|
Re: What is so bad about bio/soy diesel?
There are three major issues with biodiesel for the consumer.
1. It's an incredible solvent and will de-gunk your fuel system, clogging fuel filters.
2. This is related to the first issue, it attacks rubber compounds making them soft. Older diesel drivers would be well advised to put in some biodiesel compatible fuel line in their rides.
3. It's not so hot in cold weather. Biodiesel derived from soy will start to cloud and gel up around 40F. Now a B20 mix will do just fine with cold weather additives that are used for petro diesel. There are no widely available anti gels out there for B100. You will have to mix with either #2 diesel or kerosene in really cold weather.
The reason you're not seeing biodiesel everywhere is the fact that there aren't enough manufacturing plants around to meet the demand.
Washington State (where I live) is the largest consumer of biodiesel in the continental US right now. But, there are several large scale plants popping up all over the US right now and the number of them is going to increase.
I'm a homebrewer of biodiesel so it's not such a big issue. I typically make biodiesel during the winter, store it and run it all during spring and summer or run a mix with petro diesel.
__________________
The Green Monster: 2001 F250 Powerstroke, 2WD, ZF6 transmission. Bully Dog GT Tuner set in tow mode. MotorSilk boric oxide added to engine, transmission and diff. Showing 30mpg on the freeway running home brew biodiesel. NTZ 1/2 Micron bypass oil filter. Dieselsite Coolant filter and Caterpillar ELC next on the list. 4" open turbo back exhaust.
|
