Since we are talking about soaring fuel prices on other threads ,just wondering if anybody is using it . Wondering if the new machines would be able to tolerate it.Are any of you guys in California using it ? When I was in minnesota it seemed like every gas station had blended fuel ,hardly any had normal diesel. Same thing the western part of nebraska ,farmers have biodiesel readily available, but in the eastern part you don't see any.
I can bet just about no one uses it since its isn't that widely available. Iron will run just fine with it, but you will burn more fuel since it has less BTUs and at first you will be going thought fuel filter right and left. Since it acts like more of a solvent and will clean all the crap out of your fuel system. It also gels very fast IIRC 40* your going to be SOL. Another bad thing is that it will make you hungry all the time since the exhaust will smell like french fries all the time. At this time Bio isn't going to replace fossil fuels it cost a bit more to make and drives up the prices of food. I have herd they can make it out of alge , but I don't know much about that.
The biodiesel I am talking about is a soybean based biodiesel , such as B5, B20, B100. When I was in Minnesota it seemed like all they had was B5 and B20and not too much straight diesel.I am not talking about the refined used cooking oil .
Biodiesel users The August 2007 issue of Equipment World has a 13-page issue on biodiesel that has interviews with several present users. Here's the link: http://www.equipmentworldmagazine.com/apps/news/articleeqw.asp?id=62177 On the whole, we didn't come across many nay sayers. As long as you take the required precautions with filters and cold-weather blending, most issues weren't major. Engine manufacturers are gradually turning from approving just B5 to going on up to B20. But I'd always be interested in hearing any other experiences out there.
Biodiesel is biodiesel that doesn't change what I said for the most part. B5 is 5% bio blended with #2 B100 is 100% bio. You still have issues with gelling and with the problem with the new ULSD gelling I will avoid it if I can in the winter. It will still cause you to change the fuel filter more often at first, and you wouldn't really see the fuel usage go up until you go over B20.
Biodiesel is biodiesel ,and SVO is Straight Vegetable Oil.Two different times of refining.The problems you talk about such as gelling are with the Svo.I think the problems right now are lubricity and a lower btu factor as compared to straight #2 diesel.
You won't save a dime using biofuel. Soybeans are up near $15/bushel which drives the cost of soybean oil up. B100 will probably be $5/gal. Edit: Looking at soybean oil futures on Chicago board of Trade shows soybean oil around $0.5514/lb, this converts to $4.21/gal. I think you only get about 80% of the volume of bio-diesel out of soybean oil and you still have to add refining costs, transportation, and taxes plus a little profit mixed in there somewhere.
You can make Bio out of SVO there is no issues with the lubricity of Bio it is way better then #2. I know the differance to run SVO you have to modify the engine and fuel tank.
Bio well gell too, it depends greatly on the feed stock (oil source) used and the way it is processed and dried. I suspect that is part of the reason commercial bio is kept at a lower ratio, to prevent 'overwhelming' a dino diesel powered vehicle. Bio tends to loosen a lot of dirt/sediment etc when first introduced to a fuel system, therefore plugging/requiring a lot of fuel filter changes the first while. To test a fuel for cold weather properties, pour some in a clear jar, put it in your freezer. Watch it and see what it does as it gets colder, if there's is a lot of water in it, ice crystals may even form, otherwise it will slowly gell depending on it's cold weather properties. WVO requires it to be heated prior to injecting, to help it atomize small enough to burn properly. Again, temperature depends some on the quality of the original oil. Most guys going this route, particularly in northern climates run a second tank, (often heated) and then heat the line and filter assembly as well. Sometimes even the injector lines are heated. A setup of some sort to switch from dino to WVO (and back) is also there. Start up, and shut down are performed with regular diesel. Economy is gained by anyone willing to either collect and use WVO, or process their own bio from the WVO, however, it can either be time consuming, expensive, or both. If you have the time however, it can be done fairly reasonably if you research, setup, and get things going in a way that works for you. One additional benefit is the lowered demands on the petroleum resources, and some also claim that the emissions, since they were offset by the plants grown recently to produce it, is somewhat offset, as compared to dino diesel. To me, growing plants to produce it and no other use doesn't make a lot of sense, however, recycling oil that was needed for other uses and is now being 'discarded' can make sense if done right. In some areas, that used oil is simply sent for landfill.
