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1. National Security – Biodiesel reduces our dependence on foreign oil and can play a major role in expanding domestic refining capacity thereby reducing our reliance on foreign relations. The 500 million gallons of biodiesel produced in the U.S. in 2007 displaced 20 million barrels of petroleum. Increased production and use of biodiesel will continue this trend. In addition, biodiesel is an extremely efficient fuel that creates 4.5 units of energy for every unit of fuel that is required to produce the fuel.
2. Cleaner Environment – Biodiesel is proven to reduce dangerous emissions which contribute to climate change. In other words, biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to voluntarily perform EPA Tier I and Tier II testing to quantify emission characteristics and health effects. That study found that B20 reduced total hydrocarbons by up to 30, carbon monoxide up to 20, and total particulate matter up to 15. Research also documents the fact that the ozone forming potential of the hydrocarbon emissions of pure biodiesel is nearly 50 less than that of petroleum fuel. Pure biodiesel does not Read the rest of this entry »

Are new rules mandated by the federal government to increase biofuels production causing food prices to rise? The leading factor to higher food costs is the rising cost of crude oil, which over a four-year period, more than tripled from 40 a barrel to nearly 150 in July of 2008. Food often travels through multiple states, making it highly susceptible to fuel costs. U.S. biodiesel has a very small impact on food costs. In the past year, food prices have risen 5.1 percent. Only an estimated 0.2 – 0.6 percent of that total increase has been contributed to biofuel production according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).Since the majority of car owners in the United States don’t own a diesel engine vehicle, how does biodiesel production help the average consumer? The US Department of Energy estimates that without biodiesel as a resource gas prices would increase .20 to .35 per gallon. For a typical household, that means biodiesel helps them save of about 150 to 300 per year. For the U.S. overall, this saves gas expenditures of Read the rest of this entry »

Clif Bar & Company based in Berkely, Callifornia runs its fleet of 15 regional field marketing vehicles on biodiesel made from 100 recycled vegetable oil. The company estimates that by using biodiesel it has eliminated the need for 8000 gallons of gasoline each year and reduced its fleet’s CO2 emissions by roughly 40.Disneyland began using 98 percent biodiesel fuel in 2007 in the park’s five steam train attractions and added its use to include the Mark Twain Riverboat and other equipment and estimate the biodiesel use reduces petroleum consumption by 200,000 gallons a year.Raleigh-Durham International Airport uses biodiesel in most of the facility’s diesel equipment and vehicles including shuttle buses and fire trucks. The airport states they average about 80,000 miles a year and the switch has been positive since the mechanics like it due to its cleanliness (compared to diesel) and the customers appreciate no more black smoke and offensive diesel smells from the shuttles.Sports teams like the Houston Astros, the Indianapolis Colts, the Read the rest of this entry »

The Renewable Fuels Association has listed the following facts pertaining to the use of ethanol in conjunction with engine performance. How’d they get these facts, you might ask. Well, with over a trillion miles driven on ethanol-blended fuel since 1980, including some national and international racing teams, you can bet the sample pool was not limited in scope. Here are a few outtakes:

• With a 113 octane rating, ethanol is the highest performance fuel on the market and Read the rest of this entry »

Transportation continues to be the chief consumer of energy on the planet, and will remain that way as car usage in the US, China and other developing nations grow in the years ahead. More people have access to motor vehicles than ever before, and the number of car owners will continue to rise.In 2003, there were roughly 15 cars for every 1,000 people in the world. By 2020, the figure is expected to reach 50 per 1,000 people, with most of the growth in emerging international markets.One forecast suggests the number of cars worldwide will grow from about 800 million in 2004 to 2.5 billion by 2030. The technology and infrastructure to support hydrogen fuel cells is decades off. The private auto, consuming hydrocarbon and/or alternative fuels, will remain Read the rest of this entry »