Biodiesel is a renewable source of energy that could potentially reduce the world's dependence on coal and crude oil. It is a byproduct of refined vegetable and soybean oils, and it contains almost the same amount of energy per gallon as traditional diesel while having cleaner emissions when consumed. Biodiesel is not a mainstream fuel in the United States because there is not yet an infrastructure to support it. If its cost were reduced, biodiesel would be more appealing to consumers, causing its usage to increase.
Introduction
As the name implies, fossil fuels come from the remains of prehistoric life. And because there is a finite amount of these remains, it makes sense that fossil fuels, too, are limited. Fossil fuels—natural gas (methane), crude oil, and coal—are the primary source of electrical power, automotive fuels, plastics, and heat worldwide. But modern society cannot be so dependent on these nonrenewable natural resources for long, needing an alternative to satiate the global increase in energy consumption.
Biodiesel, a potential alternative to fossil fuels, is a liquid fuel produced from organic materials. That is, biodiesel is the product of the chemical reaction between vegetable oil and alcohol—both readily available and inexpensive substances. By defining the problems of the current fuel supply in the United States, and by explaining the characteristics, production, and usage of biodiesel, we can clearly see that biodiesel is a viable and attractive energy alternative.
The Problem
We have heard that fossil fuels are being consumed at alarming rates, but whether or not supplies are actually near depletion is a controversial question. The oil industry argues that available reserves are sufficient to meet the growing energy demand for another three centuries. For example, Exxon Mobil—the largest oil company in the world—owns oil reserves in 25 countries with an additional 62 deepwater reserves (Exxon Mobil Corp.). If tapped, these holdings have the potential to produce hundreds of millions of gallons of oil daily. Environmentalists, on the other hand, challenge this claim and argue that oil reserves will last only another 20 years (Wu 364). But regardless of whether the fuel supply will last a decade or a few centuries, we know that time is running out. With current technology, there is no way to know exactly what percentage remains in the earth, so our best bet for the future is to decrease our use of crude oil and coal. Instead, we can use renewable energy sources such as biodiesel.
A potential switch to biodiesel has another benefit: neither environmentalists nor oil companies argue with the fact that fossil fuels are dirtier than biodiesel. Gasoline, traditional diesel, and coal are dirty fuels because they contain compounds that pollute the environment—affecting both air and groundwater quality.
Pollution
Pollutants, including sulfur oxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide, are released when the fossil fuels are burned. Coal is commonly burned in power plants to generate electricity while gasoline is generally burned in the engines of automobiles and trucks. Gasoline, diesel, and coal contain sulfur that is released to the atmosphere during combustion. The combination of sulfur with atmospheric moisture results in acid rain,, a serious problem with many adverse effects: harm to marine life in lakes and rivers, corrosion of metal objects, stripping of car paint, and accumulation of harmful particles in your lungs (US EPA).
The combustion of gasoline, diesel, and coal also produces nitrogen oxide—a compound that decreases air quality. Nitrogen oxide is the reddish-brown component in smog that can cause respiratory inflammation, swelling, and asthma—problems which affect over 1.4 million residents in the greater Los Angeles area alone (AQMD).
Gasoline can also pollute underground aquifers and soil if it leaks into the environment. Gasoline and diesel contain several carcinogenic compounds that move quickly through soil, making them a serious threat to ground water supplies. As a rough estimation, the pollutants can travel 5 to 10 feet in a month—allowing only a very short time for detection if they are coming from a leaking underground fuel tank. Underground gasoline storage tanks often contaminate aquifers for decades before a leak is detected.
An infamous and highly publicized case of groundwater contamination was the Charnock Well in Santa Monica, California. This large underground aquifer that supplied drinking water to the residents of Santa Monica was contaminated by gasoline and diesel fuel from the storage tanks of 47 nearby gas stations. Contamination was discovered in 1996, but the underground tanks had been in the area since the 1920s. After a leak is discovered, it is very difficult to remove gasoline and diesel from soil. In fact, it is often cheaper to simply excavate the contaminated soil than it is to clean it.
