This should certainly be of interest to us!

http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html

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'81 300TD Wagon 355k (Miss Diesel)
'83 300SD 180k
'84 500SEL 190k (Parting it out)

Nice thread. Cut in half of the total algae oil used for the production of biodiesel and leave the other half as SVO for blending or dual tanking and you cut your expenses even more.

That's a real kick in the sea grass :p

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"Know other lessons I need to learn? TELL me. Tired of learning'em the hard way".

Glow Plug Wait: [i} Time of silence in homage Rudolph Diesel. Longer you own a diesel. more honor you give". [/i]

Life; SNAFU Situation Normal All Fouled Up, & FUBAR: Fouled Up Beyond All Repair

-Now: Snafued Jeep TJ w/OM617 2Be daily driver & building SS M1079 w/Ambo boxed /live in Adv. Truck, Diesel KLR conversion
-Sold 62 UNIMOG Camper w/617 Turbo, 85 300SD

great link... I'd also recommend some of the other links found under 'research'. Great comparison of current vehicle technologies (including hybrid) as well as a comparison of biodiesel to hydrogen feasibility.

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1985 MBZ 300DT
1969 MBZ 220d
1984 MBZ 300TDT
1981 VW Vanagon

And the world already has enough to do this as it is (hell, there are likely MANY more than a few dozen in cells right here in the US.)

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1984 300D Turbo - 4-speed manual conversion, mid-level resto

1983 300D - parts car

1979 300TD Auto - Parts car.

1985 300D Auto - Wrecked/Parts.


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"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there". Lewis Carrol

That's an excellent article. I think the government should put some funding into this. The Bush administration already gave 1 billion to hydrogen research which may never be practical, but they seem to be anti-diesel and not interested in diesel-related technologies.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I have to wonder if all the anti-diesel legislation and slander coming from the white house, and all the anti-diesel scientific studies funded by the government is not a plot to take attention away from green house gasses (global warming) and the possibility of converting a large percentage of our nations fleet to bio fuels.

It is by far more plausible than hydrogen fuel cell technology, yet the government smashes it down.

Oil companies have a vested interest in hydrogen fuel cell technology, because it is easy to create the cells with petroleum (although water and wind can also be used.)

CONSPIRACY ALERT!!!

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Cassidy
1982 MB 300DT - Running Great @ 104K!

1972 MB 220D - RIP @ ~200K (Dropped prechamber)
1992 MB 190E 2.6 - SOLD @ 145K

How sad that we aren't already going down this path. With just a fraction of the money we're already spending on fuel cells or imported oil, we could be developing a sustainable fuel source that would cost the taxpayer and the environment a lot less. I don't think it's feasible to convert 11,000 square miles of desert for algae/biodiesel production. Dispersing the production around the country makes a lot more sense.

I agree there's no way this will generate any interest under the present administration, but maybe somebody else in the future will wake up and do something sensible. The official rejection of modern diesel technology in this country is just moronic, and subsidizing fuel cell cars when they will clearly remain so inefficient is sickening.

Oh well, at least there's a strong grassroots adoption of biodiesel that's encouraging. I hope it continues to catch on.

Instead, our leaders give us this:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,121009,00.html

WASHINGTON_—_The Bush administration is considering removing environmental requirements for a multitude of gasoline blends as one way to increase supplies of gasoline and fight soaring prices,_Commerce Secretary Donald Evans (search)_said in an interview with The Associated Press.

yeah so short sighted... I hate to see that.

Well, wvo for me...I don't mind paying .80/gallon after mixing the SVO with diesel.
-Nate

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'82 240D, 4-speed, 617 turbo engine