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Fighting Global Warming: Biodiesel Expansion Around the World

With 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 derived from a process called transesterification, where animal fats and plant oils are processed into the substances of the fuel. In 1853, scientists J. Patrick and E. Duffy had conducted a kind of transesterification of vegetable oil.

In 1900, Rudolf Diesel 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 transesterification.

Countries, such as the United Kingdom, China, Japan, and France tested and experimented with vegetable oils throughout the 1920s and 1930s. However, they encountered some problems because the viscosity of the oils led to engine deposits.

In 1931, the first biodiesel was produced by G. Chavanne of Belgium. Since then, various research have been conducted to improve the production of biodiesel. In the 1990s, European countries began installing biodiesel power plants. Today, manufacturers can use several sources to make biodiesel, like plant oils from sunflower, palm, peanut, canola, or soybean

In Australia, all metropolitan trains and almost all buses in Adelaide run on 5% biodiesel mixed with petroleum. The South Australian Government plans to move up to 20% biodiesel soon. In Canada, the government has set a goal of producing 500 million liters of the fuel by 2010. In Finland, a local oil company plans to build 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, farmers use the fuel in their tractors to raise public awareness. Aside from these countries, Costa Rica, Belgium, Singapore, Thailand, Norway, the Czech Republic, 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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