Diesel fuel is a heavier, less refined fuel made from petroleum. Petroleum is crude oil that comes from algae grown million of years ago. This algae lived and grew in ancient seas. Some of the algae died and biodegraded and some of it fell to the bottom of the sea where it collected in basins. Over time, the basins became covered with sediment. After millions of years of heat and pressure, the oil was squeezed right out of the algae and became crude oil. The variety of materials in the basins and the surrounding rock from the sediment adds impurities into the crude oil; impurities like sulfur.
BioDiesel is a fuel suitable to run in diesel engines that is derived from contemporary sources of oil like soy bean oil, canola oil (from rape seed) or even modern algae. Since BioDiesel has not collected impurities over millions of years, it is a very clean and pure fuel. BioDiesel is so similar to petroleum diesel fuel that no modification to the diesel engine is required what-so-ever. Although, biodiesel from soy tends to stiffen or "gel" at a warmer temperature than petroleum diesel, so in the winter, soy biodiesel must be blended to keep it from gelling and stalling the engine.
Can I really run my vehicle on soy beans?
Yes. Really. I have since 2003. No problems. Clean, smooth, pure ...my VW Golf TDI runs better and quieter on BioDiesel.
You must have a diesel. Gasoline engines can not run on BioDiesel.
What's the difference between a gasoline vehicle and a diesel vehicle?
Diesels have no spark plugs, in fact, no "ignition system" at all; no plugs, no wires, no distributor.
Diesels ignite the fuel by compressing the air in the cylinder to such a high degree that the air gets very, very hot. Then, the engine injects or "sprays" diesel fuel into the very hot air...and the fuel ignites. After that, a diesel engine operates a lot like a gasoline engine. There is an exhaust cycle. There are valves to let in air and let out exhaust. Diesel engines have to be built sturdy to handle the very high compression in the cylinders. This makes them a little heavier but also results in an engine that usually lasts a really long time.
There is a nice animation on How stuff works that shows the diesel cycle and discusses all about diesels.
Can any diesel run on BioDiesel?
Yes!
However, biodiesel is more of a solvent than petroleum diesel and has a degrading effect on hoses and seals made of rubber. Virtually all diesel engines made since 1995 use a synthetic for seals and hoses called Viton. Viton is not degraded by biodiesel. Replacement seals and hoses made of Viton are available for most engines made before 1995.
Aren't "diesels" dirty, smoky and noisy?
Older diesels have been in the past. Today's modern diesels have made huge strides by using very high pressure fuel injectors to be sure the fuel is burned completely and cleanly. My 2003 VW Golf TDI starts easily, runs cleanly and quietly. If you followed my VW Golf down the highway, you wouldn't have any idea it was a diesel. You'd see no smoke or soot. You wouldn't have any sense of "diesel smell". From inside my Golf at highway speeds, it doesn't sound any different than any other passenger car. When the car is idling, you can hear a kind of "purr" (especially on BioDiesel...quite smooth and quiet). Diesels reward this little purring sound by providing excellent fuel economy (up to 30% higher), great longevity (engines routinely last 250,000 miles) and excellent torque (the power you need to pull smoothly up a freeway ramp, pass another car or tow a load). My 4-cylinder VW Golf TDI has the same torque as a Honda Accord V6 but gets substantially better mileage.
What's so special about Soy BioDiesel? Can I just use soybean oil like from my kitchen?
No. Soybean oil in a modern diesel is too thick to run through the very high pressure injector nozzles. BioDiesel is soy bean oil that has been chemically modified to be thinner, as thin as regular petroleum diesel. What makes soy bean oil too thick is glycerin (like in some solid hand soaps and thick shampoos). Soy bean oil is processed by using lye to break off the glycerin. The remaining strings of hydro-carbon fuel elements are then mixed and bonded with some alcohol (about 20% in the mix) and then you've got BioDiesel!
