What Plants Are Used To Make Biofuel
As we all know, biodiesels are in great demand across the world. People’s need for crude oil is not being met sufficiently. Hence more and more are looking at alternative fuels to run their daily lives smoothly. Whatever little oil is available is being sold at a high price. This has not left us with many choices except to switch over to another effective fuel to fulfill our demand. |
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Biodiesel is a non-petroleum fuel. This is what separates it from fossil fuels like coal and gasoline. It can be derived from plant oils, animal oils and waste products. The first time vegetable oil was used as a fuel was in 1900. Rudolph Diesel built a diesel engine that ran on peanut oil. This was a biofuel and not biodiesel since it did not undergo the transesterification process. In the 1920s manufacturers were building cars that could run on the low viscosity of petrodiesel. Those were the times when fossil fuel was much cheaper compared to biomass fuels.
Today, the prices of fuel are skyrocketing. The world is again looking at biodiesel to meet the requirement for fuel. Ironically, its price is cheaper compared to fossil fuels. Biodiesel can be produced from vegetable oils like mustard, jatropha, mahua, palm oil, field pennycress, wheat, soybean, sugar cane, beet root, corn, hemp and algae. Of all these, corn and soybean are the most popular choices when it comes to production of biodiesel. However, with the prices for these two raw materials touching a high, jatropha is being increasingly used as an alternative. Countries like India and Philippines have taken to planting jatropha in a big way. India has a rail line between Delhi and Mumbai that is planted with jatropha. Interestingly, the train between the two stations runs on 20% biodiesel. The advantage of growing this plant is that it can be grown along with crops of sugar, coffee, vegetable and various fruits.
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Biofuels are being used to end the energy crisis that the world is facing today. There are many advantages of using this alternative fuel that are cited. Biofuels have plenty of benefits. They help reduce toxic emissions from engines, minimize dependency on fossil fuels, nullify greenhouse gas emissions and are also fuel efficient. However, the truth remains that not all consumers have taken to biofuels in a big way. 
