Most vehicles are still powered by fossil fuels, which are naturally occurring fuel sources like coal, petroleum and natural gas. Most fossil fuels are bad for the environment due to the many pollutants and toxins they release into the atmosphere. Natural gas is the least harmful fossil fuel, but it’s still not entirely benign.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions per Million British Thermal Units

• Natural Gas: 117 pounds
• Propane: 139 pounds
• Gasoline: 157 pounds
• Diesel Fuel and Fuel Oil: 160 pounds
• Coal: Between 214 pounds to 229 pounds (depending on type)

Biodiesel

Biodiesel, a diesel alternative derived from waste cooking oil (WCO), produces 2,661 grams of CO2 per gallon, 78 percent less than regular petroleum diesel’s 12,360 grams per gallon. Biodiesel is also easier to use than other environmentally friendly fuels since diesel engines don’t require any modification to run on biodiesel. You can fill a diesel truck with biodiesel and enjoy nearly the same performance with a fraction of the pollution.

There are also benefits from deriving fuel from recently grown plants. Crops are grown to make the cooking oil that will eventually go on to be recycled at a waste cooking recycling facility, like the one operated by Southern Green Industries. Those plants are pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere, further contributing to CO2 reductions.

Ethanol

A combusted gallon of pure ethanol generates approximately 12.7 pounds of CO2 compared to 20.1 pounds of CO2 from a gallon of pure biodiesel. Although on paper ethanol seems like it’d be cleaner than biodiesel, there are some significant drawbacks to this environmentally friendly fuel.

From a practicality standpoint, the most important drawback is ease and cost of use. You can’t fill up a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle with pure ethanol and expect it to run. In fact, many gasoline vehicles start to struggle when more than 15 or 20 percent of their fuel is ethanol.  

The majority of vehicles manufactured in the U.S. can easily run on 10 percent ethanol blends. Many auto companies are also producing flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that can operate on E85 – a blend of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol – but it’s still a niche market. As of 2017, there were approximately 21 million FFVs on U.S. roads.

Most fueling stations still don’t carry E85, so drivers who own FFVs and want to use E85 exclusively often must drive far out of their way to refuel. FFVs can also run on normal blends of gasoline, which is why many drivers that own FFVs don’t make use of the lower-emission fuel alternative.

One study even found that 68 percent of FFV owners didn’t realize their car had the capability to operate using E85. Other than the addition of a tiny plate or decal, there’s no obvious difference between normal vehicles and their FFV variations.  

And unlike biodiesel, which actually offers some lubricating and longevity-enhancing benefits for diesel engines, ethanol is actually more corrosive than gasoline.

There are also studies that suggest the size of the cropland required to produce ethanol and the fossil fuel consumption necessary to farm it negates some of the environmental benefits of the additive.

Ethanol also doesn’t offer the same energy output as traditional gasoline. It takes 1.4 gallons of ethanol to match the mileage derived from a single gallon of gasoline.

Growing the amount of corn necessary to make these ethanol blends also has a negative impact on consumer food prices, and the farmers/ethanol producers need to be subsidized to the tune of $0.46 for every gallon of ethanol they produce. An astonishing 40 percent of all corn grown in the country is used in ethanol production.

Biodiesel: The Better Environmentally Friendly Fuel

There are pros and cons to any environmentally friendly fuel source. Electric vehicles may not produce CO2 when they’re driven but the manufacturing process isn’t entirely carbon neutral. And EVs charged with power produced by fossil fuels, like coal, are still ultimately responsible for significant CO2 emissions.

The food service industry in the United States generates an estimated three billion gallons of waste cooking oil each year. Responsible WCO disposal is in the self-interest of our nation and the environment. Unlike growing corn for ethanol, which isn’t strictly necessary, recycling WCO is an environmental necessity. Deriving a clean-burning diesel fuel alternative from that process is a win-win.

The team at Southern Green Industries is proud to be part of the solution. We’re so committed to being green that all our fleet vehicles run on biodiesel. Our customers can rest easy knowing our zero-landfill company makes use of all their waste through composting, water treatment and WCO recycling.

Find out how you can get paid for your waste cooking oil by calling us at (404) 419-6887.