Vegetable Oil as a Fuel Alternative

Most of us have probably heard some of the negative feedback or read about the bad rap vegetable oil has gotten lately in terms of good health and longer life, but that Omega-6 rich food product is not all bad.  Today it is being used to power engines and is offering exciting prospects for the years to come as a possible fuel alternative.  Some are hopeful that one day it will be this cooking oil that will get us from point A to point B instead of gasoline bought at overinflated prices; they hope that we will no longer have such a reliance on the reserves that are quickly being ridded of all that they have to offer.  Perhaps one day we will run our car for just mere cents per gallon, rather than more than three dollars per gallon that will take us a fraction of the distance.

Vegetable oil offers this hope because of its ability to be used in place of diesel fuel.  Studies revolving around this replacement have been underway for more than a century, but it wasn’t until much more recently that discoveries were made that allowed the theory to become more of a reality.  Engine design and oil viscosity have been adjusted to make the perfect match and thousands of engineers, scientists, and researchers around the world are cheering aloud about all of the potential these findings hold in store for the world’s population.  After all, the need for transportation is not likely to disappear any time in the near future.  That means that we either continue on the path of dependence on unsustainable fuel reserves or we find a new way to power the vehicles that we rely on each and every day.

There is more to this science, however, than simply dumping a bottle of straight vegetable oil into the tank of the nearest diesel truck.  Though vegetable oil could technically be used to power a vehicle in its original state, there is great danger of something called incomplete carbonization, which could destroy the engine entirely.  This is a result of the vegetable oil being much thicker than diesel fuel and that is doesn’t really burn in the same way as diesel would.

That being said, when paired with the proper engine and the right proportion of diesel fuel, this common household product can actually make that car go.  The best part is that the use of vegetable oil for fuel does not rely on the vegetable oil being brand new.  Many engineers that have been testing this product for engine power have relied only on the waste product of commercial restaurants, where large amounts of used vegetable oil would otherwise be discarded.

This science has become so refined that there are now cars on the market that run on biodeisal.  Though it may be more difficult to find gas stations offering this cleaner solution today, it is very likely going to become a common place practice in this country and beyond as some of the biggest names in auto manufacturing – including Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz — are offering these earth-friendly machines to the general public.

It isn’t just cars that get us from one place to another, however.  Today, the world is smaller than ever and business relies heavily on its participants being able to get from California to New York, from Texas to Japan, or from London to Madrid in as short a time as possible.  As a result, airlines are being scrutinized for their contribution to the global warming phenomenon.  This summer saw the first large scale passenger flights by a commercial airline powered by biofuel.  The first airline to offer this service was Lufthansa, a German airline.

News of these flights reached the public in June 2010.  The fuel was provided by a Finish company called Neste Oil and a long term agreement was signed, leading one to believe that the German airline has no intention of reverting back to the dirtier ways of old.  It was an Airbus A380 that made the first flight using solely biofuel.  That first flight was successful in February 2010, and less than six months later the airline was ready to start daily flights burning the very same fuel.  This act, should it be continually mimicked by other airlines, could represent a drastic cut in greenhouse gas emissions. That is wonderful news for the world’s population in a time when global warming is less of a joke and more of a scary reality.

Next time you reach in your cupboard and pull out that bottle of light yellow liquid, you might think twice about what you are truly holding in your hand.  That very well may be the liquid gold of tomorrow’s generations and rather than analyzing its effects on health and wellness, researchers will be placing a whole lot more stock in how efficiently it burns and how much the price fluctuates from one month to another, as they do today with gasoline.