Biodiesel got it's start back in 1895. During that year, Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first diesel engine. In 1900, Dr. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris using peanut oil as fuel. Several years later he stated, "The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it." In 1912, Diesel said "the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time." A year later, Dr. Diesel died mysteriously. Some say he drown after falling overboard while taking a voyage on a ship.

So, biodiesel gets it's origin by combining the name "Diesel" with the prefix, "bio", meaning "life".

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