Both animals and plants create fatty deposits as an energy reserve – the former in their reproductive organs, the latter in their vegetative organs. The vehicles for the reproduction and dissemination of plants are seeds. In these seeds the energy deposit is frequently formed by fatty matter. The seeds can also be surrounded by fatty fruit pulp.

Plants which produce large amounts of oil are known as oleaginous. Of these only about ten are used for commercial purposes. Some others are used from region to region in a semi-extractive manner, while there are hundreds of little-known oleaginous plants, not yet used commercially, which can be excellent sources of fuel.

Even though the processing of vegetable oils to yield fuels similar to standard diesel is one of the dominating biofuel trends today, ELSBETT sees no future for it. It will disappear together with the ability of governments to heavily sponsor it, and together with the still existing problems of food overproduction in some countries.