Anyone out there run thier diesels on biodiesel? Cars, trucks, tractors, anything? I was wondering how people felt about its performance, costs etc....

Anyone out there with a diesel contemplate running on biodiesel?

 

Interesting subject.We have had a few threads on this topic in the past.Though I don't know a lot about it,I'd like to see it discussed a little further.

 

Theres a thread going under the heading of Alt Fuels why not. I ve posted a few things about biodiesel and hydrogen cells, very interesting stuff

 

I dont use it, but if I had a diesel I certainly would. Anything to help support American Farmers instead of only Arab & American Oil Tycoons. Gas at $1.61 a gallon is enough for me to switch.

 

$1.61??? Damned thats the good old days out this way. Come visit San Diego and fill your beast for $2.00 a gallon. Any idea if anyone around you offers biodiesel commercially?

 

Biodiesel is something less than 10% of the U.S. diesel consumption. Most is used up by local government and local subsidized metropolitan busing. Its not a wide spread publicly available fuel. Nope, not here in Texas either, that I've found.

 

That is absolutely true. Very little is used now outside of the government fleets and buses. And even most of those are still in trials. As for consumer use most of it is homade as it is easy enough to do with. From what I have read there are about 100 stations nationwide (US) that offer biodiesel at the pump, usually in B20 form.

 

I think we only have one here in Maine.I'd like to see it utilized a little more.It could even help the farmers out.

 

It sure can. As it is right now, most producers use virgin oils. But another benefit is that it can be made from used oils from restaurants etc. Cant be a bad thing to make your car go vrroom vrrooom as opposted to dumping it in landfills and storm drains.

 

I've been doing some research on biodiesel. I am very interested in. I just cant find much useful information on it. It is easy to produce but more expensive than diesel. I am wondering if it would be a profitable business. Help out the local farming community.

 

It really depends on the amount you want to produce and what you want to use. If you use free or very cheap WVO its very inexpensive if youre making small batches for your own use. The process is quite simple but capital expenditures to mass produce it commercially are significant. Check out http://www.journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html.

 

The link wont work. Can you give me all the links you have? I'd like to read them. Get as much information as possible. Whats currently going on with the plant you talked about in another thread?

I need to go to bed, its 4:30 am here.

 

I got the link to work. Looking at that site earlier.
If sufficent revenue was obtained, would it be possible to makea profit worth the hassle? At first, I'd use used oil, because its cheap, and then include oil from farms. What are the costs of medium and large scale production?

 

I have run it personally, unfortunately not continuous, but have run it through a variety of engines, and I can't say it produced more power, but certainly not less. This was also summer time, from other posts I found here, it may present some possible filter problems, but I can't verify this. I would be happy to run it if I could. I have seenethanol blamed for problems that actually aren't due to the ethanol itself, but the crap run through the system prior. I have had many say ethanol plugs up inlectors and such, but in actuality, it is cleaning out the varnish and crud from prior fuels.AS far as corrosion, it doesn't, at worst will dry out natural rubber seals. So I wouldn't be surprised if biodiesel gets the same bs rap, seems the oil companies like to create rumours to keep us buying theirs, and the automtive manufacturers seem to be in on it too.

 

Up here in the corn/soybean belt, I got a flyer from a fuel company that was pushing biodiesel. They are offering to deliver it to farmers that have their own fuel storage.

Didn't have the price per gallon listed in the flyer.