Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913) patented the Diesel engine in 1892. The premise was to create an engine for farm applications that could be run on fuel made by the farmer. It ran on 100% peanut oil but could also run on any similar oil: corn, sunflower, rapeseed, even lard.
“The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as the petroleum and coal tar products of the present time“
Rudolph Diesel, 1912
While teaching sustainability, renewable energy and social responsibility, great emphasis was put into acquiring knowledge beyond the textbooks in these areas. One of the outstanding experiences was the visit to a palm oil mill in the heart of Borneo.