Dr. Rudolf Diesel invented the well known diesel engine, in the 1890s. The doctor developed the project as an answer to the basic steam engines that have been around since the auto was first invented. The steam engines were inefficient and could be dangerous, and the diesel engine was lauded for its reliability as an alternative.

Unlike the petrol engine that was to gain wider acceptance, the diesel engine operates on the basis of compression – ignition. Air is drawn into the engine cylinder and when the piston rises it compresses this air, which automatically ignites, emitting the power. On the other hand, the petrol engine relies on a spark to explode the fuel mix and requires a backup system of leads, coils and pipes to work.

While the first public demonstration of what was essentially the early “bio diesel” engine occurred in 1900, it was to be the 1930s before modern biodiesel fuel was developed through the conversion of vegetable oils into fatty acid methyl esters.

When times were plentiful there was not much interest in biodiesel as an alternative fuel. Petro diesel was very cheap and the early versions of vegetable oil based fuels were not suitable for the diesel engines of the time. The vegetable oil in use had a much higher viscosity than petro diesel fuel and this led to experimentation and the development of what we now know as modern biodiesel.

Transesterification, the process of converting vegetable oils and making them available as a diesel fuel replacement was initially mooted by a Belgian inventor back in 1937, but it was not perfected until the 1980s, when complex socio-economic factors combined to draw our attention towards efficiency and energy security. The process of transesterification was successfully matched at this time, making biodiesel fuel a real alternative to those concerned about the environment.

Biodiesel first gained widespread acceptance in Europe in the 1990s, due to much higher prices of petro diesel. Biodiesel first went into production in the US in 1996, and during the decade to follow it has become more and more available and the subject of more interest in general.

Our society as a whole has become much more aware of damage caused to our environment through industrial and automotive pollution. While this awareness has been slowly emerging, costs associated with energy production have been rising inexorably. Gasoline prices in the US reached all-time highs within the last few years and this has caused consumers to really sit up and take notice of sustainability. As petro diesel is now more expensive than conventional gasoline and each method of propulsion eats into a typical household budget, alternatives that are seen to be more beneficial to the environment are gaining acceptance.

The history of biodiesel seems set for an exciting chapter ahead as we focus more on energy security, environmental issues and balancing our budgets. These days, homemade biodiesel has become an interesting alternative for independent people as they seek to become better stewards of the environment as well. It comes down to the simple equation of whether a sustainable fuel solution can be produced at a lesser cost than the readily available alternative, and in this case, biodiesel is most definitely the answer. It’s a real solution, and a way forward.