Why Use Biodiesel?
Biodiesel is the biggest environmental breakthrough since solar power, and is a cheap alternative to traditional fuel that also saves the environment--a rare combination. Biodiesel produces the same kilometers per liter, the same horsepower and torque as regular petrol. Best of all, it does not require any expensive engine modifications, and in some parts of the world it's also bringing communities together.

            Over 1000 cities worldwide have run biodiesel trials with public transport systems. In Europe consumers have been using biodiesel on a large scale for some time. It is particularly popular in Sweden where neighborhood sharing of the cost is popular. People set up cooperatives and share the benefits and the costs.

In an interview with "Bush Telegraph," a program produced by Australia's ABC Radio, Jane Grieve of Western Australia said she runs all her farm machinery on homemade biofuel. She claims they have had excellent results with all their vehicles. Less than 2 percent of her cropping program is dedicated to the canola that fuels her vehicles. On just 617 acres Jane produces 4000 gallons a day.

Adventurer, television personality and entrepreneur Shaun Murphy set out on a 30-state road trip around the U.S. with film crew in tow just to prove that renewable energy can power any number of vehicles for the long haul. His 1982 VW Jetta, nicknamed the Grass Car, is powered on 100 percent biodiesel. It has a fuel capacity of 10.5 gallons and a range of 405 miles. The most surprising thing about the car is that it is completely covered with recycled astroturf. Shaun also powered his Hummer on food scraps and his motorcycle on garbage and cow poo. Why? To raise awareness of renewable fuels. This guy's got a message!

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have a complete emissions results and potential health effects register with the EPA. And the figures stack up. This is the fuel of the future. All vehicles that run on renewable fuels recycle their carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere as gasoline does. To learn about the extensive environmental benefits for the developing world, see the National Biodiesel Board Web site.  

Where To Get It and What Crop To Use

There are small communities all over the world converting to biodiesel. The National Biodiesel Board has a map of distributors and retailers throughout the U.S. on their Web site. The best person to ask about local supplies is often a truck driver. There is a truck stop in Hillsboro, Texas that truckers will tell you about. They don't need to advertise.   

The highest yielding crop is not always the best crop to use. Some lower-yielding crops may require less labor, yield more byproducts, fix more soil nitrogen for fertilizer, or make a better fit with crop rotation.

            Western countries have adopted rapeseed (canola) as a winning producer. It takes 30 gallons of biodiesel to create 127 gallons or 97 net energy gallons from rapeseed. In production terms you get 112 "units of travel per acre of rapeseed biodiesel compared to 76" units of travel from corn ethanol for instance.

You Can Make It Yourself

Biodiesel is blended with regular diesel, generally at a ratio of either B5, B20 or some as high as around B50 (percent of biodiesel to diesel).

The Internet has various sites for recipes. There are companies advertising on the Web to sell their recipes and many are free. Google "biodiesel recipe" to find a few. The online Wikipedia encyclopedia also provides a biodiesel recipe and information on titration.

Government Conditions and Benefits

There is a fuel standard for biodiesel. To check the biodiesel standards for your country, do a Google search of "biodiesel standards" with your country's name.

They will generally be listed with your department of environment. In the U.S. biodiesel standards are governed by ASTM International (Standards Worldwide).

Check with your car manufacturer to be sure that their warranty includes composite diesel. Most will tolerate up to twenty parts per hundred of regular diesel. If not up to standard, gunning of engines is the result. So it's in everyone's interest to meet the standard. Waste oil is a product that also needs to be tracked, usually under local government regulations.

There is an excise and usually a government grant to offset the excise. Tax credits are allowed for blenders of biodiesel. Any blend of biodiesel mixed with diesel fuel or heating oil will qualify for a tax credit in the U.S. Other countries have similar rulings. The producer must identify the product as "biodiesel" or "agri-biodiesel" and it must be registered as a fuel with the EPA under standard ASTM 6751. The Jobs Act covers specific details, but payment is usually made within 45 days for paper claims and 20 days for online claims.

To produce or import biodiesel in the U.S., you must register with the IRS (Form 637; available at the Web site) by July 1 of the year prior to going into production. Other countries have similar licensing regulations. Check with your country's environmental protection authority.

The Future

In Victoria, Australia, where the growing season is more subject to weather extremes than in Europe, one farmer had to stop after a drought forced canola prices up. Biodiesel can turn cloudy with some products as temperature falls. Palm oil has a higher "cloudy" oil that canola or rape seed. This means that on very cold mornings the fuel doesn't go through the filter. This happens with regular diesel. Winter mix is a slightly older mix to cope with winter conditions.

Most farmers who have tried it say growing canola for biodiesel is worth the risk, because positioning now, when the cost of growing it is viable, is worth the opportunity cost.                                                          

According to Malcolm Aldridge, managing director of BioWorks, a company that provides equipment for home brewers of biodiesel, for a startup cost of $3000, you can produce 137 gallons a day, enough to service your local area on a cooperative basis. People are running backyard barbeques and sharing around the fuel.

Many predict the cost of fuel can only rise as politics intrudes on global oil production. Hopefully, those who get in now will be well prepared for the coming bust. For now, getting back the cost of production is a great start. So strike up the barbeque.        

With the not unpleasant aroma of fish and chips emanating from your biodiesel generator, it's not a bad way to invest in the future and help the environment as well as your neighbors.

ASTM International: http://www.astm.org/

Internal Revenue Service: http://www.irs.gov/

Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html/

National Biodiesel Board: http://www.biodiesel.org/

Shaun Murphy Home Page: http://www.coolfuelroadtrip.com/technology.htm/Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Wendy M. Sargeant is social science teacher who enjoys organic gardening in Queensland, Australia.