Los Angeles: The alternative fuel bio-diesel won more credibility on Thursday when it made the 2006 edition of 'Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.'
Biodiesel is defined as 'a fuel that is similar to diesel fuel and is derived from usually vegetable sources (as soybean oil).' The recognition comes as biodiesel use is increasing in the United States.
The US Department of Energy said this year's projected production of biodiesel should rise to 150 million gallons, double last year's amount.
"This really is a sign of progress that biodiesel is becoming a household word," said Jenna Higgins, spokeswoman for the National Biodiesel Board in Jefferson City, Missouri. Biodiesel joins the Merriam-Webster class of 2006 that also includes "ringtone," "supersize" and "avian influenza."
Though biodiesel has only now made the dictionary, the fuel is not new. The inventor of diesel in 1894, Rudolph Diesel, urged that vegetable oil be used in his creation, but petroleum diesel became a cheaper alternative until recently when alternatives to fossil fuels were increasingly sought.
There are about 800 biodiesel stations in the United States, with most of them selling "B20" diesel which is a mix of 20 percent biodiesel with the remainder conventional petroleum diesel, Higgins said.
"We're starting to see petroleum stations get serious about making biodiesel available at the retail level especially as diesel passenger cars start to catch on again," she said. The tern "biodiesel" first entered usage in 1986, according to the dictionary.
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