I buy it by our local mall in Iowa City, Iowa from Consumer's Co-op. There's no filling station pump, just a tank that you drive up to and someone from the office will come out and pump into your diesel vehicle fuel tank. When I go there, I fill up four more 5-gallon "Blitz" containers for my trunk. I only go to the "filling station" once every 6 weeks. The rest of the time when I need fuel, I just add 5 gallons from one of my containers at home. That's good for about another 220 miles. In our area, it is available from 3 places; Consumer's Co-op, Linn Co-op (in Marion) and Yoder Oil in Kalona. BTW (By The Way) ...the yellow color of a "Blitz" container is for diesel fuel. This is the official color for diesel in case a fireman needs to come to your home and quickly recognize what is in a container. There is no official color for BioDiesel.
Is BioDiesel safe to transport and store?
Yes! Very safe.
The measure of fuel safety is "flash point". Flash point is the temperature at which a fuel will self-volatize into a vapor and ignite if a flame or spark is present.
The flash point for common fuels:
Gasoline
-45F <-- that's right, it will ignite at 45 degrees below zero if
exposed to a spark or flame
Petroleum Diesel 125F <-- much, much safer to
store and transport!
Soy BioDiesel 300F <--
very, very safe to store and transport!
BioDiesel is no more toxic than table salt and more biodegradable than sugar. The EPA has classified BioDiesel as a suitable clean up agent for petroleum spills. Handling BioDiesel is a far more pleasant experience than handling gasoline or petroleum diesel. It is more like clean salad oil than one of those other fuels. I've actually used BioDiesel to clean tar and other "goop" off of my car. It is a good solvent for road tar (you'll want to wash it off your paint when you are done).
What if I can only get BioDiesel locally...and then I'm on vacation, am I stuck for fuel?
Nope!
That is the beauty of BioDiesel! Because there are no modifications to the engine, you can run any blend of BioDiesel and petroleum diesel from zero to 100%. When I go on vacation, I usually start out with a whole tank of 100% BioDiesel ("B100"). In my VW Golf TDI, that is good for over 600 miles before I need more fuel. Then, if I know where there is a source of BioDiesel, I can fill up or simply stop anywhere that sells petroleum diesel fuel (almost anywhere in the U.S., truck stops, etc.). Personally, I love BioDiesel so much, I always try to be sure I know where to get more. Biodiesel.org maintains a MAP of the U.S. that lists all of the BioDiesel retailers that have listed with them.
Can I use BioDiesel all year long...even in winter?
Yes. But read on...
The commercial biodiesel that most of us can buy today in the U.S. made from soy oil tends to stiffen or "gel" at a warmer temperature than petroleum diesel. In the winter, soy biodiesel must be blended to keep it flowing through your vehicle's fuel system. Actually, since biodiesel can be made from many oils, the resulting biodiesel "gel temperature" depends on what oil was used as a feedstock. Biodiesel is made by reacting biodiesel with a little alcohol (about 20%). The commercial, soy biodiesel you can buy in the U.S. is reacted with methanol and begins to gel up somewhere below 40F. In Europe, winter biodiesel is made from rape seed oil (like canola oil) reacted with ethanol. This difference means that the rape seed biodiesel begins to gel about 20F lower than soy biodiesel.
If BioDiesel begins to gel in the winter...do I have to switch to all petroleum diesel?
Nope!
There are several approaches to continue using biodiesel in the winter.
