|
Home
What Is GaiaYoga?
Why GaiaYoga?
What Is Nonviolent Communication?
What Is Tantra?
What Is Sustainability?
Instinctive Eating
Bio-Fuels for Diesels
Essays & Poems
GaiaYoga Gardens Intentional Community
Visiting Us
Calendar of Events
Ordering Books & CDs
Ordering More
About Us
E-mail Us
Reading List
Links
|
What Is Biodiesel?
By Ano Tarletz - GaiaYoga Goods & Services
When I tell people I that I run my diesel vehicles on used vegetable oil, they often say, "You must be kidding! A car running on vegetable oil?" My response is, “Rudolph Diesel invented the diesel engine in the 1890s, and showed it at the World's Exhibition in 1900, running on peanut oil. His engine was actually designed to run on vegetable oil! What I’m doing is simply using the diesel engine the way Rudolph Diesel intended it to be used in the first place."
(It's also interesting to note that Henry Ford's original automobile ran on methanol made from hemp. So both of the internal combustion engines that are supporting the environmentally-destructive petroleum industry were originally designed to use renewable, vegetable-based fuels!)
There are actually two ways a diesel engine can run on vegie oil. The first is through a fuel called biodiesel, which is simply vegetable oil with the glycerin removed. (Removing this makes the oil thin enough to flow through the modern diesel fuel injector and have a low enough flashpoint to “cold start” an engine.) Biodiesel can be made from pretty much any oil — coconut, soybean, corn, rapeseed, hemp, olive, etc. The oil is mixed with 10-30% methanol or ethanol and a small amount of catalyst (either sodium hydroxide —which is lye, or potassium hydroxide). The result of this chemical process is a thinned-out vegetable oil, which can then be used to run diesel engines. (The only other byproduct is glycerin, which can be used as a base material for soap).
What's great about biodiesel is that no modification of the diesel engine is required to use it. Almost any diesel engine can run on biodiesel just as is — semi-truck, passenger vehicle, tractor, generator, you name it. And it's completely safe to mix biodiesel with petroleum diesel in the tank at any proportions.
With biodiesel you get the same fuel mileage as you would with petrol-diesel and more or less the same power. In fact, because vegie oil-based fuels clean out petrol-diesel crud, an engine that has run for a long time on petrol-diesel will often show an increase in power because the fuel tank, fuel line, and engine gets cleaned out by the vegie oil fuel. Moreover, vegie oil-based fuels can extend the life of the engine because they have greater lubricity.
Obviously, the biggest plus with biodiesel is the fact that it's so Earth-friendly. Biodiesel exhaust has no lead, sulfur dioxide, or halogens, and when compared to burning petrol-diesel, it has significantly less particulates, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. It's made from plants that can be grown locally and sustainably. (This stands in stark contrast to nonrenewable, fossil fuels that keep us dependent on foreign countries). Also, biodiesel is readily biodegradable. It’s not considered a toxic or hazardous material. And here’s the icing on the cake: biodiesel exhaust has a pleasant smell, similar to French fries, popcorn, or Chinese cooking!
There are three things to be aware of with biodiesel. One, as I mentioned earlier, is that it will initially “cleanse” your fuel tank and fuel line by removing old petrol-diesel deposits. Thus, during the first tank or two of biodiesel, old deposits are released into your fuel filters and occasionally cause little jams here and there in your fuel line. Because of this, it's recommended that you change your fuel filter(s) after a tank or two of biodiesel (and then again after a few more tanks, if it feels necessary).
The second thing is that biodiesel is a solvent, which means it will “eat” rubber. So any natural rubber fuel lines, o-rings, or gaskets in your fuel system will have to be replaced with resistant materials. (Fortunately, most newer cars are made with synthetic rubber parts in the fuel system. You can check with the manufacturer to see if this applies to your specific model.) Similarly, (and this is the third point) you need to immediately wipe off any spills on the car, for it will dissolve the paint.
Biodiesel is easy to make from scratch. With a little bit of practice and the right equipment, anyone can “brew” their own fuel. Talk about liberation! Alternatively, biodiesel can be purchased — either through large-scale, highly-efficient manufacturers who distribute it around the country, or from a local business or co-op, like Earth Friendly Fuels.
The other way to run a diesel engine on vegie oil is to use straight vegetable oil (SVO). But in order for the SVO to dependably and safely pass through the fuel injectors and fuel pump, the vegetable oil needs to be heated to around 160°. The solution that is most popular for accommodating this is to add a second fuel tank, fuel filter, and fuel delivery system, and to heat the vegetable oil with the hot water from the coolant system of the vehicle itself. With this kind of system, you start up the vehicle on biodiesel (or petrol-diesel) and then, after a mile or so, switch over to the vegetable oil tank that has now been heated to 160° (or more). Before shutting down the car, you once again switch back to biodiesel. Using SVO as your primary fuel is preferable, since it doesn’t need any extra chemical processing. And it’s very economical, because used fryer grease can be obtained from many restaurants. It only needs to be filtered, and then you can pour it into your tank and cruise. It's that simple.
You've just received "Biodiesel 101." Here’s what to do to find out more:
• Read From The Fryer To The Fuel Tank: A Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel
Tank, by Joshua Tickel. Order it through Pan Piper Press , RR2 #3334, Pahoa, HI 96778 for $25 (+ $4 shipping).
• Get a diesel vehicle, and then contact Ano at GaiaYoga Goods & Services to get fuel; we're distributing biodiesel, as well as filtered, ready-to-use, recycled SVO, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
• Buy or make a kit to convert your diesel to be able to use pure
vegetable oil. We are promoting and distributing the Greasel vegi-oil
diesel kit. You can order them directly from Greasel.com; just mention Ano's name for best service. If you're in Hawaii,
I’m happy to help you install a standard or customized kit.
• Attend or organize our Workshop: Converting Diesel Engines To Run On Used Vegetable Oil.
• Explore other websites through our Links.
Remember: We don't need to drill to drive.
|
