In the late 19th century, French born Rudolph Diesel invented an engine without spark plugs, and he used vegetable oil diesel to fuel it. Fossil fuels were cheaper than vegetable oils and so petroleum became the preferred fuel for the diesel engine.
Interestingly, in 1912, Diesel was quoted as saying “The fact that fat oils from vegetable sources can be used may seem insignificant today, but such oils may perhaps become, in the course of time, of the same importance as some natural mineral oils and tar products are now.”
Vehicle enthusiasts played around with using vegetable oil to fuel a diesel engine throughout the 20th century, but serious research into it’s use was largely prompted by shortages in petroleum, from time to time, in that same period. Biodiesel often proved to be a preferrable option because it didn’t rquire modifications to the vehicle.
Both new and used oil can be utilized as a diesel fuel. Waste or used vegetable oil (WVO) comes from restaurants and food processors, after it has been used for frying food. Unused oils are called straight vegetable oil (SVO) or pure plant oil (PPO) to avoid any confusion with the blended fuel called biodiesel.
The main plant crop used is rapeseed, also known as canola, and research has been conducted using sunflower oil, which has a lower freezing temperature. Some South Pacific nations are using cocnut oil in an attempt to reduce their dependance on oil-producing countries. Coconut oil appears to work in diesel engines if the air temperature stays above 17 degrees Celsius.
Vegetable oil diesel is not without its problems. Because of its thickness or viscosity, it may cause damage to the engine, especially in colder climates. Engine conversions and kits are available to make it possible to use the fuel safely and efficiently, and blends of regular diesel and vegetable oil diesel are also used.
There has been a varied response from different governments around the world to the use of vegetable oil as diesel fuel. The issue seems to centre around the taxation of the fuel, rather than the legality of using it. Some countries have pilot schemes running to test the viability of the oil as a fuel, others have no legislation to cover it, while others seem more concerned about fuel taxes being paid than the fuel’s viability.
The availability of vegetable oil diesel remains a short-coming. There would appear to be many sources of waste vegetable oil, but straight vegetable oil has a variety of uses and so is in short supply for use as diesel fuel on a large scale. There remain a number of issues that need to be addressed before vegetable oil diesel fuel will be readily available.
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