What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is an environmentally friendly, high quality alternative to traditional petroleum diesel fuel.  It can be made in Australia from canola or any other oil or fat, via chemical reaction with an alcohol (usually methanol).  Biodiesel is suitable for most diesel engines without modification.

Biodiesel has been retailed by SAFF since 2001.  It has been used extensively in Europe and USA for over 15 years and has proven itself to be superior diesel fuel.

Environmental Benefits

Zero Lifecycle Greenhouse Gases

As biodiesel is made from fully renewable agricultural products, it produces far less lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than regular diesel.  Although the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions do vary depending on the source of the oil used.  (For more information - greenhouse comparison).

SAFF has developed a unique system by which we guarantee that our pure biodesel is 100% carbon neutral.  We achieve this through the planting of native mallee trees, which soak up carbon dioxide gases as they grown, acting as a "carbon sink".  The cost of this treen-planting is included as a levy in the price of Biodiesel.  For more information, contact Australian Bio-Sequestration Initiative Ltd (ACBI Ltd)

Reduced Tailpipe Emissions

Biodiesel contains approximately 11% oxygen by weight, which substantially improves combustion.  As a result, Biodiesel produces only a fraction of the harmful exhaust emissions associated with diesel engines - vastly reducing the environmental and health impacts of air pollution from transport.  More details may be found on Biodiesel emssions.

Biodegradable and non-toxic

In its pure form, biodiesel is 10 times less toxic than table salt is and as biodegradable as sugar!  Thus there are far fewer environmental risks from spills of biodiesel on land or water.
 

NOTE::  In cooler months, SAFF Biodiesel may contain some petroleum based diesel to assist with cold weather functionality.

Benefits to your vehicle

Premium performance

Biodiesel provides a marked increase in combustion smoothness (anti-knock), resulting from its very high cetane content of over 50.  Also, biodiesel's oxygen content provides better combustion - improving the efficiency of the engine.

Longer engine life

Biodiesel's unmatched lubricity ensures long-term protection or engine and fuel injection system components against wear and tear.  In addition, biodiesel acts

 as a solvent to remove deposits and keep the entire system clean.

No engine adaption required

However, there are some important differences that you need to be aware of to ensure safe and reliable Biodiesel usage.  Please see our Switching To Biodiesel product information leaflet for more details.

Quality control

All SAFF Biodiesel is produced in strict accordance with the Australian Biodiesel Standard (Fuel Standard [Biodiesel] Determination 2003, made under the Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000 as amended).  SAFF has a strict quality control management system that ensures that all Biodiesel sold has been fully certified against this Standard and that the Biodiesel remains in top condition at the point of sale. 

Availability

Biodiesel is retailed at  the following SAFF branded retail sites in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales:

Download Site Listing for biodiesel locations