Before addressing the comparison between
biodiesel and renewable diesel, it is
important to first define petrodiesel, more
commonly known as “diesel fuel” or simply
“diesel.”
Diesel fuel is a petroleum distillate rich in
paraffinic hydrocarbons.
“Petrodiesel is produced from fractional
distillation of crude oil between 200C
(392F) and 350C (662F) at atmospheric
pressure, resulting in a mixture of carbon
chains that typically contain between 8 and
21 carbon atoms per molecule. [1]”
Petrodiesel falls under the specifications
outlined by ASTM D975 in the United
States and EN 590 in Europe.
The distillation process of crude oil into its
fractions, including diesel, is depicted below
in Figure 1.