Why is biodiesel environmentally friendly?
• Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic. According to US Dept of Energy findings, it is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as quickly as sugar. • Biodiesel produces less (up to 20%) of the noxious emissions of particulates from the tailpipe when compared to petrodiesel. This is mainly due to the presence of oxygen in biodiesel which allows for complete combustion. Particulates in the form of carbon dust, together with unburned hydrocarbons are inhaled into the lungs and are suspected of being carcinogenic (cancer forming) to humans. • Biodiesel has a low sulphur concentration in comparison with other fuels. It is the presence of sulphur in the air which leads to the “acid rain” phenomenon. • Biodiesel is a renewable fuel and as such is nominally carbon neutral as it is only putting back in the atmosphere what has been extracted in the process of photosynthesis in plants. In practice some CO2 is produced in the production of biodiesel and in its transportation. • As stated ab
