Biofuel Basics

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Biofuel is a renewable source of fuel that comes from natural oils, like soybeans.  Studies have shown that automobiles running on biofuel last longer, operate better, and are healthier for the environment. 

Leftover cooking oil is used to produce biofuel, which is fantastic as it helps decrease the amount of oil dumped in landfills and sewers.  Now, there are some gas stations scattered throughout the world that provide biofuel for cars and many organizations that hand out information to consumers about the use of biofuel.  

With gas prices on the rise, people are desperately searching for fuel sources that are cheaper and cleaner than traditional fossil fuel.  There are several newer alternative sources of fuel being put out on the market.  Among these, a few are gaining popularity – biodiesel. 

If you have a vehicle that operates only on diesel fuel, you will be able to also use biodiesel.  And the best aspect of biodiesel is the fact that you will not have to purchase a brand new vehicle or modify your existing one to make the switch to biodiesel.  Because of these factors, biodiesel a great alternative to fossil fuel. 

Of course, biodiesel is quite different from fossil fuel; however, in a positive manner.  Biodiesel and regular diesel work in the same way, but biodiesel burns cleaner.  Automobile engines that run off of biodiesel will last longer as they will not wear down nearly as fast as those engines that use regular diesel fuel.  Two other great factors of biodiesel fuel is that first of all, biofuel does not emit nearly as much pollutants and secondly, it is less flammable than fossil fuel. 

A lot of biodiesel fuel that is sold on the United States marketplace is made from a blend.  In other words, this type of fuel is made from a mix of biodiesel and regular diesel fuel at a certain ratio.  Why not straight biodiesel?  This is because pure biodiesel does not work very well the rubber engine parts found in most modern vehicles, such as hoses.  And because the rubber parts of a car will become worn a lot faster with pure biodiesel, the biodiesel/regular diesel mixture is a way to combat this all to common problem.

However, pure biodiesel, otherwise known as B100, is still available to those who have completely overhauled their vehicle to eliminate rubber parts in order to make them B100 compatible.  But it is important to remember that the biodiesel/regular diesel mixture is better to use than regular diesel alone.

There are tons of untruths circulating around in regards to biodiesel, such as the fact that biodiesel wears out rubber auto parts at a faster rate; however, this is not as huge of a problem as it has been made out to be.  First of all, rubber parts are relatively inexpensive to replace as opposed to all of the issues that result from regular diesel.  Also, biodiesel is very clean, which evens out the wear on rubber automobile parts and allows people the freedom of less car maintenance.