With over ten years of development and commercial use in
Europe, biodiesel has now proved its value as a fuel for diesel
engines [1-3]. The product is free of sulfur and aromatics, and, as it is
obtained from renewable sources, it reduces the lifecycle of carbon
dioxide emissions by almost 70% compared to conventional diesel
fuel. Moreover, recent European regulations have restricted sulfur
content in diesel fuel to no more than 50 ppm in year 2005. Sulfur is
known to provide diesel fuels with a lubricity that will disappear as
the regulations take effect. Biodiesel addition at levels of one to two
per cent in diesel blends has the beneficial impact of restoring
lubricity through an antiwear action on engine injection systems [4-
5].