Whether seen as a transitional fuel or a vital sustainable lifeline to decarbonise heavy industry, biofuels are becoming a major topic of discussion when it comes to their role in industry, how to produce them sustainably, and what equipment, such as pressure relief valves, is needed to manufacture them safely.
The much-discussed Belem 4x proposal to quadruple biofuel production by 2035 is rapidly gaining support, understanding that the biggest barriers to biofuel use and adoption are not typically technological but systemic.
However, this is not a new issue, nor is it even a new solution. In fact, one of the earliest pioneers of the internal combustion engine also put much of his efforts and resources into developing a biofuel-powered car nearly a century before anyone else.
Who Invented The Internal Combustion Engine?
In 1893, German engineer Rudolph Diesel changed the world as we know it by patenting and developing the internal combustion engine. The core principles of that 1893 engine still shape the industrial world today.
Born to Bavarian parents in Paris, Mr Diesel spent his early life displaced and travelling around Europe, spending time in London, Augsburg and Munich before finally returning to Paris with a degree in Engineering.
Wanting to create a highly efficient, simple engine that would allow artisans and small businesses without the budget for a huge steam engine to benefit from machinery.
By 1897, he had developed a 25-horsepower diesel engine that was simple, efficient and highly reliable, which once it was showcased in Munich in 1898, would become an overnight success.
Whilst it ultimately helped the wealthy far more than the artisans he envisioned would use it most, he made a lot of money from the invention, but many accounts of his life neglect his pioneering work in the field of biofuels.
Rudolph Biodiesel
Mr Diesel’s contributions to the field of biofuel are far less well-known, but they are critical to his original design for what would become the diesel engine.
Initially, he wanted to create an engine that could be powered by almost any fuel, which is why it used compression ignition rather than the spark plugs used by typical petrol engines.
Whilst the 1897 engine would ultimately be designed to run on kerosene, there was a remarkable level of potential fuel agnosticism made possible through this design, and this was not merely a happy accident but an intentional part of its design.
The 1892 engine he designed could theoretically work using natural plant oils, and whilst he was far from the first to experiment with biofuels, Mr Diesel was the first to demonstrate their potential on a grand stage.
In 1900, during the Exposition Universelle in Paris, Mr Diesel showcased a car running on peanut oil, which would make it the first known biofuel-powered car. It was awarded the highest possible award, the Grand Prix, for its remarkable achievements.
He was a strong advocate for biofuels, stating in 1912 what we know today to be true in 2025, that the use of them could be as important as petrol in the future, with a hope that farmers could essentially grow their own fuel for use on their farms.
Whilst he was right, he would not get to see even a glimmer of that future.
What Happened To Rudolph Diesel?
One particularly strange aspect of many historical accounts of Rudolph Diesel is that 15 years of his life are often skipped over, moving from the successful demonstrations in Munich and Germany straight to 1913. This is why his contributions to biofuel are often underappreciated.
Why ignore such an important part of his life? Part of it is the sensationalist nature of his disappearance, and another part is the chaos and controversy of his private life during those years.
Whilst popular in heavy industry and a lot lighter than equivalent steam engines, they were still too heavy for non-stationary uses, and attempts to license the technology were a mixed blessing to say the least.
The stress of managing the business and financial side of his invention, as well as accusations that his ideas were not original and attempts to fix the flaws of his engine, caused him to spend two lengthy stints in a mental asylum due to nervous breakdowns and erratic behaviour.
During the rest of his life, he focused on social and environmental issues, warning of pollution from his engines and advocating for socialist causes such as employee-owned industry.
On 29th September 1913, Mr Diesel boarded the SS Dresden, travelling to London from Antwerp. He retired to his cabin at 10 pm and disappeared. He was not found until ten days later, when his body was identified via personal effects.
Whilst various theories were given as to his death, including potential murder or even a cover-up by the British government in exchange for information on how to power submarines using diesel engines, the most likely theory is that it was self-inflicted, likely the result of money issues.
His legacy to biofuels cannot be understated, even if it took nearly a century to truly come to fruition.
