What is biodiesel?
Natural, renewable resources such as vegetable oils and recycled restaurant greases can be chemically transformed into clean-burning biodiesel fuels. As its name implies, biodiesel is like diesel fuel except that it's organically produced. It's also safe for the environment, biodegradable, and produces significantly less air pollution that diesel fuel. It even smells better than diesel fuel — it smells like french fries, donuts, or barbecue.

How is biodiesel made?
Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel)and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products). Please see our schematic.

Is biodiesel safe?
Yes! Biodiesel is made from cooking oils and alcohol, so if you spill it on the ground, it will quickly degrade in to natural organic residues. We don't recommend you drink it, however. After all, you probably wouldn't want to drink a cup of cooking oil, because it will "lubricate" your digestive tract. Biodiesel is as toxic as table salt, and safe to handle. Mechanics who use biodiesel notice that their hands don't crack and dry out the way they do with diesel fuel. Many people use biodiesel in marine environments to protect wildlife and hatcheries.

Does biodiesel reduce air pollution?
Absolutely. Biodiesel reduces nearly all forms of air pollution. Most importantly, biodiesel reduces air toxics and cancer-causing compounds. Pure biodiesel can reduce the cancer risk by 94%; B20 (20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel) will reduce that risk by as much as 27%. There is no sulfur in biodiesel, so biodiesel won't contribute to sulfur dioxide emissions or poison exhaust catalysts. B20 has 20% of the benefits of pure biodiesel. B20 can also reduce the soot and smell of diesel exhaust.

Emission                                           B100                                 B20
Carbon monoxide                                   -43.2%                            -12.6%
Hydrocarbons                                        -56.3%                            -11.0%
Particulates                                           -55.4%                            18.0%
Nitrous oxides                                        +5.8%                            +1.2%
Air toxics                                              -60%–90%                   -12.0%–20%
Mutagenicity                                         -80%–90%                        -20%

Does biodiesel reduce greenhouse gases?
Yes. Each year, soybeans and other plants that produce oils used in cooking or making biodiesel draw CO2 from the atmosphere to build stems, leaves, seeds (which contain the oil), and roots. At the end of the year, the oil used for biodiesel is burned and the leftover plant material decomposes, returning the carbon from the fuel and the plant matter to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide ( CO2).

This recycling of carbon from CO2 in the atmosphere to carbon in plant material and back to atmosphere results in no accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. Therefore, it does not contribute to global climate change. Carbon dioxide from the petroleum fuels used for fertilizer, farm equipment, or transportation during biodiesel production accumulates in the atmosphere year after year. As a result, biodiesel produces 78% less CO2 that diesel fuel. Biodiesel produces 2661 grams of CO2 per gallon, compared to 12,360 grams per gallon for petroleum diesel fuel.

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