1. Using an anti-gel; one manufacturer that makes a biodiesel anti-gelling additive is Power Service.
Power Service Artic Express BioDiesel Anti-gel http://www.powerservice.com/
2. Finding rape seed biodiesel that is reacted with ethanol <-- I hope to do this.
Blue Sun rape seed biodiesel ...coming Fall, 2005 http://www.gobluesun.com/
3. Blend with retail, winterized, petroleum diesel fuel <-- This is what I do.
Diesel fuel itself is "#2 diesel" in the summer and often a blend of 40% #1 diesel (kerosene) and 60 % #2 diesel for winter diesel fuel use. Plus, some manufacturers use additive in addition to the blend of #1 & #2 diesel fuel. Winters in Iowa can get down to -10F, I have used the following schedule for blending my use of soy biodiesel with retail petroleum diesel:
> 40F B100 100% Soy BioDiesel (in Iowa, this is usually mid-April thru mid-October)
20F - 40F B50 50% BioDiesel + 50% winterized petroleum diesel
0F - 20F B20 20% BioDiesel + 80% winterized petroleum diesel
Below zero Run all regular, retail, winterized petroleum diesel.
When it gets really cold, some diesel owners add some Power Service Diesel Fuel Supplement (DFS...Walmart; in the "white bottle") to their tank to be sure their cars start easily. I've never done this and my car has always started fine in Iowa winters.To blend, I wait until my fuel tank gets low (the fuel warning light comes on with my 2003 VW Golf at 2 gallons remaining...leaving 12.5 gal of "fuel space"), for B50 I first buy 5 gallons of diesel on the way home, then pour in 5 gallons of B100 when I get back to my garage. For B20 I first buy 8 gallons of diesel on the way home, then pour in 2 gallons of B100 when I get back to my garage. It is important to buy the petroleum diesel first. Why? Because if you put in the biodiesel first, then drive to the filling station, you might stop, the fuel then gets cold and it could gel up on you before you get a chance to blend (this happened to a BioDiesel friend of mine in Iowa).
You don't need to do anything special with this procedure for blending. Pouring the biodiesel into your tank on top of the petroleum diesel works just fine to blend the two fuels. This is called "splash blending".
Note 1:
This is a very conservative blend intended to assure that there are no problems starting or operating...who needs problems? But I've seen posts on the Internet that folks running a B20 blend have been able to start and operate at -29F (this post was from a person in Minnesota). Most BioDiesel enthusiasts on Internet forums consider my conservative blending regime to be pretty "wimpy".
4. Add fuel line and fuel tank heaters to your vehicle
This is really for the hard core biodiesel users and most people won't want to fiddle with modifications of this sort. If you are just beginner, many folks just run B100 from April to October (in Iowa, where the winters are cold). My 2003 VW Golf TDI (Turbo Direct Injected... a diesel), has a fuel filter pre-heater that actually warms up your fuel as you drive. It is a stock feature intended to improve winter driveability of regular, petroleum diesel. What it means is if my car will start...it will likely continue to run because part of the fuel that is brought from the fuel tank to the fuel injection system is re-circulated back to fuel tank. This will gradually warm your fuel. But...you still need to start for this to provide any benefit. My car is kept in an attached garage so it gives me a extra edge in the winter. I still leave my car in a cold parking lot all day but usually when I leave work, it has warmed up a little above the coldest temperature of the mornings.
Note 2:
By The Way (BTW)... All of my information on BioDiesel is me sharing what I have learned with you. Take it or leave it, but please don't call me at 2 in the morning if your car won't start because you think you followed my advice. If you are really concerned about winter use of BioDiesel, I recommend you get some first hand experience with how it gels. Put some B100 into a small jar and leave it on your window sill or deck. Watch what happens at various outdoor temperatures. Then mix up some B50 and B20 and observe the same effect. You will soon understand what will work and what won't.
Update on gelling:
Almost all of the commercially available biodiesel in the U.S. is made with soy oil. Making biodiesel with canola oil or rape seed oil creates a biodiesel with a lower gelling point. Most of Europe's biodiesel is made with rape seed oil. Now there is a supplier in the U.S. offering canola based biodiesel too.
PropelBioDiesel in Seattle: www.propelbiofuels.com/site/driving.html
They claim their biodiesel can be used down to 10 F. For those of us that want to use as little petroleum diesel as possible, this is good news!