Welcome to the Forums mgruver. I did find that article in Equipment World interesting. Biodiesel is almost non-existent in our state, although I heard there was a refinery in Moundville.:beatsme I found this website http://www.dieselsecret.com/?engine...&match_type=&gclid=CNLcoJyJgZICFQsJPQod0ETN_A . Does anyone know about this or is it just another "internet miracle".
Diesel secret? Oh boy.....Can't find them right now, but there was a thread or two about that on the bio diesel forum I read some. First, the stuff in that chemical wise is just nasty, and beyond that, there have been some horror stories. (Course, it's just heard from a friend who heard from a friend at this point....) If I come across the thread, I'll cut and paste or post a link though. Let's just sum it up this way, I certainly wouldn't be buying/using it in anything of mine.
My Alabama sources on this subject are nil. I did, however, get back with the Destiny USA shopping mall contractor, the one who wanted to use B100 through a Syracuse NY winter. He had to convert back to B20, had to make a fuel filter changes, but is determined to give it a go again once again next winter. There will be a story on it in the Reporter section of Equipment World in our June issue.
Hey mgruver - Well I tried my first B20 yesterday. The Pacific Pride fuel station on Skyline Boulevard East in Cottondale had some and I tried it in my pickup. We'll see how it does. Currently we are completing a site package for a new hotel right off of Exit 76 on I20/59, on Doris Pate Drive. Heres my thread on this - Drop by and see us if you are in the area.
Here is a link to the story that was mentioned. http://www.equipmentworldmagazine.com/apps/news/articleeqw.asp?id=69825
Two Words Thermal depolymerization. If it ever gets off the ground that is. it seems like a process that would make everyone happy and doesn't use as much energy as a refinery and uses trash to make fuel. Why hasnt anyone else heard of it? Prolly cause i spend a lot of fre time at work looking up strange and arcane crap.
bear, I beleave the reason it is not in the publics eye yet is it dosen't have the $$$ backing it needs. The oil co's don't want to back it because it could take money out of there pockets. The government hasn't put a lot of money into it because oil co's don't want it. (Look at the tie between government and big oil). Give it a little more time and let the public know about it, raise the cost of other sources of energy and it will get the funding it needs to run the world.
ethanol, or biodiesel......let them stand alone without any govt. subsidies...and i'll buy them. here in south dakota, ethanol gets a 52 cent per gallon subsidy, but it's not that much cheaper at the pump.
Shouldn't that be true for all the fuel, oil included?
Is that the one where the guy tuned the microwave magnetron for whatever trash you put in and cooks out diesel oil?
I bought some B5 coming back through Wisconsin in mid-June for my 08 Chev 2500HD Duramax. Noticed no particular difference in noise, economy, or anything else. Probably mixed about 40 gallons into my two tanks, both of which were roughly half full. (84 total capacity) I don't know that I would do this however, in real cold weather. I haven't seen much mention of extreme cold weather performence of B5-20, other than some who mentioned that gelling seemed to be more prevalent.
I know what you mean Dwan. I've been researching the process for about a year now and am working on getting something organized here locally. The science is sound and it has some serious potential to placate the greenies and it produces fuel with very little additional work. I'm starting to get people more involved but here in my area if you say something with more than three syllables people look at you like you're talking rocket science (which really Isn't that complicated) and lose their interest. Most of my attention has started at the college and is slowly spreading through the area. The main reason I'm trying to get this ball rolling is I hate having to pay over 400 bucks to fill up the dozer for a day of serious work. The biggest reason diesel is so high is that over half of the diesel produced domestically is going to China. That's BS.
We have been making biodiesel for over a year now. Started with the tractor and now run it in all equipment even the truck. This is strictly a used a cooking oil biodiesel.
Here they make it out of used cooking oil. They get the oil from the local potato chips manufacturer, and it is about 10 cents(ZAR we talking about) than Traditional Diesel.