Difference between revisions of "Biodiesel"
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Biodiesel (chemical name [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_acid_methyl_esters Fatty Acid Methyl Esters]), has very similar combustion properties to mineral Diesel, making it a suitable substitute for mineral Diesel in road vehicles. | Biodiesel (chemical name [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatty_acid_methyl_esters Fatty Acid Methyl Esters]), has very similar combustion properties to mineral Diesel, making it a suitable substitute for mineral Diesel in road vehicles. | ||
| − | Biodiesel should not be confused with vegetable oil, or blends of vegetable oil with solvents such as Petrol | + | Biodiesel should not be confused with vegetable oil, or blends of vegetable oil with solvents such as Petrol. |
| − | + | __TOC__ | |
| − | + | ==Advantages== | |
| + | |||
| + | Biodiesel presents several advantages over pure vegetable oil as a road fuel: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * significantly reduced viscosity; good for systems with weak mechanical injection pumps (EG Lucas, which can shear its driveshaft with vegetable oil) | ||
| + | * lower melt point; can be used in winter | ||
| + | * can be safely cold-started; no piston ring gumming and resulting loss of compression | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==How it is made== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil using a chemical process to split the vegetable oil molecules. This is done in a [[:Category:Biodiesel Processors|biodiesel processor]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Blends== | ||
| + | |||
| + | B5, B30 and B100 refer to blends of biodiesel with mineral Diesel. B30 is 30% mineral Diesel, 70% Biodiesel. Some vehicles run happily on B100, whereas for others, the manufacturer may specify a maximum blend. Ambient temperature is also an influencing factor, as Biodiesel can "wax up" before mineral Diesel at lower temperatures. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Quality standards== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The European standard for Biodiesel is EN14214, although in the UK commercial producers are not legally required to produce fuel meeting this standard. Buyer beware. | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the US this standard is ASTM D 6751. | ||
[[Category:Biodiesel]] | [[Category:Biodiesel]] | ||
Revision as of 15:16, 6 December 2010
 This page is Work In Progress and therefore may not be complete.
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Biodiesel (chemical name Fatty Acid Methyl Esters), has very similar combustion properties to mineral Diesel, making it a suitable substitute for mineral Diesel in road vehicles.
Biodiesel should not be confused with vegetable oil, or blends of vegetable oil with solvents such as Petrol.
Advantages
Biodiesel presents several advantages over pure vegetable oil as a road fuel:
- significantly reduced viscosity; good for systems with weak mechanical injection pumps (EG Lucas, which can shear its driveshaft with vegetable oil)
- lower melt point; can be used in winter
- can be safely cold-started; no piston ring gumming and resulting loss of compression
How it is made
Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil using a chemical process to split the vegetable oil molecules. This is done in a biodiesel processor.
Blends
B5, B30 and B100 refer to blends of biodiesel with mineral Diesel. B30 is 30% mineral Diesel, 70% Biodiesel. Some vehicles run happily on B100, whereas for others, the manufacturer may specify a maximum blend. Ambient temperature is also an influencing factor, as Biodiesel can "wax up" before mineral Diesel at lower temperatures.
Quality standards
The European standard for Biodiesel is EN14214, although in the UK commercial producers are not legally required to produce fuel meeting this standard. Buyer beware.
In the US this standard is ASTM D 6751.
