Biodiesel SoyOkay, let’s get something straight, it would not be even remotely accurate to label me as a left-wing environmentalist nut. First, I’m not a big fan of hybrid vehicles. (Soooo…whatcha gonna do with all those junk batteries, anyway? Ya got a plan for that?? No, I didn’t think so.) I also have no problem with the harvesting of trees. (Yep, they do grow back. Who woulda thunk it?) And I don’t think mankind is causing global warming. (Let’s see, we’ve had at least three major ice ages, not to mention a few minor ones, and they’ve all come to an end. Figure it out, Maynard. I could go on about this subject for days.) I am, however, a fan of alternative fuels - especially biodiesel - but for purely pragmatic reasons.

A Little Biodiesel History
Influenced by the work of Nicolas Carnot concerning the efficiency of engines; Rudolf Diesel felt certain that he could improve on the designs of Nicolaus Otto and, at the same time, develop an engine that would be both cheaper and more efficient than the steam engines then dominating industry, agriculture and transportation. He envisioned, and eventually developed, an engine that he hoped would provide the means by which smaller industries, farmers, and other regular folks could compete on even footing with industrial monopolies. One other thing; Diesel designed the engine to “utilize locally available fuels”. In other words: biodiesel. As a matter of fact; the “first diesel engine suitable for practical use” was demonstrated to the public at the 1898 Exhibition Fair in Paris - fueled by none other than peanut oil.

It follows, then, that early production diesel engines were often powered by vegetable oil; creating an increased demand for these bio-based fuels and, therefore, allowing for the expansion of the bio-based fuel industry. Because of the size and weight of the injection pump (which required the use of pressurized air), however, diesel engine use was limited to shipping and industry. This also meant that the growth of bio-fuel industry, while significant, was equally limited. Still, in 1912 Rudolf Diesel stated that “the use of vegetable oils may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time.”

In 1919 Clessie Cummins purchased the patent rights to the diesel engine and in the early ‘20s, more than seven years after the still unexplained disappearance of Rudolf Diesel (insert conspiracy theory here), an injection pump was finally designed that made mobile use of the diesel engine practical. At about this time the major oil conglomerates, in their formative years but formidable nonetheless, discovered that a gasoline distillation byproduct was especially suited for use as diesel engine fuel. The combination of these and other factors opened the door for a rapid growth in the use of diesel engines powering farm implements and vehicles while the new fuel became the standard for compression-fired engines; dooming the frail bio-based fuel industry to the throne of oblivion. That is, until now.

Part Two: Biodiesel Basics and Drawbacks

Part Three: Biodiesel Blends and Conclusions