• "Pumping gas" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: futureatlas.com under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

History

• According to BiodieselAtHome.net, Robert Diesel used peanut oil to power engines in the 1880s. The use of biodiesel fuels continued until the 1920s when standard petroleum fuels became more widely used instead. In the 1990s, the use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel source began to rise and continues to increase in popularity.
  
  

Process

• Biodiesel is created through a chemical process called transesterification, the NBB says. In transesterification, the components of vegetable oil are separated into methyl esters, which is the chemical name for biodiesel, and glycerin, which is a byproduct used in the manufacture of soap and other products.
  
  

Environmental Impact

• According to the NBB, biodiesel fuel produces 78 percent fewer emissions than standard diesel fuel. Biodiesel also produces less polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which have been identified as cancer-causing agents.
  
  

Economic Benefit

• Biodiesel is created from products that are available in the United States, eliminating America's dependence on other countries for fuel, BiodieselAtHome.net says.
  
  

Misconception

• The NBB reports that biodiesel is often confused with ethanol. Ethanol is made from corn and is used in standard gasoline engines, while biodiesel is made from vegetable oils and is for use in diesel engines.