Biodiesel

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel formulated exclusively for diesel engines and is made from vegetable oil or animal fats. So why canola biodiesel?

Canola oil has been shown to be great for producing biodiesel as it has low saturated fat content which gives it superior cold flow properties perfect for Canadian winters. Canola's high oil content also means more oil available per unit of seed, and canola biodiesel is already a proven fuel which is commonly used in Europe.

Some of the advantages of Biodiesel include:

• Cleaner than diesel: Biodiesel reduces emissions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter.
• Renewable: It is plant based, therefore what is used can be re-grown.
• Support of local agriculture: It supports local producers.
• Longer engine life: Biodiesel is a natural lubricant.

Biodiesel can be mixed with petroleum diesel in any percentage, from 1 to 99, which is represented by a number following a B. For example, B5 is 5 percent biodiesel with 95 percent petroleum, B20 is 20 percent biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum, or B100 is 100 percent biodiesel, no petroleum. The most common blends are 2% (B2), 5% (B5) and 20% (B20).

Engines that currently run on petroleum diesel – heavy equipment, long haul trucks, farm machinery, municipal fleets, and generators – require no modification to run on biodiesel. However, they would produce considerably fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using biodiesel compared to petroleum diesel.

The Canadian government has committed to addressing climate change by reducing GHG emissions. It has announced that it will require a minimum of 2% renewable diesel (biodiesel) use by 2012. That equals 600 million litres of biodiesel use that will reduce GHG emissions by 3 kilograms per litre, or 1.8 million tonnes. That's the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road. A 5% inclusion rate would be the equivalent of removing 750,000 cars.

Canola biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by at least 85%. And growing canola sequesters carbon in the soil and reduced tillage practices that are commonly used in canola production also mean less carbon is released.

A great resource for more information on Canola Biodiesel is CanolaBiodiesel.org.

Canola Biodiesel Jet Powered Truck
SaskCanola is a sponsor of the Jet Powered Truck. Kevin Therres from Humboldt, Saskatchewan is a veteran drag racer and heavy duty mechanic by trade. It was his inspiration to create the world's first Biodiesel Jet Powered Truck which runs on 100% Canola Biodiesel.

Find out more by visiting http://www.prairielandmotorsports.com/prairiegold.htm. You can also click to watch a video below.