Sustainability

Advantages of biodiesel

With reference to biofuels, biodiesel is particularly renewable, as it is obtained from the growth of widely-spread oleaginous plants (it is obtained by squeezing oleaginous seeds of rape, soy, sunflower, etc), and it is biodegradable, i.e. once dispersed, it dissolves within a few days. Moreover its production is completely ecological, as it does not produce any residues or processing waste (its production process generates glycerine as a noble “by-product” with a high added value, which has more than 800 different uses).
• Compared to gas oil, biodiesel has several positive effects on the environment: it does not contribute to the “greenhouse effect”, as it gives back to the air only the quantity of carbon dioxide that has been used by rape, soy and sunflower during their growth
• As it does not contain sulphur, the biodiesel does not produce a highly polluting substance like sulphur dioxide and allows catalytic converters to be more efficient
• As it does not contain sulphur, the biodiesel does not produce a highly polluting substance like sulphur dioxide and allows catalytic converters to be more efficient
• It reduces, as compared to gas oil, the smokiness of exhaust emissions of diesel engines and heating installations (-70%); it does not contain dangerous substances like aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene and similar ones) nor aromatic polycyclics.
A kilogram of biodiesel, substituting gas oil for motor propulsion, allows to prevent 2.5 kilograms of CO2  from being released into the atmosphere. A hectare of oleaginous cultivations allows to produce enough biosiel to run for 120,000 km.