National Biodiesel Day (March 18th)

Ethanol and biodiesel allow people to burn a cleaner form of energy.

Mark Kennedy

There was a time when the world ran on Petroleum fuels, or fossil based fuels as they’re called. It’s been a long time since anyone seriously discussed an alternative or produced something that could actually make a difference. That day has finally come in the form of Biodiesel, and National Biodiesel Day celebrates the newest form of fuel that allows you to both drive with a clean conScience and surrounded by the amazing smell of French fries!

History of National Biodiesel Day

Biodiesel is an amazing substance that has the great quality of being made from old, used vegetable and animal oils. It’s made by processing the oil with alcohol to produce a fuel that’s capable of burning and powering everything from a passenger bus to a heating unit, turning left-over oil to a powerful new way to get around town.

Biofuel isn’t really a new concept, at least the technology that makes it isn’t a new concept. The process, known as transesterification, was actually first done in 1853 by a man by the name of Patrick Duffy. This was long before the first diesel engine was produced, and at the time there wasn’t a practical application for this new development.

That changed in 1893 in Augsburg, Germany, when Rudolf Diesel’s first diesel model was produced, and was running on pure peanut oil. It’s worth noting that Diesel hadn’t intended his device to run on peanut oil, but when it was presented at the Paris Exhibition in 1900, it was done by request of the French government.

In spite of our initial statement, there have been discussions on the subject of plant based fuel to replace Petroleum oils as early as the 1920’s and 1930’s. They just never made it into the mainstream, and certainly never managed to gain enough traction to cause the kind of movement we’re seeing today.

How to celebrate National Biodiesel Day

The best way to celebrate National Biodiesel Day is to explore the technology that is Biodiesel. Look into local suppliers, how it’s made, and the impact it has on your environment. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s easily available and will leave you with a clean conscience as you travel down the road to your destination. Even better, there are conversion kits to turn any car into a biodiesel fueled vehicle, who knows, you may even decide it’s time for a change!