What is Diesel Oil?

Diesel oil is a heavy oil that is used to power diesel engines. The most commonly used form of diesel is derived from petroleum, but other forms of diesel oil also exist. These options are becoming more widely used as the world's supply of fossil fuels is being depleted.

Petroleum diesel is approximately 15 percent heavier than gasoline. It is a simpler process to refine diesel from petroleum than to manufacture gasoline. The price for this product fluctuates, and tends to increase in colder months when the demand for heating oil is at its highest. A similar process is used to refine diesel oil and heating oil.

Diesel is used by the military to fuel its vehicles, including tanks and trucks. This is a more attractive choice due to the fact that diesel oil is less flammable and explosive than gasoline. Diesel is also less likely to cause an engine to stall.

Petroleum is not the only product used to make diesel oil. Synthetic diesel oil is used to fuel cars, trucks, and some aircraft. It can be made from such items as:

• Corn
• Food scraps (vegetable peelings and meat scraps)
• Garbage
• Hemp
• Straw
• Wood

  Biodiesel is another form of diesel oil that is available. Vegetable oil or animal fats form the basis for this product, which is a being used more often to fuel modern engines. Diesel oil made in this way runs cleaner than the more traditional petroleum product. It can be blended with diesel made from petroleum (petrodiesel).

  Switching to this form of diesel oil may also reduce the health risks associated with diesel made from petroleum. Exposure to diesel fumes from vehicle exhausts has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. While people who work in close proximity to vehicles fueled by diesel oil are at risk, the daily commute to and from work exposes workers to airborne carcinogens as well.

  Written by Jodee Redmond