Fighting Global Warming: Biodiesel Expansion Around the World
May 6, 2008 – 11:07 amWith worldwide climate change and global temperatures rapidly climbing, people are turning to cleaner sources of energy. Biodiesel is a promising alternative fuel that can make the Earth a healthier place to live in. Today, there is increasing expansion in the production, distribution and use of this clean and renewable energy supply.
Biodiesel is made from a process called transesterification, where the fats and oils in animals and plants are processed into the substances that compose the fuel. As early as 1853, scientists J. Patrick and E. Duffy had already conducted a kind of transesterification of vegetable oil.
In 1900, Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine, demonstrated a diesel engine that ran on peanut oil at the World Fair in Paris. However, this peanut oil fuel is not considered biodiesel because it didn’t go through the transesterification process.
Interest in the use of vegetable oils for fuel remained through the 1920s and 1930s. France, China, the United Kingdom, and Japan experimented and tested these oils. However, their scientists encountered some problems because of the viscosity of the oils, which led to engine deposits.
G. Chavanne of Belgium produced the first biodiesel in 1931. Since then, various research and experimentation have been conducted to improve biodiesel. In the 1990s, European countries began installing biodiesel power plants. By 1998, 21 countries began producing commercial products. Today, manufacturers use several sources to manufacture biodiesel.
All around the world today, biodiesel use is expanding. In Australia, almost all metropolitan trains and buses in Adelaide run on 5% biodiesel mixed with petroleum. In Canada, the government has set a goal of 500 million liters of biodiesel by 2010. In Finland, an oil company plans to build a production plant with a capacity of 170,000 tons per year.
In Scotland a power plant capable of producing 50 million liters per year opened in 2005. Meanwhile, in Brazil, three biodiesel factories have been producing 45.6 million liters each year. In India, the government encourages the cultivation of Jatropha plants. The oil of this plant is used for railway engines.
Farmers in the United States use the fuel in their tractors to raise public awareness. Aside from these countries, Thailand, Norway, Belgium, Costa Rica , Singapore, and others have also already taken steps to increase their biodiesel production.
By improving fuel technology and raising people’s awareness about biodiesel, the Earth may see a better future with this clean and green fuel.
Tags: Cars
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