How To: Biodiesel at Make Magazine
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 06. 6.05
Even though it's been known for more than 100 years, Biodiesel is just now getting the attention that it deserves. Unfortunately, it's still not available at your local Texaco station (unless you live in a few very special places). But, never fear, the folks at Make: Magazine have put together an audio show and interview with Rob Elam, founder of Propel Biofuels. They talk shop about biodiesel, making it, driving with it, and its potential to change the global energy market. If you're handy in the kitchen, and you've got a backyard and a few spare 50 gallon drums, this might be your kind of weekend project. :: Make: Biodiesel
This link has a great list of retail biodiesel outlets. Seems to be at least one in every major city.
Making your own is the cheapest and most recycleicious way though. That and a second straight veggie oil fuel tank.
I am interested in knowing how biodiesel compares to regular diesel in terms of NOx and particle emissions. Can anyone provide a link here?
I pulled the following stats off of this site:
http://www.ybiofuels.org/bio_fuels/benefitsHealthEnviro.html
Of course, it's the homepage of a Biofuel company, so take that into account :)
* Hydrocarbons are reduced by 95%
* Speciated hydrocarbons are reduced by 50%
* Carbon monoxide is reduced by 43%
* Particulate matter is reduced as much as 86%
* Sulfur oxides and sulfates are eliminated by using biodiesel
* Aromatic compounds (mutagenicity compounds) are reduced 75%-90%
* Carbon dioxide is reduced 78%
* Nitrogen oxide is increased by 5.8%, but the use of an additive or a catalytic converter now virtually eliminates this increase
If anyone has less potentially bias info, please post it.
Here's a great link to make your own Biodiesel.
Check out the Appleseed Processor (It's also in this months Homepower Magazine)
http://www.localb100.com/cbt/mainpage/index.php
If you are going to utilize biodiesel blended fuel in any vehicle or stationary engine make certain you get a position letter/statement from the manufacturer of the engine. You will find that most engine manufacturers will not accept any liability for the quality of the fuel and if it does damage they will not repair at their expense but yours!!!!!
There's a wealth of information at this link.
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:uUfjFbf3kr8J:www.wd.gc.ca/rpts/research/biodiesel/full_e.pdf+mcleod+by-products+armstrong+bc&hl=en
It's a Feasability Study for Biodiesel in British Columbia, Canada.
It is a comprehensive report focused on large scale biodiesel production, however it has figures for emissions and everything else.
Just to note, although I'm interested in biodiesel, I've been running my VW Golf on used vegetable oil for almost a year now with no ill effects. The system takes some time to warm up, but once everything is warm, I switch over from diesel to veg-oil and it runs fine.
Cheers