Does Soy Biodiesel really help the environment?
In comparison to fossil fuel biodiesel delivers transport energy at a fraction of the environmental cost of fossil fuels; Biodiesel is almost four times more energy efficient than fossil diesel when the entire production and combustion chain is considered. Emissions of carcinogenic compounds are reduced by 94 per cent. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 67 per cent. It also burns cleaner – with much lower levels of sulphur and particulate matter than fossil fuels. Farming soybeans adds nitrogen to soil reducing fertiliser use, it also requires less water then conventional crops such as rice and cotton. Biodiesel is non-toxic being 10 times less toxic than common table salt. Biodiesel is also highly biodegradable, breaking down at a rate similar to sugar.
