Just wanted to let ppl know, I have a '99 E300 turbodiesel, and am now on my third tank of B20 (20%blend of biodiesel/80%BP Diesel Supreme), and it runs very smoothly and noticeably more quietly, with greatly reduced emissions. No complaints thus far but i'm still keeping my ears open.

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2004 Ram 2500 Cummins HO
2000 Jetta TDI
1999 E300 (sold)

I've run my Dodge truck on 100% biodiesel. I make the stuff myself during the summer months. The stuff works great!

How do you make the stuff? Is there a great start up cost? Do you have to be a chemist to make it? What is it made of and where do you get the materials to make it. I have heard of people using old fry oil from fast food places. Is this just a rumor? When you make a batch how do you test it? Obviously you would not want to screw it up and have to pump the stuff out of your tank. Sorry about all the questions I am just interested

Mad Mercedes
if you really want to know about Bio get the book from the fryer to the fuel tank by Joshua TICKELL also try www.veggievan.something i for got maybe org Bob se,ks.

The kind I ran was envirodiesel from world energy. It's made from virgin soybean oil. To answer the question on fryer oil - yes its fully possible, people do it frequently - its just not quite as pure as the bio-d made from virgin oil. Requires more filtration etc, and may have a bit higher cloud point and lower btu.


check out veggievan.org, and really check out biodiesel.org
worldenergy.net
hiperfuels.com(expensive)
soypower.something
soygold.something

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2004 Ram 2500 Cummins HO
2000 Jetta TDI
1999 E300 (sold)

There is a thread on energy which provides a link to diesel fuel from a tree at http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=16726&highlight=diesel+tree .

The EPA is currently conducting an emissions test comparing biodiesel with diesel. While the manufacturers groups claim lower emissions ( http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/emissions.PDF ), early studies indicate the mix of the nitrous oxides and the size of the particulate emissions from BioD results in a emission profile that seems more hazardous than conventional diesel. Apparently the NOx mixtures are harder on health and the environment, and the particulates are much more hazardous to health than regular diesel particulates. They apparently are more in the form of 'ultrafine' particles such as those produced by the CDI diesels, which have extremely adverse health effects - pulmonary and cardiac among others. All the emissions data is listed for unused biodiesel - recycled vegetable cooking oils open a whole new can of worms!

The NOx emissions and the ultrafine particulates seem related for both fuels. Adding the NOx filters in European CDI diesels magnifies the ultrafine problem, deleting the NO filter releases unacceptable NOx emissions and mixtures. A yet-to-be-developed 'converter' for diesels to collect and neutralize ultrafine particles is needed, possibly by clumping the ultrafines into large particles that are less hazardous and more easily collected.

http://www.tlcnetwork.org/biodiesel.html

http://www.ucsusa.org/publications/diesel.123.pdf

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

There's another biodiesel website you might want to check, www.greasecar.com and do get the book "From Fryer to Fuel Tank". It's so full of info and tells you exactly what's needed to pull the whole thing off. Out here in California, a restaurant pays .75 cents a gallon to have you take the used oil away. If the restaurant does a lot of frying, they need to change the oil about every five days.

Depending on the oil type, some vegetable oils have better lubricity than modern diesel oils. Plus anyone in the car sitting behind you in a traffic jam loves the smell of french fries or bacon coming from your car!!! Strain out the chicken bones first.

Ben