The most common is a specific
fractional distillate of petroleum
fuel oil, but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as
biodiesel,
biomass to liquid (BTL) or
gas to liquid (GTL) diesel, are increasingly being developed and adopted. To distinguish these types, petroleum-derived diesel is increasingly called
petrodiesel.
Ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) is a standard for defining diesel fuel with substantially lowered
sulfur contents. As of 2007, almost all diesel fuel available in the United States of America, Canada and Europe is the ULSD type.
In the UK, diesel fuel for on-road use is commonly abbreviated
DERV, standing for
Diesel Engined Road Vehicle, which carries a tax premium over equivalent fuel for non-road use (see
Taxation).
The word "diesel" is derived from the family name of
German inventor
Rudolf Diesel who in 1892 invented the
diesel engine.
Diesel engines are a type of
internal combustion engine.
Rudolf Diesel originally designed the diesel engine to use coal dust as a fuel. He also experimented with various oils, including some vegetable oils, such as
peanut oil, which was used to power the engines which he exhibited at the
1900 Paris Exposition and the 1911 World's Fair in Paris.