Biodiesel in United States as Alternative Transportation Fuels

Biodiesel in United States
The United States depends heavily on imported oil to fuel its transportation infrastructure. The use of alternative fuel derived from plant oils was examined by researchers in the mid-1970s to determine if internal combustion engines could be fueled from sources other than petroleum. (more…)

Biodiesel in Japan as Alternative Transportation Fuels

Biodiesel in Japan
Biodiesel is an ester that can be made from substances such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Biodiesel can either be used in its pure state or blended with conventional diesel fuel derived from petroleum. Vegetable oil was used as a diesel fuel as early as 1900, when Rudolf Diesel demonstrated that a diesel engine could run on peanut oil. (more…)

Bioenergy from Dependent Resources (Forestry, Vegetable Oils, Waste)

Agricultural and forestry residues provide the largest proportion of biomass used for the production of biomas bioenergy. Some estimates suggest that globally available biomass role in the form of recoverable residues represents about 40 Ejyr -1, enough to meet 10% of the total present energy use of 406 Ejyr -1 . However, realizing this potential is limited by factors such as ease and cost of recovery and environmental concerns relating to sustainable land use practices. (more…)