Is it approved for use in the US?
Biodiesel is registered as a fuel and fuel additive with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and meets clean diesel standards established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Neat (100 percent) biodiesel has been designated
as an alternative fuel by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
How much biodiesel has been
sold in the US?
The National Biodiesel Board has released the following sales volume estimates for the US:
2006 -- 250 million gallons
2005
-- 75 million gallons
2004 -- 25 million gallons
2003 -- 20 million gallons
2002 -- 15 million gallons
2001 -- 5 million gallons
2000 --
2 million gallons
1999 -- 500,000 gallons
How do biodiesel emissions compare to petroleum diesel?
Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel
to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel
engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from
diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially
eliminated compared to diesel.
Of the major exhaust pollutants, both unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides are ozone or smog forming
precursors. The use of biodiesel results in a substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons. Emissions of nitrogen oxides are either
slightly reduced or slightly increased depending on the duty cycle of the engine and testing methods used. Based on engine testing,
using the most stringent emissions testing protocols
required by EPA for certification of fuels or fuel additives in the US, the overall
ozone forming potential of the speciated hydrocarbon emissions from biodiesel was nearly 50 percent less than that measured for diesel
fuel.
