Bio-diesel versus Fossil Fuel Cars

If one uses higher blends of BD--above B20--in tempertures below 40 degrees, one should make sure the source (feed-stock) comes from unsaturated sources.

In other words, you may be able to use B100 in 28 degree weather, but not if your biodiesel is being produced from animal fats. You must be cautious and know how the biodiesel is being made. A lot of new plants are opening up accross North America and some of them are using animal fats as feed stocks. These are not good sources for cold weather when used in higher blends.

This stuff works just like fats/oils do in our bodies. Unsaturated does not clog us up or our cars. Saturated is bad on our cars and our bodies.

There is also the added concern that biodiesel--if not made to exact specifications designated by the ASTM D6751 specification--may precipitate during transport or during storage. If this happens, and you get a bad batch of biodiesel, you may have some problems with fuel filters clogging until the bad stuff is diluted out.

Making good-quality biodiesel, every time is not easy. Some manufacturers get into the business not realizing this challange, and we get a batch of off spec fuel from time to time, somewhere in the country. If off-spec fuel is blended with petro-diesel, it actually worsens the effect, and causes the BD to precipitate.

The point I'm making is that if you decide to start using any blend of BD, do some research. Choose a fuel supplier that is using a reputable BD manufacturer. Keep all your fuel receipts for sixty days or so. A diesel owner can get bad petro-diesel too and, if your car is under warranty, the warranty will not cover bad quality fuel in either case. If you're using BD, the chance of getting off-spec fuel is higher, since the industry is not as established or regulated.

It's worth the effort and worth the risk to use biodiesel, but make sure you understand something about it before you start.

I've been running B20 from the same fuel station for one year. No off-spec fuel as of yet, so it's not that common; just possible.

Just to make this even more clear:

quote from the article

"Another way to use vegetable oil in a diesel engine is to blend it with regular diesel fuel. This blend has become known as biodiesel, and works fine in regular diesel engines with no conversion required."
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This statment is completely false. Vegetable oil is not blended with diesel fuel to make biodiesel. Vegetable oil and biodiesel are two different products. Biodiesel is made into a product before blending with conventional diesel fuel. Biodiesel is produced through a process that mixes methanol and plant oil with salt as a catalyst. The methanol comes back out but removes free glycerines from the oil as it does so. Vegetable oils used in diesel engines (SVO or WVO) do not go through this process and is not an approved fuel for diesel engines.

It would be much more correct to state biodiesel is another product that can be used to fuel diesel engines. Biodiesel is an approved fuel with an ASTM standard that uses plant oils and/or animal fats as feedstocks to produce this fuel. Biodiesel is normally blended with petroleum-based diesel fuels to go directly in diesel fuel tanks with no necessary engine modifications. B20 (20% biodiesel / 80% petroleum-based diesel) is by far the most popular blend sold in America. B20 can be purchased at retail pumps throughout the United States. Biodiesel blends can be used in all diesel equipment, new and old, with some precautions and cold-weather limitations. For more information, visit www.biodiesel.org.

I think the author, while very informed, may have left many of the uneducated with this topic a little misinformed.

There is a huge difference between waste vegetable oil (WVO) or straight vegetable oil (SVO) and BIODIESEL as it relates to using these fuels in diesel vehicles. These terms are not interchangeable, and WVO / SVO should not be considered the same as biodiesel.

SVO and WVO are used mainly by owners of older vehicles (mainly VW and MB diesels) where screwing them up wouldn't be a big financial loss. Only older vehicles with low-pressure, indirect injection systems will tolerate this low-grade fuel. Like the article says, these vehicles have to be modified with alot of equipment to use SVO or WVO, and diesel fuel or biodiesel must be used to start them or run them while they are cold.

These oils are not classified as fuels by the DoE/EPA and do not have an ASTM number. Moreover, automakers and OEMs strongly recommend not using these oils as fuel in their engines. SVO and WVO do not have the glycerine molecules removed from the oil, and glycerine may, eventually, play havoc on diesel engines. Although SVO and WVO users wash these oils to remove impurities, there is little quality control over what they are putting in their tanks. In other words, one wouldn't want to risk putting SVO or WVO in their new, 2007 Mercedes E320 BlueTec

Biodiesel is a whole different story. Biodiesel is fuel, and can be used in all diesel equipment without modification. Just drive up; pump; pay; and drive away. It is that easy. You don't need a specially-desgined engine, as you do with gas power and ethanol; and there is nothing to modify. Also, there is a far lessor effect on fuel economy with diesels and biodiesel than gassers using ethanol. This is because biodiesel has much higher levels of energy in the fuel (about the same as gasoline). There are some precautions consumers should be aware of before using BD blends, and those precautions can be obtained from www.biodiesel.org.

Biodiesel uses plant oils or waste oils or fat as feedstocks, but is acutally, chemically changed to an approved fuel with an approved ASTM number. Biodiesel can be made by oneself through buying equipment from mail order companies, and with a few raw materials; or, is more commonly purchased in pre-blended mixes at retail pumps throughout the U.S. A brand called biowillie is one popular brand with truckers that can be purchased at truckstops all accross America. Biodiesel blends are usually competitively priced with petroleum-based diesel fuels. Federal tax incentives help keep this new industry price competitive.

The industry is new to America, but production has tripled three years in a row. The U.S. now produces around 225 to 250 million gallons per year that is usually blended at a 1:5 ratio with petro-based diesel fuel. Most of our biodiesel comes from soybean, but canola and other feedstocks are begining to catch on as well.

To put this in perspective, Germany is the world-wide production leader of biodiesel. They produced 450 million gallons in 2005. The U.S. will probably soon be the world leader in BD production at our current rate of growth. Keep in mind, this is energy produced at home, provided by U.S. farmers, that can go in all diesel equipment with no modification; loss in fuel economy; or loss in performance. Oh yeah--and it also substantially reduces most emission substances from diesel-powered equipment.

Canada has recently gotten hugely interested in this industry as well, and has joined with the U.S. with the National Biodiesel Board as the controlling body for both countries as it relates to quality control.

Retail pumps are popping up everywhere that sell this popular blend, called B20. Many OEMs are a little hesistant recommending biodiesel blends above B5, due to the infancy of this industry in the U.S. and concerns over quality control and enforcement, however, thousands of retail outlets sell B20, and many drivers use even higher blends with absolutely no problems or loss in fuel economy. Many Volkswagen TDI owners run their brand new VWs on B20, and have done so since purchasing their vehicles new. I am one of those consumers. I've driven my 2006 VW Jetta TDI for one year, with nothing but B20 in the tank. Great mileage (44 mpg, avg); great perfromance; and it uses alternative fuel. What a winning combination.

Daimler Chrysler is working with industry leaders to finalize a B20 fuel standard. Once this is complete, I believe we will see industry acceptance of B20 for all diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.

Many informed comments in the two posts. I would add, however, that the higher the percentage of biofuel used, the higher the benefits. If, for example, your car produces 4 tons of co2/year (a Prius at 15k miles), comparing a VW TDI Golf using B100 we find that the Golf produces just under 1500 lbs/year. Note the approx 60% reduction. B100 works just fine at temperatures above 28F. Below, and there may be some jelling of the fuel. If you are in a cold climate, run at least B50 for a big improvement over B20. To emphasize the conclusion from the prior posts, biodiesel is diesel, just not petrodiesel. It does have about 9% fewer BTUs per unit volume, so there is a slight reduction in mileage. To see where your car fits in co2 production, go to www.driveneutral.org and find a compute co2 button. Also, sign up for the carbon offset program so your car, what ever it is, can become carbon neutral through a carbon offset program. Happy New Year.