Biodiesel vehicles
What are your thoughts on biodiesel vehicles? Are they in our future? Will french fry oil finally have a good home?
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Surely if I stop by the local Taco Bell and get their nasty old grease for fuel and pour it into my car something will be left behind.
Nachos, anyone?
Steve
Using WVO or SVO requires special equipment in a vehicle. Separate tank, and heating element at a minimum and the vehicle typically uses regular diesel during the start of vehicle and prior to shut down.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0406/08/autos-174201.htm
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http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/columnists/view.bg?articleid=70- - 546&format=text
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
Biodiesel reduces Perticle Matter and CO2 but increases more dangerous NOx. 100% biodiesel blend fuel has about 10% less energy than petrol diesel. So, you are looking at energy density of the gasoline.
Dennis
Bob
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200209/23_losurem_- ethanol/index.shtml
VOC's in the news in MN. People making the ethanol choice are contributing to toxic emissions.
Other problems with ethanol.
Ethanol is highly volatile (increased smog from evaporation of gasoline). Ethanol can not be transported using traditional petro pipelines due to water absortion and separation from gasoline. Requires massive tax subsidies. Requires modifications to existing engines.
Biodiesel is not highly volatile. Biodiesel can be transported in the same pipelines as gasoline or diesel. Biodiesel does not require blending and can be used as 100% biodiesel. Biodiesel requires no modifications to existing diesel engines. Biodiesel receives fewer tax subsidies than ethanol.
Biodiesel is the smart choice for the fuel to power future vehicles, not ethanol.
PERHAPS YOU SHOULD PUBLISH THE FOLLOW-UP ARTICLE. THE ONE STATING HOW MUCH THAT ONE PARTICULAR PLANT HAS CLEANED UP THE SMELL.
I drive by that plant on the way to work every day. So there is absolutely nothing you can claim about it that I can't clarify for people.
The regulators and the required action was very swift, since ethanol is mandatory in Minnesota. 100% of the gas in the metro area is a mix with gas. And because of that, we are proving the benefits from it... both from cleaner air and the fact that the production has become more efficient.
BIODIESEL IS DIRTIER THAN DIESEL, WITH RESPECT TO NOx (SMOG) EMISSIONS. Would you like me to publish a link to the proof of that, again?
JOHN
1) Lower Nox and P articulates
Diesel advantages:
1) Less greenhouse effect ( esp considering fuel evaporation )
2) No environmentally questionable battery pack
3) Renewable and net zero greenhouse with biodiesel
4) Established diesel engine longevity.
Fuel economy, i think we have to say is a tossup, esp as some reviewers have claimed to have gotten the same MPG out of a prius and an (automatic) mercedes e320CDI--and that's a much bigger, heavier, and faster car.
Cost--diesel, it seems. A TDI jetta is cheaper than a civic hybrid when equipped similarly, and honda is admittedly subsidizing the hybrid. Speculating that it will cost massive amounts to clean up potential future emissions standards is double speculation--euro diesel standards are already high, and diesels are cost-effective there.
As i don't need a car right now, i can wait a year or two until there's an audi, c-class, or 3-series diesel available here.
dave
The lack of proof makes this very questionable. Real-World data is required.
> 2) No environmentally questionable battery pack
Proof that NiMH is both environmentally benign and recyclable has already been provided.
> 3) Renewable and net zero greenhouse with biodiesel
Since ethanol is a biogas, what's the point?
> 4) Established diesel engine longevity.
Since Prius is about to begin year 8, this point will lose it's competitive advantage as time goes on.
JOHN
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200104/19_mccallum- l_fat/
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/users/artists/willie.shtm
Add hardware to cleanse emissions down to the SULEV level, then you'll have a worthwhile positive.
JOHN
That is a little melodramatic. It is not as bad as many of the vehicles still manufactured by Toyota for the USA. They have one clean car, they need to work on the rest.
Toyota has repeatedly stated all those vehicles will have a hybrid option available by 2010.
What will be happening with diesel technology?
I wonder how the cost of adding that cleansing hardware and the minor MPG penalty will affect the decisions made about diesel marketing.
Remember, technology commonly suffers from the wrath of executives. So no matter how much you believe in it, they may drop the axe and ruin your plans.
Thankfully, the committment to HSD is quite strong. Who knows. Perhaps it will later adopt biodiesel and the abandoning of engine-only technology won't be a big deal. Think about the future decisions.
JOHN
I'll believe it when I see it. They are not even close to keeping up with current requests for one lowly hybrid. What makes you think that they will build all their vehicles with HSD. It is a dream of yours. The Prius is just another car and a not very profitable one at that. When the Toyota President says they have NO plans to expand he is telling me and the rest of the world we will bite the bullet on a few thousand cars and that is it. He is not the idealist you are. He is a realist, that likes to make MONEY. The Prius is not a money maker or if it is only a slight bit. Nothing like Toyota is used to making.
Back to Bio-Diesel here is the company in Hawaii that is supplying bio-diesel and making a profit WITHOUT my tax dollars subsidizing at all. He did it on his own and that is the AMERICAN way. Unlike the Ethanol rip-off.
http://www.biodiesel.com/aboutPacBio.htm
Toyota has clearly stated they will be expanding HSD production. They even provided a little detail on short, mid, and long term expectations.
Toyota has also clearly stated that they want to expand their US marketshare by 5 percent by 2010.
The unique opportunities from HSD expansion along with the impressive profits lately obviously make those goals realistic.
JOHN
http://www.biodiesel.com/
having to do business with people we'd rather not associate with - snip - Organizers of an educational initiative to raise public awareness about a farm-generated alternative fuel source believe it not only would contribute to a cleaner environment, but could provide a major boost to Alabama's farming economy.
http://southeastfarmpress.com/news/82704Alabama-biodiesel/
http://brazzil.com/mag/content/view/38/2/
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/specialreports/articles/102946/arti- cle.html
___Thanks for the link and it is a great write up on Biodiesel. Instead of using the term “renewable”, might I suggest your editors touch upon CO2 (GHG) reduction given it is a recyclable process vs. direct CO2 emission(s) from std. refined diesel fuels in use today? This is Biodiesel’s true environmental calling given all the talk of Global Warming over the last 2 or 3 years.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
Thanks!
___Done. CO2 neutral is the term I hope they would consider
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
The National Biodiesel Board is hailing DaimlerChrysler AG's decision to use biodiesel as the factory fillup for the new diesel-powered Jeep Liberty. "The Jeep Liberty will be one of the first new passenger vehicles offering a highly efficient diesel engine into the U.S. market, and Chrysler's B5 factory fill will help build awareness about the environmental and energy security benefits of biodiesel," said Joe Jobe, president of the Missouri-based biodiesel board. Jobe said more than 400 major fleets use biodiesel commercially nationwide including all four branches of the military, NASA, Harvard, National Park Service, U.S. Postal Service, L.L. Bean, and others. About 300 retail filling stations make various biodiesel blends available to the public, and more than 1000 petroleum distributors carry it nationwide. Biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. -Joe Szczesny
B100 is a good solvent.
Also I think the gel point for B20 is around zero or 5 degrees above (farenheit), not 40 below. Mixing with about 30% regular diesel should cure most cold weather gelling problems for people in really severe climates.
Good question about how biodiesel affects warranties. I would guess that if you switch to B100 in a car that you've been filling with regular diesel for a couple years, and you don't change the filters, that the manufacturer wouldn't honor the warranty on correcting that problem.
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])
2009 BMW 335i, 2003 Corvette cnv. (RIP 2001 Jaguar XK8 cnv and 1985 MB 380SE [the best of the lot])