Green Diesel

Green diesel is emerging as a promising low-carbon fuel, offering significant environmental benefits as a cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels by lowering greenhouse gas emissions and promoting energy sustainability. This chapter explores the potential of green diesel from diverse production methods such as hydrotreatment, deoxygenation and pyrolysis to its distinct features that improve diesel engine performance. Green diesel is chemically similar to traditional fossil fuels, making it more compatible with existing engines and infrastructure. This chapter also examines the diversity of renewable feedstock including vegetable oil, animal fats, waste oil and algae which align with the principles of green chemistry due to their sustainability and availability. The catalyst choice plays a critical role in green diesel production by influencing the catalytic activity. Various types of catalysts have been explored including metal-based, zeolite-based, mesoporous silica catalysts etc. The development of heterogeneous acid catalysts is environmentally friendly because they may be reused and have less adverse effects. The creation and improvement of these catalysts have proven to increase the overall sustainability and economic viability of green diesel generation. Green diesel has the potential to be a key component in accomplishing global low-carbon targets with the support of policy and technology developments. This chapter concludes by considering future research directions and innovations that may address current challenges and promote the wider adoption of green diesel as a sustainable fuel.