Brilliant Ideas On How Biodiesel Is Gaining Acceptance
The auto industry has really been under the gun for the last 10 years or so due to complex, external forces. Part of these problems have to do with the industry’s lethargy during the 80s and 90s, inefficient practices and bloated vehicle ranges. Due to foreign competition, an increasing fuel price, more stringent regulation, environmental considerations and finally an economic downturn, the industry has been left reeling.
The Clean Air Act was revised in 1990 and dictated that fuels should be more sustainable and particularly that petrol diesel engines be replaced with low sulphur options. While certain states in the US had restricted diesel engine vehicle sales, this is likely to lift as the pollution associated with diesel slows. There are other factors to take into consideration and we saw during the terrible events of 2001 how vulnerable we can be to foreign interests and how we rely on such countries for fuel needs. We must look for alternative fuel sources to satisfy our economic, environmental and energy security requirements.
In modern times, diesel engines and their internal components are much more able to cope with low sulphur diesel and biodiesel fuels. Nowadays, biodiesel fuel is gaining widespread acceptance and during the last decade production grew by over 700%.
The great recession has considerably changed the face of the US auto industry. One of their big three manufacturers is now owned by a European company, Fiat, and it seems likely that we will see an influx of vehicles based on European platforms and wholly more efficient than what we have seen there previously. Diesel engine cars are very much in evidence in European countries and there is no reason to assume that we will not see a pick-up in sales there as well. This would lead to biodiesel becoming more and more important. While prices may be equitable as compared to conventional diesel, vehicles which operate pure biodiesel or a blend are much better for both the health of our global climate and the people.
Biodiesel is not an experimental fuel as some believe. It has a history going back to the 1930s and has been fully certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Auto manufacturers are quite happy to see biodiesel used in diesel engine vehicles as long as the biodiesel is manufactured to internationally accepted standards, and will not void a warranty if you do so. Indeed, biodiesel has a higher lubricity than petro diesel and will help to ensure the longevity of your engine.
While distribution stations are few and far between, the fuel is yet to gain widespread acceptance. Entrepreneurs should consider production and think about making biodiesel fuel commercially available for all of us. Indeed, many who start off with homemade biodiesel move up to the production of this fuel in their local environments. It is possible to obtain certification from the EPA once you have mastered the task of producing the fuel reliably, and to progress by selling it to an increasingly interested public. Biodiesel is a superb alternative fuel, and it’s certainly an option which could radically change our impact on the Earth, perhaps more quickly than we might realise.
