Biodiesel as an Alternative Car Fuel
Biodiesel is another renewable fuel that is produced from crops. Just as ethanol is a replacement for gasoline, biodiesel can be used as a substitute for diesel fuel. It is made from vegetable oils, that are processed into a fuel that can be used in diesel engine vehicles. Biodiesel provides a use for used cooking oil, because it can be turned into fuel. Most diesel vehicles will run on pure biodiesel, or a mixture of it with regular diesel fuel. Currently, some commercial vehicles such as buses run on biodiesel fuels.
Some of the benefits of biodiesel are: it is non toxic and biodegradable, it less greenhouse gasses are generated in the production of biodiesel than regular diesel, it burns cleaner, and can be renewably produced. Some potential negative aspects of its use are: as with ethanol, its widespread use could drive the cost of food up, it may void a vehicle's warranty to use it in place of regular diesel, and in colder weather, it will solidify sooner than regular diesel, which prevents it from being used during the winter in colder climates.