Biodiesel 101Shalom and welcome to Tikkun Tips. A weekly nugget of Eco-Jewish thought from your friends at the Teva Learning Center.
We are all too familiar with the rant “Monday, Monday, Monday! The ultra blowout sale of the century! Come down to Johnson’s auto outlet and get the car of your dreams!! This Monday only, the biggest blowout ever!!!!” These screaming testimonials of car dealers across the nation grace our airwaves between the insightful conversation of talk radio, or daytime television programs. As I look around at other cars on the road, I become more aware that we are a nation of car lovers, and that we are buying cars at an alarming rate. Cars are getting bigger and bigger, with entertainment systems and seats for the whole soccer team. “Act now and get no money down and zero payments until 2006!”
Well, you might not have to make any payments until 2006, but everyone else will. Emissions from SUVs, the best selling cars on the market, are unregulated, not subject to the standards of the Clean Air Act. Transportation sources contribute more than half the total amount of man-made air pollution in the United States today. Motor vehicle emissions account for approximately 77 percent of the carbon monoxide (CO), more than 35.6 percent of the volatile organic compounds (including hydrocarbons) and forty five percent of the nitrogen oxides (NOx) in our nation's air (American Lung Association)
So I thought it might be insightful to explore one of the many more environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional cars and petroleum based gasoline.
Tikkun Tip # 6: Biodiesel 101
According to the National Biodiesel Board, Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
What are some of the major advantages of biodiesel?
1. After your engine is converted, you can still use conventional diesel fuel. Biodiesel fuel can also be blended with conventional diesel for stronger performance in cold weather.
2. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel.
3. A 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces net CO˛ emissions by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel.
4. You can purchase biodiesel at some gas stations, just as you would petroleum based diesel. While currently there are not too many fill stations, more and more are popping up as demand grows. You can also prepare your own biodiesel fuel or order it in bulk through the mail and store it at your home.
So if you are on the lookout for a new car, consider getting one with a diesel engine, and have it modified for biodiesel fuel. You will save money in the long run, get excellent fuel efficiency, and know that you are putting less pollutants into the air. If you have an older car that has a diesel engine, you could be driving on cleaner fuel for as little as $100. Additionally, by increasing the demand for biodiesel fuel, you can help make this technology accessible to more people. So go ahead, convert your car, put a nice bumper sticker on it so everyone knows, and go tell Johnson at the auto outlet that we all have to make payments when we drive polluting cars.
(Source for all facts from the National Biodiesel Board)
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More Biodiesel Info
For more info on biodiesel, including places to purchase it and recipes to make your own, check out the National Biodiesel Board, the Grassroots Biodiesel Homepage, and VeggiePower
The Environmental Ethicist
Next month, we will be answering environmental conundrums from our readers. If you have a question for the Environmental Ethicist, submit it to Tikkun Tips and we will select two or three for publication. We look forward to addressing your environmental concerns.
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