Makers of Biodiesel Reject Report Critical of Fuel’s Cleanliness

June 7, 2000 10:42 AM, EDT

The American biodiesel industry, responding to a report that a Belgian study found biodiesel detrimental to the environment, said its soy-based product does not contain harmful ingredients.

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Biodiesel is the term used to describe a fuel made from vegetable fats and oils, primarily soybean oil in this country. It is also made from recycled restaurant grease.

The fuel may be used in any engine that burns petroleum diesel fuel, but is most often promoted as an additive to blend with diesel to make it burn more cleanly.

According to the May 9 report published in Heavy Duty Trucking magazine, the study by the Flemish Institute for Technological Research in Belgium concluded that biodiesel made from rapeseed oil generates higher levels of waste, particulates and ozone-promoting emissions than conventional diesel.

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