A special note for those people with VW TDI diesels from the 2004 model year on:
VW refers to these engines as the PD (Pump Deuse) engines. In an effort to improve performance and emissions, VW basically doubled the injector pressure from the cam shaft driven diesel fuel injectors on these cars. It had the effect of providing even cleaner emissions and more horsepower. However, it sort of "reset the clock" on people accumulating real world experience with these engines running on biodiesel. The experience on TDI engines from the 2003 model year (like mine) have been very positive and many, many miles have accumulated running on mostly B100 when the temperature permits. If you own one of these PD engine VWs, you will have to decide for yourself if you want to take the chance with your fairly new VW (and still likely under warranty) as to how much biodiesel you use (VW only recommends a 5% blend). There are many PD owners that are running B100, but there just has not been enough experience to know how it will turn out just yet. One thing is for sure, biodiesel is higher in viscosity than petroleum diesel and that may effect how it affects long term longevity in the PD engines. What I have heard on the internet forums is that people are running B100 OK when it is warm. When it is cold, the advice seems to be to limit your biodiesel use to no more than 20% blend until there is more experience with the PD engine.
When I bought my 2003 TDI, VW wasn't recommending any biodiesel use... and that has turned out just fine for B100. So, how will this be? Only time will tell. VW has announced that they will no longer make the PD engine after the 2006 model year. They are switching to a "common rail" design (like Mercedes uses now). This will allow them to meet all of the emissions requirements and also operate very efficiently at the same time. These new designs are announced for the 2008 model year.
I've heard that BioDiesel will clog your fuel filter...why is that?
Actually, biodiesel is so clean and pure, IT will not clog your fuel filter. However, if you have a vehicle that has been running for a while on petroleum diesel, the solvent effect of biodiesel will begin to dissolve the icky (technical term) sludge that regular petroleum diesel begins to deposit on the inside of your fuel tank. As this sludge begins to get cleaned out...the SLUDGE can begin to plug your fuel filter. If you are switching over to BioDiesel like this, plan to replace your fuel filter after a couple of weeks and maybe again a few weeks later. Once your fuel system is purged of the petroleum diesel sludge...you won't have any more problems.
Is BioDiesel safe for my engine?
In my opinion, based on all of my research and personal experience... Yes!
In modern diesel engines, the fuel is injected under very high pressure by a fuel pump. The fuel pump is only lubricated by the fuel itself. So...the "lubricity" (slipperiness) of the fuel has a lot to do with how long the fuel pump will last. The fuel pump is usually the first failure in the life of a diesel. Just adding 1% of BioDiesel to the fuel increases lubricity by 46%! On some of the Internet forums for BioDiesel users, people have had their engine oil analyzed when it is changed for metal content from engine wear. A number of these results I've seen show that engine wear is very much less with BioDiesel!
Is the use of BioDiesel covered by my warranty?
It depends on what vehicle you have, of course. Most diesel manufacturers have been moving cautiously about stating that BioDiesel is "OK" for use in their engines (why risk additional warranty liability if they don't have to?). In the U.S., this is a new fuel. In Europe, BioDiesel has been in use much longer and they use a lot more of it. Germany uses 100 times the amount of BioDiesel per capita as compared to the U.S. VW in Germany warranties 100% BioDiesel for their engines. In the U.S., VW only recently began to warranty BioDiesel. In 2005 VW announced warranty support for B5 with intentions later of certifying B20. VW has claimed that U.S. B100 made from soy was too different from European B100 made from rape seed.
The bottom line is that the car manufacturer has to prove that any failure was due to the fuel being used, whether petroleum or BioDiesel, if they want to deny warranty coverage. The basic law in the U.S. is the Magnuson-Moss Act from 1975. This is a broad warranty law. Most BioDiesel enthusiasts interpret this law to mean that the burden of proof is on VW if they want to deny warranty coverage. Having said that, your dealer can make it hard on you to get warranty coverage on the engine or fuel pump if they so desire. If you are nervous about paying for a new car warranty ...but possibly not getting it, then buy a used diesel that is out of warranty. On a very practical basis, you will be on your own for warranty coverage.
