On August 31 in 1937 the Belgian G. Chavanne of the free university of Brussels filed for a patent for the transesterification of vegetable oil through ethanol (methanol is also mentioned) in order to improve its characteristics for the use as an engine fuel (Belgian Patent 422,877).

Since then research in the area of production of biodiesel is known. In regards to his use Biodiesel is similar to the diesel fuel, but it is a vegetable fuel. In contrast to the conventional diesel fuel it is not extracted from crude oil but from vegetable oil, animal fat or “waste vegetable oil”. Therefore biodiesel is also labelled as a renewable energy source.

Nowadays biodiesel has developed into the fuel of the future. Due to the worldwide scarcity of reserves of crude oil and the rising oil price as well as the climate change, that has become obvious today, the sector of biodiesel is experiencing a boom.

The raw materials in the field of biodiesel are usually vegetable oils like e.g. rapeseed oil. Due to the constantly rising prices for rapeseed oil and other vegetable oils which are currently on all time highs, waste vegetable oil as the least expensive substitute has become a much sought after raw material on the market.

Every vehicle which runs with common diesel fuel can also be easily fuelled with biodiesel without putting the engine at risk. Only with older vehicles the fuel hose and the gaskets need to be changed to parts which are of biodiesel-resistant material.

Biodiesel has fundamental advantages:

• Value creation within the region

  • by using waste vegetable oil the environment is preserved twice as much through the sensible recycling of waste
  • biodiesel is not considered as dangerous goods
  • biodiesel considerably reduces the black and the particulate emission as well as hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide emission in the exhaust fumes
  • biodiesel preserves resources
  • by paying fair prices for the agricultural products valuable agricultural areas are preserved and the existence of the agriculture is secured
  • Biodiesel is an environment-friendly alternative to common diesel
  • Biodiesel can be mixed in every ratio with mineral oil diesel
  • Biodiesel is a constantly growing market of the future

• Raw glycerin

  Raw glycerin is extracted as a by-product. Raw glycerine may be used after further processing as a valuable raw material for manufacturing several products in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry.