesel fuel

Now, it is clear what is biodiesel fuel. Here is a list of the advantages and disadvantages of this advanced biofuel.
The advantages of biodiesel fuel are as follows

• Since soybean production in the world always surpasses its demand, the wastage can be avoided by using the surplus production for making biodiesel fuel.
• It is more environment-friendly than petroleum. This is mainly because it uses sustainable, organic products to produce the fuel.
• It can be easily used in the current diesel engines and prevailing oil heating systems without any modifications.
• Unlike other alternative fuels, biodiesel can be made available to the people through the regular diesel fuel pumps.

The disadvantages of biodiesel fuel are as follows

• It is more expensive than conventional diesel: Currently, you will have to pay 1 ½ times more for this fuel than what you pay for petroleum diesel fuel.
• Less purity: It can be guilty of clogging the fuel filters in motors.
• Harder to locate: Distribution infrastructure not fully in place, which makes it’s use inconvenient in a number of locations.
• Difficult to produce: Very labour-intensive, with the growing and harvesting of crops to sustain supply.

Summary:

Biodiesel may be the preferred method for many planet-concious people who want to ‘save the planet’ and yet still drive their diesel engines. However it has to be pointed out that the fumes produced by a bio-diesel engine are not exactly eco-friendly!

You also have the fact that in many cases you may be driving a motor that smells like an old frying pan. This is simply down to the material gathered to extract the biodiesel from – mainly used fat from deep-fat friers.

With the arrival of more efficient methods of making cheap yet carbon friendly fuels, it would seem a reasonable bet that biofuels are more likely to be the choice of commercial applications only as these other cleaner methods take centre stage.