Whatever Happened to Biodiesel?

Because they are burned, bio fuels release a large amount of CO2 and CO just like ordinary oil products! Where they can be called environmentally friendly is that if crops are grown specifically for fuel, the crops themselves absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and release oxygen while growing, are used inplace of mineral oil products for fuel.

This has lead some farmers to concentrate on fuel crops instead of food crops here in the UK and other countries, this has lead to envionmentalists and the general public to demand that this policy is dropped. There has also been a general outcry over the way some countries, notably those that have large jungles such as brazil and Indonesia to clear the jungle for the sowing of fuel crops.

This in turn has lead to less oxygen being pumped into the atmosphere by these jungles. This of course defeats the objest.

Spencer.

For those of you interested in producing your own biodiesel.

Check this website out:

http://www.freedomfuelamerica.com/

Hi unclefastguy.

I know how to convert cooking oil to bio-diesel, but our government then taxes us for doing it! This tax is set at the equivelent of buying ordiary diesel fuel at the pumps here in the UK, so we are in a Catch-22 situation.

Spencer.

Spencer:

Why are you telling your government that you are making your own biodiesel???

And is the UK government trying to help your country become more "green" or is this tax trying to discourage this. Sounds like you need to get the media in your country to shine a huge flashlight (torch) on this issue.

UFG

Hi unclefastgut.

Here in the UK the police regulary check your fuel tank, if you have homemade bio fuel in it that you have not declared, they will fine you £500 = $1,000 at todays rate.

This has happend twice to me, in other words very expensive fuel.

When you make your own bio-fuel you have to declare it to the customs and excise, they then put a dark green dye into it so that it is easily recognised, then you have to pay them a fixed price per litre for what you have produced.

To understand this you have to understand that the UK is a very regulated country.

Spencer.

Scapolie:

I did not know that. Has anybody tried to put green die in their homemade biodiesel??. We are heavily regulated here in Canada, but not to the point where the police are being used as tax collectors and inspectors. Our police force has alot more serious crime to deal with over here than checking tanks for green die. Speeders for an example.

Just a thought

UFG