About BioDiesel 

BENEFITS OF BIODIESEL 

Maybe you're wondering if Biodiesel is as good as Petrodiesel? The answer is, it's BETTER in almost every aspect.

Some of the benefits of Biodiesel-   

• It's made from Renewable Resources such as corn & soybean

• Biodiesel reduces our dependence on oil from foreign countries and contributes to our own society

• Requires no wars & lost American lives the way petrodiesel does

• Burns up to 90% cleaner than conventional diesel fuel made from fossil fuels. Substantially reduces unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter in exhaust fumes.

• Sulphur dioxide emissions are eliminated (Biodiesel contains no sulphur)

• Considered an Alternative fuel under EPACT

• Biodiesel is plant-based and adds almost no CO2 to the atmosphere

• The ozone-forming potential of Biodiesel emissions is nearly 50% less than conventional diesel fuel

• Pleasant smelling, both in its raw form, and when burned

• Biodiesel is Safe. It's considered non toxic and greatly reduces the amount of cancer causing emissions vs petrodiesel

• Biodiesel also has a much higher flashpoint making it much less likely to ignite in a car wreck or spill

• Biodiesel is less toxic than table salt and biodegrades as fast as sugar

• Biodiesel can be used straight in warmer weather (B100) or blended with petro diesel in any ratio and requires no engine modifications to use.

• Increased Lubricity. Biodiesel has greatly increased lubricating properties vs petro diesel, even in very small quantities.

• Higher cetane rating

• Savings - Biodiesel made at home can be made for around 75 cents a gallon 

No Loss of Power
Today's Diesels are sophisticated engines capable of amazing power and as an owner, I'm sure you don't want to sacrifice power just to burn Biodiesel. Well you don't have to. Biodiesel is basically capable of making as much power as petrodiesel. It actually has a little less power, but because it is a much better at lubricating you end up with the same power. And because it lubricates better, your engine should last longer too.

Don't believe it? Check out the world's first Diesel Dragster running a 7.98 ¼ mile with a Cummins diesel AND Biodiesel at http://www.cumminsracing.com/ .

What are the drawbacks?

 Solvency - Biodiesel has a solvent effect that may release deposits accumulated on tank walls or pipes from previous diesel fuel storage and precautions should be taken when first switching over to Biodiesel.  This rarely happens, and mostly happens to very high mileage vehicles with over about 80,000 miles.  And if it does, it means you'll have to change your fuel filter once, very rarely twice, a little sooner than normal.  After that this won't be a problem.

Cold weather - Biodiesel will generally start to gel at higher temperatures than #2 diesel fuel which can be a problem if you are running B100. But a simple fix is to run B50 or less. You can run B50 in some pretty cold climates without worry.  Our Book explains this in detail, along with methods to improve the cold weather performance of Biodiesel.

Nitrogen Emissions - NOx - Fueling with Biodiesel that is not additized does tend to increase emissions of oxides of nitrogen commonly known as NOx. This increase can be anywhere from 1% - 15% depending on the engine type and blend of Biodiesel used.

But, NOx emissions can be reduced using additives at a rate anywhere from 5% to 30% depending on the additive and feedstock used to produce the Biodiesel.

Bacteria - There is also a small chance that if you already have bacterial growth in your fuel tank that adding Biodiesel may cause this problem to accelerate.  This is primarily a problem with fleet fuel storage due to the large tanks which when half empty have a lot of air in the tank.  The air in the tank holds moisture which can be absorbed into the biodiesel.  The moisture absorbed can cause bacterial growth to spread.

 This is also easily remedied with inexpensive biocides which only need be added approximately once a month.  The cost is minimal at about $30.00 for a bottle which will treat about 1000 gallons of fuel.  For normal maintenance of the fuel, especially for small users, it really only needs to be added about once a month.  We have this additive available on our website in the accessories section.

HISTORY 

By now you've no doubt been hearing about Biodiesel from your friends, or family, or maybe Television, newspapers, the Internet etc. Biodiesel is in a large growth stage right now because of the rising costs of Petroleum based fuels, the emissions from petroleum-based fuels, the realization that our oil reserves wont last forever, etc.

Here's some sales volume estimates for the US from the National Biodiesel board -

2004 -- 25 million gallons
2003 -- 20 million gallons
2002 -- 15 million gallons
2001 -- 5 million gallons
2000 -- 2 million gallons
1999 -- 500,000 gallons

And the use of Biodiesel is growing exponentially. For example in Colorado there is a 1 company producing 10 Million gallons a year, and expanding to 15 Million gallons a year as soon as they complete the addition of another processing plant. My personal prediction for sales volume is as follows:

2005 - 80 Million Gallons
2006 - 200 Million gallons
2007 - 600 Million gallons
2008 - 1.5 Billion gallons

Most commercially available Biodiesel will be a blend of B20 (20% Biodiesel). But you can most likely run B100 in the warmer months for even better emissions and savings on fuel. See FAQ for who can run B100.

Today there's a large and growing number of people who have learned that you can make your own Biodiesel fuel right in your own backyard. All you need is the right equipment, and the right information to properly understand the process.

Biodiesel has actually been around for around 100 years but the cheap availability of Petroleum fuel has made it the choice for Diesel fuel. But now that petrodiesel prices have risen to such a high level, it's becoming affordable to use Biodiesel. And it's becoming very popular in MANY countries.

BIODIESEL DEFINITION 

Biodiesel is known chemically as a 'methyl ester'. And that's basically just a scientific way of saying it's a product made from a chemical reaction involving Methanol and Lye, and an organic oil with fatty acid chains in it. The result of that process is Biodiesel, or Methyl Esters.

Biodiesel is a high quality fuel made through a chemical process called Transesterification. But don't let the big word scare you, as the process is relatively simple once you've done it a few times. And the only ingredients you'll need are used cooking oil (free from restaurants), Methanol & Lye (NaOH) or Potassium Hydroxide (KOH). Everything needed is readily available & we'll show you where to find it.

The chemical reaction that occurs through this process breaks down the oil into a layer of Biodiesel which rises to the top of the reactor, and a layer of Glycerin which falls to the bottom. The glycerin byproduct is drained off and used for other purposes, composted or otherwise disposed of.

The Biodiesel is then washed, dried & filtered to remove any extra impurities and then its ready to be used as a fuel in diesel engines without any modifications to the engine. Because Biodiesel is just twice as viscous as diesel, it will therefore flow through a diesel fuel system with ease.

Most of the time you will get pretty close to a 95-98% yield of Biodiesel out of your used oil. It will probably be a little less than 100%, but basically if you put in 20 gallons of used oil, you'll get back about 20 gallons of Biodiesel. More on that later.

Biodiesel can be made from semi clean to very nasty, rancid looking cooking oils, tallow or animal fats. The end result of the Biodiesel making process is a high quality fuel that acts just like petrodiesel to ANY diesel engine with no modifications needed. And it even mixes with petrodiesel in any ratio with no problems so you can switch back to straight petrodiesel at any time if needed.

That's an oversimplification of the process, but it gives you an idea of what's involved.

(Above information taken from our Book, 'Biodiesel, What it is and how to make it' available in our online store)

Items in our store shown below.  You can go there by clicking the picture.