Edible biofuels, like corn, can be an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Taking a sip from a modern car's fuel tank is a bad idea. The gasoline and petroleum-based diesel fuels that power most of the world's automobiles are fairly far removed from anything nutritious, or even safe, to drink.
But that's changing. A growing industry has been investigating fossil-fuel alternatives for decades, and much of their research focuses on biofuels -- petroleum substitutes made from natural plant oils [source: Demirbas]. In some cases, pure, unaltered vegetable oil can power standard diesel engines; after all, Rudolph Diesel originally designed the engine that bears his name in an attempt to give farmers the ability to operate equipment using locally grown fuel.Details Here