Biodiesel
By: Noah Wilson
Advantages and Diadvantages
Advantages
Short Term:
- Biodiesel fuel can be used in oil heating systems and diesel engines without making any changes- Biodiesel can be used in existing diesel engines. This is a huge advantage, because little changes would have to be made to replace the bad fossil fuels with a greener and more efficient energy source.
- It can be distributed through existing diesel fuel pumps- Biodiesel can even be used in the existing pumps used for regular diesel, without any changes needed.
- The U.S. doesn't have to rely on other countries to make biodiesel- This fuel would reduce the dependence on foreign oil because Biodiesel's main ingredient is vegetable oil, which the U.S. has a surplus of.
Long Term:
- Biodiesel will reduce the release of Greenhouse gases- B20 (Scientific name for Biodiesel) could reduce Carbon dioxide by at least 15%. It could also reduce greenhouse gases up to 78%. This would be a great step in helping stop Global Warming.
- It reduces pollution and therefore improves health- Air pollution is the deadliest type of pollution. With the reduced air pollution, biodiesel would reduce deaths and diseases by pollution. It doesn't produce toxic pollutants like normal products.
- It will positively affect the U.S Economy, because it would offer more jobs for Americans- With this newer product, this would take a lot of people to produce enough biodiesel for everyone. This would be great for the Economy by creating thousands of jobs.
Disadvantages
Short Term:
- It can harm rubber hoses in some engines- The Rubber can be slowly eaten away by the new fuel, causing more frequent, low costing, changes.
- Food and Water shortages due to the amount of food and water used- Because this fuel is made up of a lot of Water and Vegetable Oils, there would be a problem keeping up with the food and water supply, which is already a struggle.
- Unproperly made Biodiesel can significantly slow your car. If the Biodiesel is made unproperly or it is homemade, it could slow your car significantly
Long Term:
- Biodiesel is not suitable for cold temperatures. It could gel if too cold- This could pose as a problem for people in colder places and for the colder months, but it can be fixed when blended with a small amount of winterized diesel fuel,
- The crops needed couldn't be grown in some places- Some regions and climates might have a problem accessing biodiesel, this is because the crops needed wouldn't be able to be grown there. Transportation would greatly be needed for these regions.
- Biodiesel can grow mold over time- Since this fuel contains vegetable oil, it can form if it sits for a long period of time. It would take the fuel to sit for at least 6 months, so it doesn't pose too much of a problem.