Uses of Biodiesel Fuel

Created out of soy beans or vegetable oil, biodiesel comes from renewable sources unlike petroleum diesel which is typically used in vehicles. Biodiesel doesn't pollute the air when burned and is also biodegradable. While this type of fuel is often thought of an alternative fuel for vehicles, it can be used in other ways.

Diesel Engines

• In the city of St. Louis, you can ride a city buses that run on partial biodiesel fuel and both San Francisco, California and Sparks, Nevada offer public biodiesel fueling stations. You can also substitute biodiesel for petroleum diesel in your diesel engine with little or no modification to the vehicle, according to the website Biodiesel. This type of alternative fuel possesses a solvent effect that may even clean off deposits of previously used diesel from your tank walls and pipes. However, when these deposits become detaches from your pipes, they may clog your filters when you first switch to biodiesel.

Cleaning Oil Spills

• Just as biodiesel may clean out the tank and pipes of your vehicle, it can also be used to clean up shorelines that have been soiled with crude oil with removing beach sand. An ingredient in biosolvents that help remove crude oil from the water, biodiesel helps congeal the oil so it can be skimmed off the surface of the water.

Electricity

• You can also use biodiesel to create electricity in your home. You can purchase generators that run using this alternative fuel. Since biodiesel produces minimum emissions, they are a good choice for backup generators in hospitals and schools.

Heat

• The Agricultural Research Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture heats its buildings using a biodiesel and heating oil mixture. You can use this fuel to heat your home as well if your house uses a boiler. If you don't want to modify your boiler, you will need to use a 20 percent biodiesel blend. This will reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide which contributes to acid rain and nitrogen oxides which contributes to ground-level ozone. If you want to use a higher blend of biodiesel and heating oil in your boiler, it might affect the rubber seals and gaskets so you will have to make some modifications to your boiler.

Paint Removal

• Many paint removal products can be toxic to you as well as the environment. However, nontoxic biodiesel can be substituted to remove paint off of smaller-scale projects such as removing paint from lawn furniture. Biodiesel doesn't work as well on larger projects such as using it to remove the paint on your car.