About Biodiesel

What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel is not to be confused with ethanol, a corn-base gasoline additive. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

How is biodiesel made?
Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products). EnerSight utilizes re-cycled waste vegetable oil (WVO) as the basic feedstock supply to create our biodiesel fuel. The WVO is collected from over a thousand restaurants across the Southeast.

What type of feedstock supply does EnerSight use to make its Biodiesel?
We use recycled waste vegetable oil (WVO) to make our biodiesel. The vegetable oil starts out as an 80/20 mixture of soybean and corn oil. The vegetable oil is used in the fast-food industry in the frying process. Once the vegetable oil has been used in the frying process several times , the used or waste oil is then stored at the restaurant. The WVO is later collected from restaurants and delivered to our partner's production facility, and processed into biodiesel. WVO is a waste product and by recycling it into biodiesel, EnerSight helps dispose of waste oil.

Is Biodiesel the same thing as raw vegetable oil such as soybean oil?
No, fuel grade biodiesel must be produced to strict industry specifications (ASTM D6751) in order to insure proper performance. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Biodiesel that meets ASTM D6751 and is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency is a legal motor fuel for sale and distribution. Raw vegetable oil cannot meet biodiesel fuel specifications, it is not registered with the EPA, and it is not a legal motor fuel.

Biodiesel is defined as mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats which conform to ASTM D6751 specifications for use in diesel engines. Biodiesel refers to the pure fuel before blending with diesel fuel. Biodiesel blends are denoted as, "BXX" with "XX" representing the percentage of biodiesel contained in the blend (ie: B20 is 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel).

What are the benefits of biodiesel?
Biodiesel is better for the environment because it is made from renewable resources and has lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. It is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar. Since it is made in the USA from renewable resources, its use decreases our dependence on foreign oil and contributes to our own economy.