Forget biodiesel, I run my truck on waste vegetable oil
At a time when oil supplies are beginning to run out, the need for alternative or renewable fuel sources is beginning to have an effect on the types of cars offered for sale to the public. There are very few in the public today who have not heard the terms “biodiesel fuel” or “waste vegetable oil” with respect to the renewable energy sources that are currently being researched to try to find answers to ever-decreasing supplies. reduced from petroleum-based fuels.
Technically speaking, waste vegetable oil is a biodiesel fuel because biodiesel fuels are any fuel derived from vegetable oils or animal fats that run a “diesel” or compression ignition engine. The term Biodiesel is currently used almost exclusively for the product made by combining chemically reacting lipids such as vegetable oil or animal tallow and alcohol.
An important difference between biodiesel Y waste vegetable oil is that biodiesel is formulated for use alone or with petrodiesal blends in “standard” diesel engines and is different from the new vegetable and waste oils used to power diesel engines that must be specifically converted to do so.
To produce biodiesel fuels, the oils must go through a process known as “alcoholysis” (sometimes called “transesterification”). In this process, vegetable oils have the fatty acids separated from the glycerol components using ethanol (and sometimes methanol) to replace the glycerol with specific types of alcohols known as short linear alcohols. In its purest form, biodiesel has the designation (B100) or it can be blended with petroleum diesel in any concentration for use in most modern diesel engines.
Due to the different solvent properties that biodiesel has compared to petrodiesel, biodiesel will damage natural rubber gaskets and hoses on vehicles made before 1992. For this reason, these parts on older cars should be replaced with a type that is not reactive to biodiesel.
An unexpected bonus is that biodiesel is known to break down and remove residue deposits left in fuel lines where petrodiesel has previously been used. As a result, the fuel filters in the engine can become clogged with particles, especially if a quick switch to straight biodiesel is made. Mechanical experts recommend that engine fuel filters and heaters be changed soon after first switching to a biodiesel fuel blend.
Additional advantages of using biodiesel fuels include the fact that water will not mix with it; Biodiesel has a higher boiling point and flash point of (less than 266°F for biodiesel compared to 147°F for petroleum-based diesel or -52°F for gasoline). It has virtually no sulfur content and is often used as an additive. for ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD).
Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO), unlike pure vegetable oil (PPO) or pure vegetable oil (SVO), is a by-product of other industries, such as fryers used in industrial potato processing plants, factories that produce sandwiches and fast food restaurants. Most enthusiasts who use it prefer to call used vegetable oil for fuel as used vegetable oil (WVO), particularly if it is recycled waste oil from a restaurant to better distinguish it from pure vegetable oil (PPO) or straight vegetable oil. (SVO) commonly considered as standard biodiesel
As of 2000, industry experts estimate that the United States was producing more than 11 billion liters or 2.9 billion US gallons. If this entire amount could be collected and used, it could be used to replace the equivalent amount of fossil-based oil, which is almost 1% of oil consumption in the US. The only theoretical drawback here is that oil production Waste vegetable oil is limited by the amount that industries can produce as a by-product compared to neat or pure vegetable oil, which is limited only by the agricultural production capacity of any given national economy.
Like pure vegetable oil used as an alternative fuel for diesel engines, the viscosity of used vegetable oil must be reduced for proper atomization of the fuel to prevent incomplete combustion of the oil and carbon build-up that ultimately can damage the engine. . Additionally, the free fatty acids (FFAs) found in WVO can have an adverse effect on metals. Copper and alloys derived from it, such as brass, are affected. Zinc and metals such as zinc, or those galvanized by zinc plating, are removed by FFA. Additionally, tin, lead, iron, and steel are also susceptible. Stainless steel and aluminum are the only metals that appear to be immune to the effects of FFAs.
Ideally, a car engine should be converted before using vegetable oil for fuel. Most diesel car engines can use WVO, if fitted with the proper modifications. A common solution is to reduce the viscosity and surface tension of the oil by preheating it, adding a heat exchanger and an additional fuel tank for “normal” diesel fuel (petrodiesel or biodiesel). It will contain valves to switch between this additional tank and the main tank that contains the vegetable oil. This tank and valve system is an aftermarket modification that costs around $1200 USD.
The engine is initially fired on diesel, switched to vegetable oil when warmed up and switched back to diesel fuel shortly before shutdown to make sure there is no vegetable oil left in the engine or fuel lines so you read you start when it’s cold again. For longer term durability, it has been found that it is best to increase the frequency of oil changes and pay more attention to engine maintenance, especially with regards to fuel injectors, cooling system and glow plugs. .
Although slightly more expensive initially, as you can see, there are several advantages to using biodiesel or used vegetable oil as a vehicle fuel. In addition to being a renewable resource, unlike fossil fuels, these fuels also release fewer pollutants into the atmosphere that can worsen global warming.