[quote=@ZB1996]
<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>

I've actually never heard of biodiesel until now, and at a glance it doesn't look so abnormal. What exactly is so odd about it?
[/quote]That it somewhat eliminates my need for crude oil. Granted, maintaining huge fields is almost as difficult or maybe even moreso.
There's also the fact that in our world biodiesel was never truly caught on until the later few decades.
But yeah, the process is damn simple and I'd dare to say hardly any more difficult than regular oil refineries.
The method is known since mid-19th century, the machinery needed are simple, chemicals are simple and well-known by this time and the desire is there.
The problem probably was to establish a whole new kind of industry. And well, the fact nobody until the 70s took the effort to put all these together, even in theory.
There's probably a good explanation if I'd do a more through research but this is a fantasy game anyways.
If we allow mechanical horses, this should be a piece of cake.