Sometimes the associations people make with a certain thing can blind them to other uses for it. Actors get typecast into certain roles, and the US insists on using food crops to produce ethanol even though any crop can be used. In this article, we will reveal that biodiesel is far more than just a green replacement for diesel in cars, but a chemical renaissance man with a multitude of uses.
Heating
Fuels are fuels precisely because they burn effectively, so any fuel can be used for heating, in principle. Home heating is a large and sometimes overlooked facet of home energy use; the use of good insulation goes a long way but the addition of biodiesel to the fuel mix in the boiler can produce significant reductions of harmful emissions. Using concentrated biodiesel can wear down rubber parts and seals, but mixes up to B20, or a 20% concentration of biodiesel, should be safe in an unmodified boiler.
Generating electricity
Another common use of fuels: What can turn a car's wheels can spin a generator. Biodiesel can be substituted for other fuels in backup generators as in a hospital or in residential settings.
Camping Uses
A flame is a flame, and what burns in an engine can burn in a lantern or a stove. In principle, there is no reason biodiesel can't be substituted for kerosene or other fuels in these applications, though you may want to check that a particular stove runs effectively on biodiesel.
Degreasing
Biodiesel tends to wear rubber parts and seals in engines due to its solvent properties. While this is a negative in the application of engines, it can be put to productive use by using biodiesel as a degreaser! In this application, biodiesel has many advantages over industrial solvents, as it is not toxic and is not harmful to the environment.
Adding lubricity to diesel fuel
Diesel engines use the diesel fuel itself as part of the engine lubrication system. In the face of regulations limiting the sulfur content of diesel, alternatives must be found to provide the necessary lubricity; biodiesel is naturally low in sulfur and can restore lubricity to diesel in concentrations as low as 2%.
Removing Paint and Adhesives
Just as the solvent properties of biodiesel can be used to degrease engine parts, they can be used to clean paint and adhesive traces. To be on the safe side, you may restrict this use to less critical and smaller applications.
Uses of Glycerin
When you make your own biodiesel at home, you will unavoidably end up also with glycerin. As it turns out, there is a simple use this can be put to, namely the making of glycerin soap at home! Glycerin is a safe chemical, made by the body in the processes of metabolism and included in products from toothpaste to cough syrup. Soap made from glycerin is very easy to make at home, and is a great soap for those with sensitive skin due to the moisturizing properties of the molecule.