Rudolph Diesel in known for the engine that bears his name. The diesel engine had no spark plugs, used less fuel than petrol engines and was designed to run on vegetable oil diesel. However, petroleum was cheaper than oil made from plants, and so the diesel engine was developed to run on diesel fuel.
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.
There are different types of vegetable oil that are suitable for use in diesel engines. There is waste vegetable oil, or WVO, that is collected from restaurants and food processing plants, after it has been used for frying food. Unused vegetable oils are referred to as straight vegetable oil, called SVO, or pure plant oil, also called PPO. This is to prevent confusion with biodiesel.
Rapeseed or canola is the plant most often used for the fuel, although sunflower oil is being researched for its suitability as well. In the South Pacific, some nations are using coconut oil as a diesel fuel, in an effort to become more independent. The coconut oil works well in places that have temperatures higher than 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.
The response from government, on the subject, varies from country to country. Some governements allow the fuel to be used, other have legislated against it, some have formal trials operating but there seems to be more concern over lost revenue in fuel taxes than in the fuel itself.
Availability of large quantities of unused vegetable oil is a problem, because of the diverse uses for the product, although there would appear to be sufficient waste oil that could be used for vegetable oil diesel. It seems as though there are still a number of important issues to be solved before vegetable oil diesel will become a mainstream fuel.
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