Introduction

BdPedia.com - The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia provides comprehensive info & WWW resources for bio-diesel. It provides inputs and info on various aspects of biodiesel, and over a thousand relevant web links on biodiesel related topics. It is intended to be a one-stop biodiesel resource, both for information and for WWW links, and is expected to be of use to beginners and experts alike.

While many of you might have only read about biodiesel in passing, it is important to realize that all of us should be more concerned about biodiesel and related renewable, bio-energy sources, as these will affect us a lot more than it appears at first glance. The world is facing an energy crisis (Oh well, when hasn�t it been!). Of specific significance is threat posed by the volatile and diminishing nature of fossil fuels (Fossil Fuel � from University of Michigan), especially petro-products such as gasoline and diesel.

The 1970s energy crises (The 1973 Oil Crisis � Wikipedia), and the recent upheavals in the oil market leading to record oil prices, have again turned the world attention to alternative sources of energy. A number of them are being researched � nuclear energy (FAQ on Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Energy � from the Energy Story, Nuclear Energy - from Wikipedia), fuel cells (How Fuel Cells Work � from How Stuff Works, Fuel Cell Today, Fuel Cell Vehicles � from Fuel Economy.gov), hydrogen energy (Hydrogen Energy Center, Hydrogen Energy Resources � from US Dept of Energy), wind energy (Wind Energy � from the Energy Story, Wind Energy Resources � from US Dept of Energy), solar (Solar Energy Resources from US Govt Dept of Energy, International Solar Energy Society) and bio-energy (Bioenergy Information Network, Govt of USA). Use of nuclear energy and hydrogen energy for civilian purposes are in very nascent stages. Fuel cells are more promising, but they are yet to be put in commercial practice. Wind energy and solar energy already find use in a good number of applications though they have their own limitations.

The bio-energy alternative, while it has its limitations as well, is exciting because it provides us with easily available fuel that can fit into today�s gasoline and diesel engines with minimal or no changes to existing systems.

Of the bio-energy alternatives, one exciting trend is biodiesel � the manufacture and use of diesel-like substitute from plant and animal fats. The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia section is about everything Biodiesel.

For the common you and me, biodiesel should be of more than a passing interest. As a wise man put it succinctly, the whole world today runs on two things: money (in the unlikely scenario that you do not know much about money - Money � from Wikipedia) and oil, and not necessarily in that order. Money, at least theoretically, is inexhaustible � if your country runs out of cash, well, the central bank (Central Bank - from Wikipedia) can print more of it, even if it raises a few eyebrows at the IMF (IMF Homepage). But not oil, sir. Oil from fossil fuel is running out and is non-renewable (Non-renewable Energy Definition).

So, it is not a question of if? It is not even a question of when � estimates that suggest that we will run out of oil in the next about 100 years � if not earlier.

Hence, the time to start thinking about alternate energy forms is now. Else, it will be too late.

Objective of the Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia

The objective is to provide resources and links in an objective manner such that one is able to get information on all aspects of bio-diesel. While it is indeed true that bio-diesel has many virtues, it is still in its initial phase of application, and there are many aspects to be considered before complete endorsement can be provided for these fuels. This section attempts to provide resources so that a researcher is able to find content that can give her/him good understanding of all the relevant aspects, and about ongoing research and explorations in many areas of this exciting field.

The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia tries to achieve its objective by providing:

1. Brief but hopefully useful content and information on a number of aspects of biodiesel

2. An extensive number of related web resources and links

Through this two-pronged approach, it is hoped that the user will be able to (a) get an analytical insight of the various aspects in the biodiesel framework, and (b) easily access the best of the content available on the web for all these aspects.

Why is it called the WWW Encyclopedia?

It is named the Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia and not the Biodiesel Encyclopedia for the reason that it is comprehensive both in terms of original content as well as in the provision of WWW links. The WWW Encyclopedia currently contains over 1,500 web links related to biodiesel, and is one of the largest web links directory for biodiesel.

The Biodiesel WWW Encylcopedia will be of use to the following audience

1. A beginner wishing to know the basics of biodiesel

2. An industry professional looking for web resources for specific aspects of biodiesel

3. Those wanting to know how to produce biodiesel

4. Those looking for resources for research and future trends in biodiesel

5. Those looking for inputs on the various plant oils that can be used as feedstock for biodiesel

6. Those wanting to know the usage of biodiesel in their respective geographies.

Comprising over twenty sections, The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia provides information and resources for over two hundred different aspects of biodiesel.

We hope you find this to be of use.

Add Links: If you are a web site owner wishing to give a link to the Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia, please go ahead, it will be our pleasure to be of help to your site�s visitors. If you have a web site that you wish to include in this database, do let us know the details by sending a note about your URL to narsi@esource.in. We�ll quickly review the web site, and if found relevant, add it to the database. Thanks!

Ask Us: Please send us any questions you have on biodiesel, and we will try our best to answer them and provide relevant web resources for the same. You may kindly send your questions to narsi@esource.in . You may also send us your suggestions and feedback to the same email address. We look forward to hearing from you.

Using Content from the Encyclopedia: Anyone is free to use the content from The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia on or off the web. You may use any amount of content from the Encyclopedia at absolutely no cost and with no conditions. We would be grateful if you could acknowledge the source and if the content is used online, also provide a link back to The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia. This is only a request!

See also: Oilgae.com � Biodiesel from Algae