It has been said that the very first diesel engine was designed to run on biodiesel fuel. The inventor of that first diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, designed a simple machine which ran on its own power for the first time on the 10^th of August, 1893 in Augsburg, Germany. This event is commemorated on the 10^th of August every year with International Biodiesel Day. The first engine was intended originally to run on a vegetable oil based biofuel, although over the coming years it evolved into the petroleum based diesel that the majority of people use today.

Made from vegetable oils and animal waste, biodiesel fuel is used exclusively in diesel engines as a natural fuel alternative. A commercial biodiesel is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, providing that it meets the industries strict specifications and guidelines and is in accordance with ASTM D6751, which are the specifications and standards set out for middle distillate fuels blended with biodiesel. These specifications outline specific tests performed, including but not limited to, kinematic viscosity and flash point. Biodiesel is legal to sell as a motor fuel provided that it is fully registered with the Environmental Protection Agency.

More recently, a new way of developing biodiesel fuel has been discovered in Texas. A microbe has been newly created by scientists, produces cellulose, which in turn can be made into ethanol and other biofuels. It is stated to have been said, that if production can be scaled up and increased in speed, this could turn out to be a major contender and provide fuel to a significant proportion of the Nations public transport. This in turn, could result in improving the nation’s economy as it is a relatively inexpensive source of providing natural materials for ethanol and other biofuels.

Any vehicle can be converted to using biodiesel fuel provided that the fuel used is of a high caliber. This is not always possible however, because quality biofuel is hard to come by. Even though biofuel has many benefits, the actual number of people using it in their vehicles is very low. This could be because of a lack of supply, or it could be because of a lack of public knowledge about biofuel. People may be wary about trying something they don’t know much about, and could be having concerns about whether converting to biofuel, could in fact cause damage to their vehicle in the long run.

This fear is relatively unfounded, although the older the vehicle, the more maintenance it will require when using biofuel. This happens mainly because while using petroleum diesel, fuel tanks, hoses and fuel filters build up layers of dirt and waxes. Biodiesel fuel will, however, clean the wax build-up out of your engine in time. Patience and perseverance will pay off eventually, and you’ll be driving a car, van, or truck that is environmentally friendly. Even though the cost of biofuel is higher than petroleum diesel, you can learn how to make your own at a relatively low cost.