Biodiesel is a clean burning alternative fuel produced from vegetable oils such as canola, soy or used cooking oil. Biodiesel is manufactured to quality specification ASTM D6751 and runs great in all diesel engines with little to no modification.

Biodiesel can be both run exclusively or blended with petroleum diesel in any ratio!  Biodiesel is typically sold already blended with petroleum diesel in the form of B99, B20, or B5 where the letter B stands for Biodiesel and the following number denotes the percentage of biodiesel contained in the fuel.

The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in a substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to diesel fuel emissions.  The overall ozone (smog) forming potential of the hydrocarbon exhaust emissions from biodiesel is nearly 50 percent less than that measured for diesel fuel.

A 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces net carbon dioxide emissions by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel. This is due to biodiesel's closed carbon cycle. The CO² released into the atmosphere when biodiesel is burned is recycled by growing plants, which are later processed into fuel.

The DOE/USDA lifecycle analysis shows for every unit of fossil energy it takes to make biodiesel, 3.2 units of energy are gained.

Solvent Effects: Biodiesel has a solvent effect that may release deposits accumulated on tank walls and pipes from previous diesel fuel usage. These deposits may prematurely clog fuel filters which should be checked regularly in the first few months after switching to biodiesel.
Reaction to Rubber: Biodiesel tends to break down natural rubber. Vehicles manufactured before 1992 often contain rubber fuel lines that will eventually crack and begin to leak as a result of using biodiesel. These fuel lines can simply be swapped out for synthetic "viton" or "tygon" to eliminate this potential problem.