As of September 2007, I've been using B100 for the majority of my 92,000+ miles in my 2003 VW Golf TDI. No problems. It runs cleaner, smoother and quieter on B100. It took a "leap of faith" to pour B100 into my brand new VW in 2003. I've never been disappointed! Nothing ever went wrong so the warranty coverage was never an issue.
Note for 2008: VW has re-tooled its diesels for a new common rail design. They did this to meet the more stringent emissions laws now in place for diesels. The reports so far is that the cars are amazingly clean and quiet. Early signs are that it will not be safe to run concentrations higher than 5% biodiesel in these 2008 designs. There is a lot of discussion as to why and if there are exceptions. Not all 2008 designs from all manufacturers may have the issue. I will post an update as I learn more.
In the past, BioDiesel has always been more expensive than regular, petroleum diesel. However, starting in January, 2005 there is a Federal tax incentive of $1/gallon that actually can make BioDiesel cheaper than petroleum diesel. In March, 2005 I paid $2.30/gallon for BioDiesel. A couple of weeks later, petroleum diesel was selling for $2.37/gallon in Iowa. So for that time...BioDiesel was actually cheaper. As of May, 2007 I am paying $2.85/gal for biodiesel and petroleum diesel is $2.95/gal. I've been using BioDiesel since March, 2003. In that time, I've paid as much as $1.50/gallon MORE for BioDiesel.
Why would anyone pay more to use BioDiesel?
I'm glad you asked that! I recently answered that for myself on an Internet forum. Here is my explanation:
Am I willing to pay more for biodiesel? Yes. I've already paid up to $1.50/gal more.
It hurt (in my wallet); every time.
But when we decided to have children, I knew we'd be paying more in our life for that decision. Our kids are grown now (both over 25) but I've never regretted the financial sacrifice that the decision to raise a family required. Over the years, my wife and I could have gone to Europe (never did) or had a better house (ours is modest) or had finer clothes (nothing we own is very fancy) if we weren't raising two children.
For me, using biodiesel is like that. Sure, it has cost me more. Sure, when I started out I was really nervous about pouring what for me was an unknown fuel into the tank of my beautiful new 2003 VW Golf TDI.
But here I am 86,000+ miles later. I've run B100 most of the year (just need to blend in the winter). I've had no, none, nada problems. I figured once I'd cut my petroleum use by 75%; same miles. So...instead of 49 mpg on petroleum I'm getting like 196 mpg ...of petroleum. Once I find a source of rape seed biodiesel I'll blend even less in the winter.
When my children were small, I'd look at them in bed at night; peacefully asleep. I'd think about what I could do to help them have a safe, secure future. That has been my guide down through the years. Using 100% biodiesel is like that for me.
So...worth $1.50 extra? Yes.
Less war.
Less pollution.
Less meddling in the affairs of other nations (and their children).
Less risk of spoiling our oceans and beaches (no super tankers)
Less risk of terrorist attacks in our homeland (no funding to terrorists).
Less risk of middle east nuclear proliferation (developing nuclear weapons is expensive).
Less CO2 added to our atmosphere (75% less!)
More jobs (biodiesel factories built and operated in the U.S.).
More economic opportunity.
More NATIONAL security (less pressure to maintain or restore the flow of oil).
Worth $1.50 extra per gallon? I think so. Since I'm starting off with a vehicle that is EPA rated at 49 mpg, whatever ever price I'm paying affects my wallet way less than it might.
As I motor down the road with my Golf "purring" along on B100 (runs quieter and smoother) I feel good, clean and like I'm doing the right thing. It's been an easy decision for me. Whatever is cheapest is not always the best. It would have been cheaper not to raise a family.
Yes! It is sustainable.
