Current status and future outlook for renewable diesel industry

Besides their effect on climate change regarding GHG emissions, the limited availability of fossil fuels motivates research and developmental efforts in the alternative energy sector. Replacement of conventional fuels in the transport sector is a major challenge, as any alternative fuel should provide comparable energy density. Drop-in-fuels like renewable diesel (also known as green diesel/hydrotreated vegetable oil) are particularly suited for the purpose as they offer significant advantages over other alternative fuels, which necessitate modification of existing fleet of internal combustion engines (especially if large-scale substitution is envisaged). This chapter reviews the energy crises, especially in the transport sector, and the impacts of conventional energy sources on climate change regarding GHG emissions. This chapter also deliberates on renewable diesel’s techno-economic, environmental and strategic advantages and global production capacity. The past few years have witnessed a global expansion of the renewable diesel industry. To overcome the challenges faced by conventional fossil fuels and to provide a clean and sustainable alternative, renewable diesel is an attractive option and has potential for the future market.