GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Transesterification: involves the removal of the glycerol component from the triglyceride (oil or fat) and replacing it with alcohol groups creating an ester. This process yields two products - biodiesel and glycerol - both of which have value.

Tallow: a bi-product of the meat processing industry and also a commonly used feedstock for the production of biodiesel.

Feedstock: the starting material used in the process of producing biodiesel. Commonly used feedstocks used in the biodiesel industry include canola, soy and tallow.

Petro-diesel: or mineral-diesel, the terms for traditional diesel fuel derived from oil.

Glycerol: is a colorless, odorless, hygroscopic, and sweet-tasting viscous liquid. Glycerol is a sugar alcohol. Glycerol is used in glycerol soap, in cosmetics, in foods, in chemistry, for animal feed, pharmaceuticals and as an additive for many other products

Hygroscopicity: A hygroscopic substance readily absorbs water from its surroundings. An example of a hygroscopic substance is biodiesel, which absorbs water to about 1200 parts per million (PPM).

Biodegradable: A "biodegradable" product has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment.

Flash-point: one descriptive characteristic of liquid fuel; the flash point of a liquid is the lowest temperature at which it can form an ignitable mixture with air. At this temperature the vapor may cease to burn when the source of ignition is removed.

Lubricity: Ability of an oil or grease to lubricate; also called film strength. A lubricant being defined as any substance interposed between two surfaces in relative motion for the purpose of reducing the friction and/or the wear between them.