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.