Ethanol made from corn originally had a negative "energy balance". For every 1 unit of energy to make corn ethanol, it used to only deliver .92 units back for a balance of 1:.92 (negative). This was over 20 years ago. Since that time, improvements in corn yield and the efficiency of conversion to ethanol have increased the balance to 1:1.30 (as of a Berkley study in 2006) ... a 30% gain in net energy.
BioDiesel made from soy oil has an energy
balance of 1:3.24 (224% net energy gain) and a yield of 49 gallons per acre.
BioDiesel made from rape seed (canola) oil has an energy balance of 1:4.3 (330%
net energy gain) and a yield of 127 gallons per acre.
How can BioDiesel have 75% less CO2 than a fossil fuel? It still burns...right?
BioDiesel is made from plant oils that grew recently. When the plants grew, they pulled CO2 right out of our atmosphere. When you burn BioDiesel the CO2 produced is basically the same amount of CO2 if you burned petroleum based diesel fuel. It's just that when the next growing season comes along, the plants re-grow and pull the CO2 right back out of the air. In that way, BioDiesel actually recycles CO2 . I've even heard of it referred to as a "carbon solar battery". It uses carbon, oxygen and hydrogen as carriers to store solar energy. When the plant oils are created they store solar energy. When you burn the BioDiesel the solar energy is released and the cycle is started all over again.
When we burn fossil fuels, we are releasing carbon that was bound up tight in the oils millions of years ago. In effect, we are mining carbon out of the earth and putting into our air. During that time, millions of years ago, the earth was a lot hotter. In the last two hundred years of our industrial society, the concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere has increased by 30%. That's not just next to some big city, that is the atmosphere around the entire earth. It represents a vast ocean of air. Science knows that CO2 traps the heat from sunlight like a thermal blanket. Our blanket is now 30% thicker than it used to be. That's just a fact. The planet Venus is basically un-inhabitable by human beings because it is SO hot. Venus has a very thick atmosphere of CO2 trapping sunlight.
OK. If BioDiesel "recycles" its CO2, how come it only reduces CO2 by 75%? Why not 100%?
Good question! Remember that BioDiesel contains about 20% of alcohol. Today, most of the alcohol used to make BioDiesel is methanol (like the "Heet" de-icing product people put in their winter gasoline tanks or the fuel we use for model airplanes). Most methanol today is made from "steam reforming" of natural gas. Methanol is made from methane gas. Methane gas can be made renewably from biodigesters of animal waste (like hog farms) or agricultural waste but most of it today is made from natural gas. The alcohol could also be ethanol which can certainly be made renewably. But, the bottom line is, today, most of that alcohol for BioDiesel comes from natural gas meaning BioDiesel only reduces 78% of the CO2 . It could be 100% if we really work at it.
This sounds like "Global Warming". Who cares about that liberal "junk science"?
Actually, calling it Global Warming has been mis-leading. Global Climate Change is really more accurate. As our earth begins to warm, the patterns of movement of air streams and ocean streams begin to change. If you watch the weather on TV at all, you know that the "Jet Stream" plays a huge roll into whether or not your local weather will be hot, cold, wet or dry. Just changing the flow of the Jet Stream a little can change an area that used to be pretty dry into an area the is now pretty wet. The opposite is true as well (wet areas made dry). The people that own the property in that area depend on the weather being pretty much the same from one year to the next. Farmers plant crops that are suitable to the region where they are. If the weather is unpredictable or inconsistent, farmers (and people that depend on the food they produce and economies that depend on the money from the produce), lose big. Whole regions might have a drought. Whole other regions might have devastating floods. "Global Warming" is hard to prove to a skeptic. One thing, though, is just a fact. Our earth blanket of CO2 is now 30% thicker than it was 200 years ago. That is just a fact that is measurable and easy to prove. BioDiesel stops contributing to the growth of that CO2 by 75%!
