Important Biodiesel Facts to Know Before Using It
8:42 AM | 
Posted by
Dr Hil
Biodiesel has certainly become quite the popular alternative fuel source that is in the market today. With the incessant increase in fuel prices, it is expected for biodiesel to become more and more popular in just about any portion of the world. If you are new to the concept of biodiesel, then here are some biodiesel facts that you should know.
1. You can actually use homemade biodiesel in just about any vehicle that runs on diesel. The good news is that this would not require any major modifications on your engine at all. In fact, if there are any modifications to be made, these would all be minor on your part. This is because biodiesel can effectively dissolve any engine deposits that have been left by traditional fuel. Of course, you have to double check on your fuel filter when you switch to biodiesel already. Do not worry because constant checking will be done only in the beginning.
2. Biodiesel comes with solvent properties, which means that you have to be extra careful when you are handling it, especially when you are around painted surfaces. Spilling biodiesel on your car's exterior might be detrimental on your car paint so make sure to wipe it off right away, should any spillage occur. Otherwise, you might end up wiping paint off your car as well.
3. Just like the other types of fuel, biodiesel also has a shelf life, and it is pretty limited. The National Biodiesel Board actually recommends that biodiesel be used within 6 months after its production. Otherwise, the fuel just might not work the way it is supposed to. Thus, pay attention to your biodiesel's shelf life.
4. Biodiesel can actually be produced from all sorts of cooking oil, namely soybean, palm, sunflower, vegetable, even chicken grease! Interestingly, this just might be the reason behind the increasing number of thefts involving cooking oil in restaurants all over America. Who wouldn't be tempted to commit this petty crime when the production costs here would just be less than a fifth of regular fuel? Creating biodiesel from used oil and grease would just cost 80 cents each gallon. Do the math, and you will surely see numbers swirling before you.
5. Biodiesel is the only biodiesel fuel source that has passed the requirements and standards created by the US. Clean Air Act. Hydrocarbon pollution is minimized with the use of this alternative source of fuel. However, it is important to be extra careful when treating biodiesel with the needed additives. If not treated properly, the emissions would actually contain many greenhouse gases.
These are some of the important biodiesel facts consumers have to know for themselves. By knowing these, usage of biodiesel would indeed be made safer for everyone involved.
By Making Biodiesel At Home you can cut fuel cost, save on gas and the environment. Make sure to consult biodiesel specialists before you make that decision to switch.
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Top 3 Reasons Why Alternative Fuels Work For You
Fuel cost are rising at record highs around the world. Scientist and entrepreneurs are searching for solutions that will ease the pain at the gas pump. Alternative fuels are the answer, with options for the masses.
1. Fuel cost
Fuel Cost are higher than ever, the world is now searching for alternative solutions to the high demand and high price of petroleum based fuel.
2. Making Biodiesel at Home
People have looked at making biodiesel at home as an extreme alternative to commercially available fuel. This is no longer the case, as fuel prices have skyrocketed making Biodiesel at home is now much easier with the available kits that can be purchased. Residential Biodiesel kits and entry-level commercial production systems are now widely available. Companies like 70centsagallon.com offers a variety of options to meet the budget and needs of everyone. The use of these systems ranges from the Cummins diesel engine owner to commercial fleet and maintenance managers. They all are looking for a safe, easy and effective solution to relieve the cost of high diesel fuel.
3. Trucks
Any truck with a diesel engine can use Biodiesel safely and economically with Biodiesel that is made on-site by its owner operator. No matter if you have a Ford, Dodge, Chevy or foreign diesel truck, they all can benefit from the use of Biodiesel. Truck owners cannot tell the difference in performance and state their vehicles have more power and run better with less noise.
Commercial truck owners are now converts to the benefits of Biodiesel as seen at
biotrucker.com
Alternative fuels offer multiple solutions to serve the needs of the world. Necessity has forced new innovations around the world, to include using garbage, H20, used cooking oil and algae for new fuel sources. This generation will make a difference in the next few years with new technologies that will help mother earth be a greener planet for us all.
