Biodiesel is effectively a fatty ester based fuel, and it is generally manufactured from vegetable oils such as canola, hemp or soybean amongst others. It may also be created from animal fats in a special simple process and the history of biodiesel tells us that this renewable source of energy which is as efficient as petroleum diesel has been around for a great deal longer than oil commodity brokers care for us to know.

The designer of the diesel motor, Rudolph Diesel saw the potential that renewable biofuels had as early as the late 1800’s. In fact he was adamant about using them in his engines and understood how vital it was that we not become completely reliant on petroleum, fossil based fuels. He was very particular about proving renewable biodiesel was better. His biodiesel was used in his engines till the 1920’s!

Henry Ford was another propundit of biofuels manufactured from fatty acids. He knew these oils were able to produce ethanol and methanol and that vehicle engine could drive safely on these fuels. He also profoundly believed that renewable sources of energy were the future of fuel. He wanted every vehicle his company built to be powered by these.

Henry Ford even purpose built a factory to manufacture biofuels from natural oils and entered into partnerships with other manufacturers of natural oils. Soon petroleum companies started advertising their products and as they were cheaper in the 1940’s, this put paid to the idea of biofuels.

Biodiesel was originally produced with oils which did not allow a very high yield of fuel, making this fuel expensive. Then they discovered hemp oil. Hemp had been grown for a long time in the US for its many useful purposes. When tested hemp oil was found to be stable and also able to produce greater yield of fuel. Henry Ford went back to the drawing board on manufacturing fuel for his vehicles from hemp oil.

At this stage in the proceedings many entrepreneurs located fossil oil wells and became rich from them, they discredited the manufacturing process for hemp oil products. They referred to it as Marijuana! The newspaper mogul William Randolph Herst launched a tirade against the production of this oil, and helped to get a Marijuana Tax Act out in place.

This campaign was supported by the newspapers of William Randolph Hurst and he had a great amount of sway with the US government. This campaign got the Marijuana Tax Act brought into legislation and people who used hemp oil products were afraid to use it as a certificate was require for any products of this nature. The Government would not issue certificates to anyone and as far as the history of biodiesel goes, this is where the manufacture of this renewable energy source came to an end.