Continued from the previous post.

For the cons, well there isn’t much for the only problem they have seen so far is that there was a higher emission level for carbon monoxide (which is deadly to humans) and that it will decrease the engines maximum output to some extent. There is also a nasty trait of BioDiesel that it is a very good solvent that any deposits in the engine or fuel system can get dislodged by the fuel causing clogging in filters, pumps and other fuel delivery parts. After switching to BioDiesel or the other available blends (pure biodiesel or B100 or mixed with petroleum diesel and sold as B20) it is recommended that you get the fuel pump changed and all other parts that are made of rubber in it’s many forms and shapes with non-rubber ones to avoid leaks and spraying you with the stuff.

No fuel alternative is perfect for most of them are still in the development stage. Opposed to the almost century old history of the current diesel and gas powered engines, the technologies for alternative energy/fuel are still in their infancy. There are some who argue that shifting to BioDiesel will increase emissions rather than decrease it. It would also create problems with grain exports for farmers would opt to farm higher yield BioDiesel producing crops than export grains. The landscape would change from diverse fields of several diverse grains to corn or other more productive oil producing crops. An answer to this would be research into using algae (microscopic plants) for BioDiesel production to minimize the economic impact crop shifts would have.
We will surely see more and more green vehicles and alternatives at the gas pump in the future for we have no choice. We have poisoned the earth for so long that the effects are now causing catastrophic changes to our weather and health. We just hope these technologies would filter down faster to the end-user (which is you and me) as they get to perfect their respective technologies before it is too late for mother earth.

Written by Marcel on September 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment

The technology has been in use for quite sometime and there are a select group of individuals who do use and support the use of BioDiesel. The fuel comes from used cooking oil and unused cooking oil that is processed to break down the fatty acid that makes up the vegetable oil.

Transesterification is the process of converting the base material (which is common used cooking grease in a reaction vessel that converts it into fuel grade diesel fuel. It is filtered through very fine membranes that takes out any foreign matter or suspended matter in the case of used oil and then mixed with methanol or some other alcohol with potassium hydroxide added as a catalyst. The result of the chemical reaction are esters and glycerol with the first one being the BioDiesel.

Like all fuels, the technology has its pro’s and con’s which are currently being addressed with research and the development of better refining technologies. On the good side of things, it is biodegradable, mainly because it comes from natural products and bacteria can break it down unlike petroleum based products that can damage the environment. Surprisingly, BioDiesel also performs better in terms of engine lubrication for it has a better ability to seep into the engine’s parts (due to smaller molecules) prolonging engine life and efficiency. The last benefit is that it needs little if no additional modification to your current engine setup (well except for the fact that all hoses and fuel delivery parts that are made of rubber is dissolved by the stuff) allowing minimal implementation costs. It can also be mixed with petroleum diesel in ratios specified by the ASTM as B20 or 20% bidiesel and 80% Petroleum Diesel. Higher concentrations should be evaluated on a case to case basis for some people have been using pure Biodiesel for years. The problems associated with the technology will be expanded on in the next post.

Written by Marcel on September 13, 2010 | Leave a Comment