Actually..... They are correct but could have provided a better explanation. Bio is made from veggie oil and is usually cut with dino for tax purposes right?

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

Mexicans are paying a high price for tortillas lately due to exactly that. I believe that are having to import corn from the US already. And they have limits on the total number of imports, which are being lifted next year. Either way it means the value of corn is headed to that of oil. Just wait until they start making bio with the bacteria!

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

They are close. There is no straight veggie oil in biodiesel. The veggie oil(tri-glycerides) is processed into biodiesel(fatty acid methyl esters) using transeserification. They were using veggie oil and biodiesel interchangably, when they aren't the same. It just irritates me that they can't get it right which confuses people that don't know much about it.

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Here are smog results for my 1971 VW Bus, from back in the day when I needed a smog check (1996).

HC ppm - 98 out of 700max
CO% - 3.82 out of 6.00max
CO2% - 12.6
O2% - 10.0

and this car was made in 1971!
...and it gets almost 20mpg, comparable to minivans today. I don't understand how 35 years can go by without a significant improvement in gas mileage especiallly during the 8 years Al "The Unconventional Truth" Gore was in office. In fact, a Honda Civic from 1984 has better gas mileage than the same car built in 2004.
How much corn can we save if diesel engines got 100mpg, or if our culture wasn't so built around hour long work commutes and suburban strip malls with huge parking lots welcoming automobiles?
Anyway, since owning a 300d not a drop of petrol has found its way into the tank. Now, if only I can get the heater and ACCII to work!

20 years ago, US farmers were paid millions in subsidies to NOT grow certain crops, corn being one of them. Is that still going on? I've always been under the impression that the US ag industry isn't even close to full capacity grain production. granted, a big surge in biofuel demand will drive up the price of grain, but as shorebilly said, that's money in US farmers' pockets instead of OPEC(or ExxonMobil for that matter-They are getting rich too)

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'83 300D Turrrbo 295K miles

A point was made earlier--35 years and no significant improvement in gas mileage. Right on! And 35 years later and no significant improvement in the production of biofuels. Shame on us! But if the biofuel thing sticks this time, then companies will find more efficient ways to produce more fuel with less energy and less biomass. US Sustainable Energy based in MS claims they will soon be able to produce 1.5 million gallons per DAY when their new plant is finished. That's the kind of innovation that's going to get us out of the biofuel rut. And, amen, Shorebilly! I'd much rather pay a farmer than a Sheik!

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1998 E300D, 287k, barely broken in.

Oh I see, biodiesel is bad for America now, but foreign oil dependence is good?

Are farmers making used vegetable oil for food? Are they growing flowers for food? Do you think biodiesel is made from corn?

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

Let's not confuse biodiesel and ethanol please. Ethanol is made from corn, biodiesel is not.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

true but...
A corn oil separation technology, developed by a partnership between a group of ethanol producers and a technology firm, enables the extraction of corn oil for use in biodiesel production from a process used to prepare corn for ethanol production.
The technology enables ethanol producers to extract corn oil from the dry mill process. By extracting the oil, producers have the opportunity to increase plant income and improve handling characteristics of distillers dry grains (one of the standard byproducts of the dry mill process).


I believe it's called BPVO (By-Product Veggie Oil)

DYK? A byproduct of ethanol production is Distillers Dry Grain? And did you know that corn oil can be extracted from that and be processed into biodiesel. Previously, the DDG was sold as cattlefeed. Innovative companies are doing that corn oil extraction as well--Verasun and GS-Cleantech. Ethanol is made mainly from corn right now in the US, but US companies are looking into using other materials as biomass, such as cellulose--Xethanol Corp. While the main biomass for biodiesel right now is soy, companies have found ways to convert C02 emissions from factories into algae oil, which can be processed into biodiesel--Greenstar Products and GS-Cleantech. If we support the innovation, then the biofuels don't have to be a drain on the crops for food. We need to support the innovation that can get the biofuel movement off the ground. If we look at it through the 20 year old lens, it all looks the same when oil prices drop. And believe me, oil will drop once the Saudis feel a threat--just to put an end to the innovation. And the sheep that are the American people will go right back to what they were doing--buying SUV's turning their nose up at the rest of the world. Thank you, too, for the Soapbox. Sorry for the ranting. But I would ask that we all stop asking ourselves "why biofuels?" and start asking ourselves "why not biofuels?"

Oh, and one more thing while I'm ranting, don't you just love the Exxon commercial where they basically congratulate themselves for producing ULSD? Good gosh, it's like car makers congratulating themselves for putting seatbelts in cars. The freeking govt made them!

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1998 E300D, 287k, barely broken in.

Ok, but when we're talking about price increases of corn-related food sources, it's due to mostly due to ethanol, not biodiesel.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

Good morning all-
Glad to see so many thoughts flying around! First, I agree with Biodiesel 300 about that DC show not explaining well enough about veggie oil. That would definitely mislead newbies to what it takes to run veggie oil in your diesel tank! If they mentioned veggie oil, they should have at least spend an extra 30 seconds to tell us about fuel heaters and the need for conversion kit. Not just the filter.
David F Thanks for finally posting a SMOG result! Man! what does it take? That VW is a gasser, right?

Magoo-
Exxon is not "getting rich" They are already filthy filthy rich. $39.5 billion in 2006. Broke the record of any company in US history according to CNN.
In case you did not realize it.
Frankie

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Frankie
It never ends!
1985 300D Turbo 181K Anthracite grey, "SOPHIA"
1984 300 SD Turbo(sold)
2004 Subaru Forester XT,Cayenne red.

Yup. There was never an air-cooled diesel engine in a VW.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

Right, I do realize it. I just wanted to point out that it's not just OPEC collecting billions, it's also Big domestic oil. So many of us are quick to accuse "foreign oil" of emptying our wallets, but they are not the only ones getting a piece of the pie.
Grease on.

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'83 300D Turrrbo 295K miles

Even if not everyone is like-minded on these forums, this is pretty close. At least on this thread. Even if not, this is a very amusing, funny chat room! Love it.
Forced Induction is using an exagerrated and inaccurate statement to make a point? Farmers growing fuel not food. Give me a break! He will be the first to admit that he is PRO dino diesel.
I have nothing against that but I am proudly PRO biofuels and pro supporting US farmers. It is what it is, period.
I was just asking someone to post their gasser SMOG results. What happened?
Should this be moved to OC? Just kidding.
Frankie

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Frankie
It never ends!
1985 300D Turbo 181K Anthracite grey, "SOPHIA"
1984 300 SD Turbo(sold)
2004 Subaru Forester XT,Cayenne red.