Fighting Global Warming: Biodiesel Expansion Around the World
People are turning to cleaner sources of energy. because of worldwide climate change and rising global temperatures. Biodiesel is an 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 fuel.
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. However, the fuel cannot be considered biodiesel because it didn’t go through transesterification.
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.
In Australia, almost all buses and metropolitan trains in Adelaide run on 5% biodiesel. The South Australian Government plans to move up to 20% biodiesel soon. In Canada, the government has set a goal of 500 million liters by 2010. In Finland, an oil company plans to construct a production plant with a capacity of 170,000 tons per year.
Scotland has a a power plant capable of producing 50 million liters per year. Brazil has three commercial biodiesel factories that produce 45.6 million liters per year. In India, the government encourages the cultivation of Jatropha plants, the oil of which 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.
National governments around the world are making policies to increase the biodiesel blends that they use to fight global warming. By improving fuel technology, establishing larger biodiesel networks, raising people’s awareness and increasing biodiesel use, the Earth may see a better future through this clean and green fuel.
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