Samples of Artic ice show that has CO2 cycled between about 190 to 300 parts per million on the Earth every so often for the last 400,000 years. We are now at a point that is 25% higher than the highest levels of CO2 in the last 650,000 years. Is that being caused by our use of fossil fuels? I believe that it is. Not everyone does. You can see though, that our hurricane seasons are becoming more violent and more frequent. The same thing is happening with tornados in 2006 and 2007. For me, I want to reduce my use of fuels that add CO2 to our atmosphere.
If we try to reduce CO2 like that Kyoto Treaty, won't that hurt our economy and lose us jobs?
No.
In fact, just the opposite is true. Let me say that again. Just the OPPOSITE is true.
The people that say this are imagining that the only way to reduce our CO2 emissions is to sort of "stop" or "slow down" our society. They say that will cost us jobs. Renewable energy like wind electricity or ethanol from plants or BioDiesel from plants doesn't cost us jobs...it hugely creates jobs and stimulates our economy. When we build a new factory for producing biodiesel or ethanol or put up new wind turbines, Americans have to construct those facilities. Once they are built, the facilities are operated and maintained by engineers, technicians, office workers, mechanics, etc. Good, local jobs for local people. All of these new facilities and new jobs help to stimulate our economy. But, you might ask (I will do it for you), where will all of the money come from for all of this stimulus?
In 2003, the U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) reports importing 12.254 million barrels of oil per day (a barrel of oil is about 42 gallons). At the recent high prices for imported oil of $55/barrel, that is $673.97 million per day or $246 Billion/year. In case you are wondering, every year we import more oil than the last. The most recent figure I heard is 65% of our oil is imported. All of that money already comes right out of your pocket, every time you reach for that "gas pump" and squeeze the handle. The difference is...all of the money for imported oil leaves our shores and goes off somewhere else.
How many local jobs does this represent?
Short answer: 2.46 million new, high paying jobs in our local economy.
Let's estimate a job that costs $100,000/yr for salary and the cost of benefits. That would be a pretty good job, don't you think? At the 2003 amount of imported oil (it always just goes up) and today's high prices, that is the equivalent of 2.46 million new, high paying jobs with really good benefits. So... a new wind turbine (that displaces fossil fuel CO2 ) or more ethanol capacity or more BioDiesel capacity doesn't just hugely reduce the amount of CO2 we produce, it also hugely stimulates our economy and adds new jobs ...all without any extra money from anybody. And, as you may know, creating one new job has a multiplying effect on our economy. Those people with new jobs eat in restaurants, they buy houses and cars, they go on vacations, they pay taxes to support our schools, they use our hospitals, etc. The U.S. Department of Commerce has a study from Rutgers University that estimates a multiplier of 1.5 times. That would be 3.69 million new jobs.
It sure seems like using renewable energy to reduce CO2 (like the Kyoto treaty) would stimulate our economy...not hurt it.
I've never heard of BioDiesel. How come?
THAT is another good question. Part of it is that people have been using petroleum for so long that it is hard to think of some other way of powering our vehicles. I was the same way. I first heard of BioDiesel in 1998 at a BioDiesel seminar in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My reaction was at that time..."What? You can run engines on oil from soy beans?". It was an all day seminar. Cedar Rapids at that time was already running its buses on B20 and had been for some time. It took a while for BioDiesel to really sink into my head too. It was after 9-11 that I really started thinking about alternatives to importing so much oil from the middle east. The invasion of Iraq finally did it for me. I had to do something... I bought my 2003 VW Golf TDI and started using 100% BioDiesel the next month. But, it took me FIVE years from the time I first heard about it to actually start using it. How come? I don't know. I think as human beings it just takes us a long time to change.
The country singer Willie Nelson has been using BioDiesel for quite a while now in his cars and his tour buses. He is beginning to sell BioDiesel at truck stops under the name "BioWillie". Maybe that will help get the word out.
Other celebrities like Daryl Hannah use BioDiesel and have been on news programs promoting it.