Victor Garlington has been a long proponent of bio-fuels and produces bio-fuel for his own vehicles. He is currently helping others discover alternative fuels as a solution to high fuel prices. He can be contacted at victor@70centsagallon.com
This is a "Shareware" Article (what's that? read on...) This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice. Copyright © 2008 Victor Garlington.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victor_Garlington
Biodiesel Extend The Life Of Your Diesel Engine
How can this be so? The improved lubrication properties of biodiesel over regular vehicle diesel fuel results in increased parts longevity by up to 100 %. As a result commercial vehicles may be used for decades as well as travel millions of miles. Increased engine longevity translates into reduced maintenance costs, longer life spans and overall increases in reliability.Biodiesel is a renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils, animal fats and cooking oils that are processed so that it can be added to diesel fuel as an additive. You cannot just mash up these fats and mix them with your diesel fuel. It is not as if any old Alvero character can make biodiesel in his garage at home. If the biodiesel is not prepared properly in a qualified industrial process - the contaminants of water, glycerols and other trace elements can well clog up your fuel injectors or even an expensive injection pump. Properly done biodiesel is a safe and beneficial fuel additive - now being routinely recommended and touted by major vehicle and diesel engine manufacturers.
Prepared properly in a commercial setting. and bought commercially you can be assured that not only will the biodiesel will be safe for your engine to use - but will even give the benefits of much greater engine life , enhanced reliability and lower maintenance costs overall.
Biodiesel is added to the regular diesel fuel. The percentage added depends on the climate the vehicles or autos will be used in. In warmer climates - such as tropical or Florida type climates - a percentage mixture of up to 20 % can be used. A 20 % biodiesel percentage in a truck driven up North to Edmonton Canada in the cold of winter will thicken up in the cold Alberta winter weather.
In such a cold winter temperature a biodiesel mixture ratio of 5 % would probably be used. To increase the blends of biodiesel used commercial vehicles such as trucks and busses can have fuel heaters installed - either inline fuel heaters of fuel tank heaters.
Why go to all this trouble for biodiesel ? First of all biodiesel is a renewable resource - crops such as soybean oil or canola can be used instead of scarcer and more expensive petroleum oil based products. Using biodiesel doe mean that we use less regular diesel, however the percentages of biodiesel use are relatively small. For example most diesel manufacturers recommend only 5 biodiesel (B5 mixed wit 95 % regular diesel. Of course again in colder climates such as Edmonton Alberta the percentages may be eve less. Biodiesel is also good for reducing emissions and pollution levels of sulphur, carbon monoxide as well as overall tailpipe smog pollutants.
However as with most good things in life there are disadvantages to the use of biodiesel as a vehicle fuel additive. First biodiesel has slightly less energy than regular diesel fuel, so that the larger the percentage content of the Biodisel in the fuel - the less power the engine will have to deliver. Fortunately at the low percentages of biodiesel being used as a fuel additive this is not a major issue.
In addition biodiesel spoils with time. If the biodiesel is too be stored for a long period of time - then additional additives must be added.
As a result of its benefits to reducing petroleum oil use and increasing engine life and reliability biodiesel has a bright and emerging future in our transportation and automotive industries.
The use of biodiesel - an alternative renewable fuel, is fast on its way up.
This is the Reason Why Biodiesel Fuels are so Economical
Diesel engine used pure biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel is very safe to use, it is non toxic. Biodiesel is not alternative for vegetable oil. It can be used in its unaltered form in diesel engines. Only vegetables oil fuels must be changed and which is being used in combustion or ignition engines. It makes biodiesel one of the easiest alternative fuels to use. It is being get used in farm equipment.Biodiesel fuel is made through process known as Tranesterfication. In this process, glycerin is taken out from vegetable oil or fat. Byproducts like methyl and glycerin being left in between the process. Biodiesel is free from sulfur and other aromatic which generally used to occur in traditional fuels. This unique quality of Biodiesel makes it different from other alternative. Biodiesel has passed all the health cautious test, means it is taken care that it should not affect human being. It is legally registered under environment protection agency. It can be legally sold and distributed in any part of world, while other alternative fuels cannot be sold legally.
Biodiesel is very much economical because it does not require costly raw material. Whatever the raw material it requires comes from plants and biodegradable, so it does not involves much cost. Now days it is rapidly becoming available to the general public. It is available at selected places in country or it can be directly bought from producer. Now its demands getting high, everybody is realizing benefit of biodegradable. It is a very much cheapest way to get biodiesel fuel is to make Biodiesel at home on yourself.
There are some vehicle manufacturers; who are positive about the use of biodiesel. For example, lower engine wear is cited as one of the fuels benefits. Biodiesel is very good than other standard diesel fuel. It used to clean the engine, also removes deposited dust in the fuel line. It is recommended by car manufacturer to change the engine after few months after switching to biodiesel. There are manufacturers that have released list of cars that run of Biodiesel.
Biodiesel is being use as a heating fuel, also in domestic and commercial boilers. There are some existing boilers that are needed to convert to biodiesel, but overall, it does not take much effort or cost to convert to biodiesel.
Note B100 should not be burned in home heaters. And biodiesel is generally more expensive to purchase than any other petroleum diesel, but this difference diminish due to economy. In Germany Biodiesel is cheaper than normal diesel at gas station.
