Using biodiesel offers the following benefits:

Energy Security

According to the National Biodiesel Board, with agricultural commodity prices approaching record lows, and petroluem prices approaching record highs, it is clear that more can be done to utilize domestic supplies of vegetable oils while enhancing our energy security. Because biodiesel can be manufactured using existing industrial production capacity, and used with conventional equipment, it provides substantial opportunity for immediately addressing our energy security issues.

If the true cost of using foreign oil were imposed on the price of imported fuel, renewable fuels, such as biodiesel, probably would be the most viable option. For instance, in 1996, it was estimated that the military costs of securing foreign oil was $57 billion annually. Foreign tax credits accounted for another estimated $4 billion annually and environmental costs were estimated at $45 per barrel. For every billion dollars spent on foreign oil, America lost 10,000-25,000 jobs.

Reduced Emissions

Using Biodiesel not only dramatically reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions compared with using petrodiesel, it also has reduced emissions of other major pollutants. Emissions of Carbon monoxide, Hydrocarbons and particulates are all reduced although nitrogen oxides can be slightly higher (see figure 1). However, a reduction in emissions of nitrogen oxides of 4% can be achieved if the fuel injection timing is retarded by 2 or 3 degrees.

Figure 1: Emissions of major air pollutants from diesel engines


Engine performance

Since biodiesel has higher cetane and lubricity properties, your diesel engine will run smoother and sound quieter.  This can be realized with blends from 5% to 100% biodiesel.