Biodiesel

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Biodiesel

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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Mar 07, 05 9:50 am Post subject: Biodiesel
I've just found this site. Seems to be a good way to recycle waste cooking oils. You can buy biodiesel from them in 25 Litre Drums. https://www.planetfuels.co.uk/index.php

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 4:30 pm Post subject:

Surely that's quite brilliant, if it was done on a bigger scale? They seem to suggest that you can just buy the product direct and put it straight in to your car?

I'd only heard of it so far as being people on a small scale trying it out in their own back yard, where as this is getting to be a viable alternative.

I assume though, that it wouldn't be possible to produce enough biodiesel from the waste products/growing esp for it, to provide all our energy needs, but it must be a move in the right direction?

Has anyone else looked at this site, what do you think?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 6:09 pm Post subject:
I find the site somewhat annoying, as last I heard of this technology the major block if I recall rightly was the taxation situation. Since fuel costs are mostly duty, it is good old Gordon who decides on the viability of these schemes. It would be good if the web site covered this fundermental issue.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 6:52 pm Post subject:
The statement 'We aim to retail our fuel at below forecourt prices for petrodiesel.' makes me think it will only be just under the price of normal diesel and the government hope people will use it because they want to be green. It should realy be cheaper than LPG. Anyone fancy contacting them to see if they are still around and to see how much it costs?

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:02 pm Post subject:

jema wrote:

... last I heard of this technology the major block if I recall rightly was the taxation situation. Since fuel costs are mostly duty, it is good old Gordon who decides on the viability of these schemes. It would be good if the web site covered this fundermental issue.

IIRC, until a couple of years ago the duty was the same as mineral fuel, (but see below). Two budgets ago Bio duty was reduced, and further reduced last time round.

There are other aspects to the economic viability question - notably the price of Crude Oil and the cost/availability of Bio oil.
Obviously the higer crude prices go, the more attractive a *business* proposition Bio becomes. But more importantly, the *outlook* for crude prices will influence investment decisions on tooling up for commercial production.
Our mainland european neighbours, not having the benefit of North Sea supplies, have been incorporating Bio into their regular diesel blends for some time.
A *requirement* to do this would do wonders to kickstart the infrastructure investment.
The availability of 'free' used oil is what makes homebrew so attractive. And attractive to folks like Sharwoods who now use their 'used' Poppadum oil to fuel their delivery trucks...

Fuel duty. Its actually levied on a *volumetric* basis - so much a litre.
This is actually (approx) 5% unfair to Bio, which is less dense than mineral diesel - so although you would get the same miles per KILO, you actually get about 5% less miles per LITRE with Bio. -- I understand this is directly attributable to their being more Oxygen in each molecule, which also happens to be why it burns 'cleaner' than mineral diesel, with less 'particulates'. These microscopically tiny pieces of soot adsorb (yes!) other nasties onto their surface - and being so small, they blow around for a very long time, and when inhaled they can go very deep into the tubules of the lungs. This is a massive "plus" for Bio that doesn't get 'plugged' enough...

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:10 pm Post subject:
Do you know if 100% bio could be used in a modern hi-tech diesel or is it better in something a little older?

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:23 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Do you know if 100% bio could be used in a modern hi-tech diesel or is it better in something a little older?

****Good**** 100% can be used in modern engines. Apart from muck and impurities, the main problems come from using it in elderly engines - which may have natural rubber in contact with the fuel - thats bad because it swells up!
Any diesel vehicle made since 198(7? memory!) had to be able to run on Ultra Low Sulphur (ULS) Diesel. If it can do that it can run bio, and all the way up to 100%. Being fully miscable, you can just add Bio to the vehicle's tank...

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:38 pm Post subject:

It was actually 1996, not 1987! Memory, hah!
I covered this in a post last December on River Cottage, in
https://forum.rivercottage.net/about7263.html
where there are also numerous links.
And I don't personally think you are likely to have any warranty problems with with commercial Bio fuel to DIN (German) standards. I would however fully expect any manufacturer that discovered you were running on *any* homebrew fuel to use that as a valid reason for not honouring a warranty claim...
And yes, Bio does have a reputation for 'flushing out' any muck that is already in your fuel system, hence the need to keep an eye on the filters...

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