January 31st, 2010 4:40 am
The automotive industry in the United States has taken a pounding during the great recession, accelerating a trend towards the introduction of the smaller and more efficient vehicles. Those days of $.50 gasoline and huge, inefficient cars are certainly on the way out, and we have now seen that sky-high gas prices can plague us, even when recessionary forces are not apparent.
They say that we will soon see an influx of European style cars on American roads. In Europe, efficient vehicles are the norm and you never see those big American clunkers on this continent. Following trends, we can imagine an influx of European vehicles including a much higher proportion of diesel engine vehicles as well. Diesel engine cars and trucks have a far better efficiency, even though the petro diesel required to fuel them can be a little bit more expensive.
There is now a considerable upward trend and we’re likely to see an increase from the one in 20 diesel engine cars on the roads in the US, with a good future for biodiesel. As it emits very little in the way of greenhouse gases and can be made from readily available products, biodiesel fuel is much more friendly to the environment. The process for making biodiesel is fairly straightforward using animal fat or vegetable oil, commonly known as transesterification.
Some of us have tried making homemade biodiesel in our garage and been pleasantly surprised. You might smell the makings of a cottage industry and be aware that in your particular locale there are no dedicated or existing biodiesel distributors.
If you have an entrepreneurial bent, a commercial biodiesel operation may well be worth considering. Consider where you could find the oils or fats you need, the methanol and caustic soda in the correct quantities. You will need a reasonably sized space to be able to set up the production process and while it will require a bit more than just a simple ramping up from wherever you are now, the basic parameters remain the same.
Before you will be able to sell products commercially, you must ensure a good level of quality and purity, get certified and find the right operational business licenses. If you are unable to fund the entire operation set up yourself, note that you may be able to find grants and incentives, especially from government authorities that clearly see climate related pressures. Public funding is being used for such actions as there is a huge trend toward sustainability, globally.
Look at those who are already established. In certain parts of the country, biodiesel fuel users are more in evidence, especially in new England and the Northwest. Do your research well and why not profit from a trend which is yet to fully emerge? With so much change coming on the horizon, ever so much faster than we may realise, it only makes sense to become more sustainable as quickly as we can by turning to environmentally sound energy sources. Try biodiesel today, and see for yourself what the experience brings!
Tags: bio diesel, biodiesel, diesel, environment, fuel