Don't Mix Politics and Biodiesel
the attention of both major fuel manufacturers and those who prefer
to make their own homemade biodiesel. Many car manufacturers are
seeing the wisdom of creating vehicles that can accommodate a
biodiesel product by creating a diesel car that is friendly to the
use of vegetable oil blended with diesel fuel.
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to biodiesel making is that it helps to reduce the United States dependence on foreign supplies of
oil.
Making your own biodiesel is also a way of keeping your costs down in the case of a national emergency such as the devastating hurricanes that recently hit the Gulf coast. Biodiesel making also keeps farmers employed. Biodiesel production is self-sustaining because it is a completely renewable resource. Biodiesel product is made from soya and canola, which is a self-sustaining fuel. Best of all it provides a market for excess soya bean oil production. Unlike the burning of fossil fuels biodiesel making gives back more energy to the environment that it takes. Lifecycle studies show that for every unit of fossil energy it takes to manufacture fossil fuel, 3.2 units of energy are gained during the biodiesel making life cycle. This kind of lifecycle study would take into account the planting and harvesting of the soy or canola as well as its transportation, production and distribution to the end user. In addition to displacing North America's reliance imported petroleum, the use of biodiesel product has been shown to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. According to the national biodiesel board a 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions
by 78 percent (compared to petroleum diesel.)
The total fossil energy efficiency ratio of the production, manufacture, transportation, and distribution) for diesel fuel and biodiesel shows that biodiesel (diesel gas blended with vegetable oil) is four times as efficient as diesel fuel.
Burning just a 2% biodiesel blend in on-road diesel fuel will curtail all kinds of harmful emissions. Annually it has the potential to reduce poisonous carbon monoxide emissions by more than 35 million pounds, reduce ozone forming hydrocarbon emissions by almost 4 million pounds, reduce hazardous diesel particulate emissions by almost 3 million pounds and reduce acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 3 million pounds.
Given these statistics about biofuel product it is quite baffling why more politicians don't endorse biodiesel making as part of their political platform. Biodiesel product is available commercially but it is not available readily to everyone. This is possibly because the major gas companies are all too well aware that biodiesel making cuts into their profits. Until the day arrives when biodiesel fuel is made more readily available for everyone it seems that homemade biodiesel making might be a solution for those who are suffering economic problems due to disasters and unfriendly political decisions about the distribution of gas in general. The distribution of biodiesel is still sporadic but it is less so than it was before the turn of the century. The national biodiesel board contains a comprehensive list of locations where biodiesel
product is readily sold from pumps including an interactive point and click map that lets you find a biodiesel fuel station near you. Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel.
Quality Standards of the National Biodiesel Board
The National Diesel Board is a very reputable organization thatrates and approves companies that have this certification. The National Biodiesel Board, the trade association for the biodiesel industry, has formed the National Biodiesel Accreditation
Commission (NBAC) to audit biodiesel production and marketers in order to enforce fuel quality standards in the US. NBAC issues a 'Certified Biodiesel Marketer' seal of approval for biodiesel marketers that have met all requirements of fuel accreditation audits. This seal of approval assures customers that the biodiesel fuel meets the ASTM standards for biodiesel and that the fuel supplier will stand behind its products. To refresh your memory, pure biodiesel is referred to as B100 or 'neat' biodiesel. A biodiesel fuel blend is pure biodiesel blended with petrodiesel. The national biodiesel board refers to biodiesel product blends are referred to as Bxx. The xx indicates the amount of biodiesel in the blend. For example, a B20 blend is 20 percent by volume biodiesel and 80 percent by volume petroleum based diesel
fuel. Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel The National Diesel Board doesn't set the quality standards for biodiesel, it simply gives a stamp of approval to biodiesel products that meet government quality control standards. So just who is responsible for setting the quality standards of biodiesel?
In the case of diesel fuel (and biodiesel), the responsibility for
setting standards lies within ASTM Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants. In order to assure that the standards are realistic and enforceable, ASTM committee D02 is comprised of fuel producers, engine equipment manufacturers, and third party interests (users, government agencies, consultants).
ASTM utilizes a ballot process in which a single negative vote against a diesel fuel or biodiesel product is enough to defeat the ballot. This
means that the biodiesel product does not make the grade and will not be listed with the national biodiesel board. An ASTM standard approval for any product is not easily achieved.
Some standards can take over 10 years to gain agreement and be issued by ASTM. This rigorous, time-consuming process is why ASTM standards are so important to the national biodiesel board which has to guarantee quality biodiesel fuel to you - the consumer.
