Developing interest in biodiesel fuel gives the phrase "grass-roots movement" a whole new meaning. By converting agricultural products such as soybeans to fuel for powering cars and trucks, the United States has the potential to reduce its dependence on imported oil and reduce pollution while at the same time help American farmers.

Until recently, biodiesel developments have been seen as a fringe movement, but with crude oil prices predicted to remain stubbornly close to $50 a barrel for years, the fuel derived from plant or animal oils is receiving mainstream attention.

Earlier this month, a biodiesel seminar was held at the Macosky Center at Slippery Rock University. This month's Biodiesel Revival meeting was the second of the year, and another seminar is planned for the spring.

The interest in biodiesel is understandable because it offers a sustainable, renewable domestic resource for powering cars and trucks and is non-polluting. Also, it can be manufactured more cheaply and on a smaller scale than gasoline. Because of its muti-faceted appeal, attendees at the SRU seminar included a mix of students, farmers, business people and teachers.

To a certain degree, biodiesel fuel is similar to ethanol, a form of alcohol made from plant material and added to gasoline. Ethanol is produced mostly from corn and blended with petroleum-based gasoline to produce cleaner exhaust gases — and to aid American corn farmers.

Biodiesel can be made from soybean or other agricultural products. Biodiesel fuel also can be made by cleaning used cooking oil, and early adopters of biodiesel often make their fuel from discarded cooking oils from fast-food restaurants.

Similar to ethanol, biodiesel can be mixed with petroleum-based diesel fuel for use in modern diesel-powered trucks or cars. The most common blends contain between 10 and 20 percent biodiesel fuel, but it can be 100 percent of the fuel powering a diesel engine.

High gasoline costs have sparked new interest in biodiesel fuel. Ironically, Rudolf Diesel's first engine in 1903 was fueled by peanut oil, so the interest in biodiesel fuel is something of a "back to the future" moment.

Biodiesel offers so many advantages that it cannot be ignored.

Anywhere crops can be grown has potential for biodiesel production. This means that just about every state in the nation could have some biodiesel production capability. Soybean is generally the crop of choice in the United States. In Europe and Canada, it is canola oil from the rapeseed plant. In other parts of the world, it is sugar cane or palm oil.

Brazil has made great strides in reducing its dependence on imported oil by making ethanol from sugar cane. The result is that most vehicles in that country are powered by ethanol in one of a variety of blends, and most cars sold there are powered by "flex-fuel" engines that can handle the different fuels.

If the price of crude oil remains high, as most analysts predict, more interest and more investment in biodiesel and other bio-fuels will be seen in the United States. The time is ripe to move away from a petroleum dependent economy. Biodiesel offers a tremendous opportunity to slash the dependence on foreign oil while at the same time helping the environment and providing American farmers with a new, lucrative market.

Viewed from any angle, biodiesel is a winning technology for the future. The SRU seminars are helping to ensure that Butler County has the opportunity to be a part of this coming grass-roots revolution.