Types of Biodiesel

Reader Contribution by Todd Kaho
Published on April 16, 2012
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What’s the difference between the different types of biodiesel? How can I tell which blend my car can take?

When Rudolf Diesel invented the original diesel engine in the 1890s, he designed it to run on a wide range of fuels?–?including vegetable oils. But in the early 1900s, diesel engines were adapted to burn mainly petrodiesel, a cheaper fuel. During the energy crisis of the 1970s, researchers began to reconsider vegetable oil fuels and found a simple method for turning vegetable oil into a usable diesel fuel.

These days, with “clean diesel” cars using sophisticated fuel injection and exhaust system pollution controls, it’s important to be more careful about the use of biodiesel because using it may void the vehicle’s factory warranty. But that doesn’t mean that biodiesel blends can’t be used safely.

Types of Biodiesel

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