What is "Biodiesel"?

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel created from waste vegetable oil. 

How is it produced?

Biodiesel can be made with a fairly simple process known as transesterification. The process involves the exposure of waste vegetable oil to alcohol, cataylst, and heat. I won't bore you with the mechanics of the reaction, but if you are truly interested, please visit the document entitled "Biodiesel Production Analysis" under the Biodiesel Club's Community Page for a detailed description.

What are the benefits?

•  A Cleaner Environment
  Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to voluntarily perform EPA testing for emission characteristics and health effects. The study declared that a 20% biodiesel blend reduced total hydrocarbons up to 30%, carbon monoxide by up to 20%, and total particulate matter up to 15%. It was also noted that the ozone forming potential of pure biodiesel is 50% less than that of petroleum fuel. Biodiesel contains no sulfur, and thus releases zero sulfur dioxide emissions.
• Better Health
  Biodiesel is safer to breathe! Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH (nPAH) compounds are potential cancer-causing compounds found in petrofuels. Studies have shown a reduction of these compounds by up to 85% in biodiesel.
• National Security
  The production of biodiesel within the U.S. decreases our dependence on foreign oils. In 2007, 20 million barrels of petroleum were displaced by biodiesel produced within the United States. Over the years, domestic production will continue to increase and displace foreign oils.

How is Biodiesel a "Sustainable" Fuel?"

• Energy Balance
  Biodiesel fuel has a greater energy balance than any other transportation fuel. An energy balance accounts for the cradle-to-grave energy required to plant, harvest, produce, and transport the fuel. A recent analysis by the University of Idaho and U.S. Department of Agriculture concluded that there is a return of 4.5 units of energy for every unit of fossil energy needed to produce the fuel over its life cycle.
•  Water and Land Conservation
  Of the land that could be used for agriculture today, only one-third is used, and of that, only one percent is reserved for biofuel production. Furthermore, crops are not planted or irrigated solely for biodiesel production purposes, and the conversion of their co-products and byproducts to biodiesel materials uses very little water. In 2008, the entire U.S. biodiesel industry used less than the amount of water required to maintain two golf courses over the course of a year! Compared to petroleum diesel, biodiesel production reduces waste water by 79% and hazardous wastes by 96%.
• Diversity 
  Biodiesel is made from abundant and regionally available, renewable resources. Soybean oil, other plant oils, recycled restaurant grease, and other fats may be easily converted to biodiesel. Increased interest and demand for biodiesel has encouraged an emerging field of research on feedstocks including algae, arid land crops, and waste materials such as trap grease. This will improve the diversity and efficiency of biodiesel feedstocks.

**The UMBC Biodiesel Club is currently producing biodiesel on campus! If you are interested, please visit http://my.umbc.edu/groups/biodieselclub or email umbcbiodieselproject@gmail.com.