Canadians, as well as people from other industrialized nations, have become more and more aware of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions upon their environments. Global warming, once a far-off idea, now seems to be a real possibility. (NEIC, 2004).  Because of concerns as to their effect on our atmosphere and possible changes to our climate and health, there has been renewed interest in finding ways to reduce these emissions. (Fuels, 2007). In fact, Canada was one of 160 countries to sign the Kyoto Protocol in 1995 committing to the reduction of it’s emissions by 29 percent by the year 2010. (Kyoto, 2007). Although this goal will be difficult to achieve by that date, research and ongoing projects are taking place working towards this end.

     A significant contributor to greenhouse emissions is those produced by the transportation sector in any given country. (NEIC, 2004). In looking into ways to reduce the production of these emissions, we can positively impact upon our environment. The use of biodiesels, fuels produced using renewable biological resources, is one way that we can make a significant difference. Although biofuels have been around for quite a long time, it is only relatively recently that renewed interest in environmental concerns and in finding alternatives to the world’s limited fossil fuel resources has made these fuels a viable option. In fact, the incorporation of biofuels into our present system of transportation has already been shown to be an efficient and advantageous option.

INTRODUCTION