What is biodiesel?

Natural, renewable resources such as vegetable oils and recycled restaurant greases can be chemically transformed into clean-burning biodiesel fuels. As its name implies, biodiesel is like diesel fuel except that it’s organically produced. It’s also safe for the environment, biodegradable, and produces significantly less air pollution than diesel fuel. It even smells better than diesel fuel—it smells like french fries, donuts, or barbecue.

Is biodiesel safe?

Yes! Biodiesel is made from cooking oils and alcohol, so if you spill it on the ground, it will quickly degrade into natural organic residues. We don’t recommend you drink it, however. After all, you probably wouldn’t want to drink a cup of cooking oil, because it will "lubricate" your digestive tract. Biodiesel is as toxic as table salt, and safe to handle. Mechanics who use biodiesel notice that their hands don’t crack and dry out the way they do with diesel fuel. Many people use biodiesel in marine environments to protect wildlife and hatcheries.

Does biodiesel reduce air pollution?

Very much so. Biodiesel reduces nearly all forms of air pollution. Most importantly, biodiesel reduces air toxics and cancer-causing compounds. Pure biodiesel can reduce the cancer risks by 94%; B20 will reduce that risk by as much as 27%.There is no sulfur in biodiesel, so biodiesel won’t contribute to sulfur dioxide emissions or poison exhaust catalysts.  B20 has 20% of the benefits of pure biodiesel. B20 can also reduce the soot and smell of diesel exhaust.

Does biodiesel reduce greenhouse gases?

Yes. Each year, soybeans and other plants that produce oils used for cooking or making biodiesel draw CO2 from the atmosphere to build stems, leaves, seeds (which contain the oil), and roots. At the end of the year, the oil used for biodiesel is burned and the leftover plant material decomposes, returning the carbon from the fuel and plant matter to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2).This recycling of carbon from CO2 in the atmosphere to carbon in plant material and back to the atmosphere results in no accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere.  Therefore, it does not contribute to global climate change. Carbon dioxide from the petroleum fuels used for fertilizer, farm equipment, or transportation during biodiesel production accumulates in the atmosphere year after year.  As a result, biodiesel produces 78% less CO2 than diesel fuel.  Biodiesel produces 2661 grams of CO2 per gallon, compared to 12,360 grams per gallon for petroleum diesel fuel.

What is biodiesel made of?

Biodiesel can be made from many oils and fats such as soy, canola, tallow, mustard, and restaurant greases.

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Last modified: 10/20/04