In May, 2005, President Bush visited a biodiesel plant in Virginia that should help publicize biodiesel; coverage by CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and the Washington Post.
It just takes a while. Here is an excerpt from a new book on BioDiesel by Greg Pahl on the history of BioDiesel.
From time to time I see more and more news in the main stream media about BioDiesel but people still haven't really heard about it.
Can we produce enough soy BioDiesel to get us off of oil?
Not entirely. At least, not at this time the way we currently make BioDiesel.
In 2004, the U.S. harvested 74 million acres of soybeans. At 49 gallons per acre, that is 3.626 billion gallons of potential soy BioDiesel.
When I drive my VW Golf, I get about 44 mpg on soy BioDiesel. The AAA says that the average American travels about 15,000 miles per year. If that average American were driving my VW Golf, they'd need 341 gallons of biodiesel. Our 74 million acres of soybeans would accommodate about 10.6 million drivers. If we planted the same acreage in rape seed at 127 gallons per acre, we be able to handle about 27.6 million rape seed BioDiesel using people driving VW Golf TDIs.
In 2003, 23% of the fuel consumed for transportation was diesel fuel (77% gasoline). That was 173 billon gallons of gasoline equivalent fuel for all transportation. Rape seed production would only get us 9.4 billion gallons of biodiesel. Clearly something other than soy beans or rape seed would need to be produced to get us off of oil.
Algae can produce oil. Estimates using today's production techniques are 400 gallons per acre. The University of New Hampshire is exploring ways of forced production of algae for biodiesel that is yielding 10,000 gallons per acre and uses salty water. Their calculations show that a tiny area of the Sonoran desert in New Mexico (about 9%) would be enough area to produce all of the transportation fuel in the U.S. using their production techniques. Already, one company is experimenting with algae production stations at a power plant to capture the CO2 from the exhaust and use it to make algae for biodiesel. Clearly, soy BioDiesel is only a place to get started. It isn't the end point for BioDiesel.
Every year, our restaurants discard 3 billion gallons of used food fryer oil. If we turned that into BioDiesel, that is enough to replace 5% of the diesel fuel used in the U.S. every year. That would be like finding a huge new source of petroleum that will never run out, never pump dry. This would be recycling that really helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil. No new plants would need to be planted, no new acreage. In 2004 we produced 32 million gallons of BioDiesel. So, just with used fryer oil, we've got a lot more we could be producing. After that, we can start using higher production methods to produce even more BioDiesel.
Where can I find out more about BioDiesel?
There are a number of excellent links on the web:
Journey to forever
...full of information on biodiesel, as well as how to make your own
Maria "Mark" Alovert's web site on
homebrewing ...Mark is very knowledgeable on home brewing of biodiesel
Veggie avenger ...another great site
with lots of information
Green car
congress...BioDiesel ...a site I found just recently
The
Veggie Van ...one of the first and most enthusiastic promoters of BioDiesel
Biodiesel Now ...a GREAT forum for
making, using or just talking about BioDiesel!
Fred's TDI Club
...another GREAT forum if you own a VW TDI (diesel) of any model or vintage
...or want to own one; has a section just on biodiesel
Eastern Iowa
Biodiesel Enthusiasts ...This is our local YaHoo group of BioDiesel
users around Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa
This includes the Yoderville Bio-D Club; a local
processor group for making your own that you can ask to join.
Books on biodiesel:
From
the Fryer to the Fuel Tank - by Josh Tickell ...in its 3rd and last print
run. This was the first book I read. It got me really enthused about biodiesel.
Biodiesel - by Greg
Pahl ...a very new book. I've read this and highly recommend it.
Biodiesel America - by Josh Tickell ...apparently the replacement for "From
the Fryer...". I haven't read it yet.
BioDiesel Homebrewers Guide - by
Maria "Mark" Alovert ...self published and a little rough around the
edges but packed with good info on making it yourself