03/18/2020
National Biodiesel Day takes place on March 18th, the date of Rudolf Diesel’s birthday. He ran early models of the engine that bears his name on peanut oil.
Rudolf Diesel invented the diesel engine and unveiled it at the World Fair in 1900. He was a big believer in the role plant oils could play in fueling America.
In a 1912 speech, Diesel said, “…the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum and the coal-tar products of the present time.”
Biodiesel is a cleaner burning, petroleum-free alternative to diesel that can be made from animal fat, vegetable oil and recycled cooking oil. It is reducing U.S. dependence on imported diesel and creating green jobs as well as improving our environment. Biodiesel is America’s first advanced Biofuel and has become an increasingly popular fuel.