Right now, with $3000 I could put three light duty pickups in the road that would all run on Biodiesel without any modifications to the engines. (with the exception of placing a $10.00 fuel filter in line before the factory fuel filter. Why? From the Biodiesel.org FAQ:
Can I use biodiesel in my existing diesel engine?
Biodiesel can be operated in any diesel engine with little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system. Biodiesel has a solvent effect that may release deposits accumulated on tank walls and pipes from previous diesel fuel storage. The release of deposits may clog filters initially and precautions should be taken. Ensure that only fuel meeting the biodiesel specification is used.)
Point of clarification-
Biodiesel is not fryer grease. It’s a motor fuel. Once again, from Biodiesel.org FAQ:
What is Biodiesel?
Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.
Is Biodiesel the same thing as raw vegetable oil?
No! Biodiesel is produced from any fat or oil such as soybean oil, through a refinery process called transesterification. This process is a reaction of the oil with an alcohol to remove the glycerin, which is a by-product of biodiesel production. Fuel-grade biodiesel must be produced to strict industry specifications (ASTM D6751) in order to insure proper performance. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to have fully completed the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Biodiesel that meets ASTM D6751 and is legally registered with the Environmental Protection Agency is a legal motor fuel for sale and distribution. Raw vegetable oil cannot meet biodiesel fuel specifications, it is not registered with the EPA, and it is not a legal motor fuel.
Biodiesel is, at present, about 14¢ a gallon more expensive than petroleum. That is, of course, with a tiny fraction of the infrastructure that the petroleum industry has in place. If/when Biodiesel catches on and becomes more ubiquitous, I think that you will see that number drop as Biodiesel providers start trying to compete for diesel consumers. Plus, well, it’s made from stuff we grow here in the US. So, we reinvest in domestic infrastructure, revitalize the American family farm (if there’s any left) and we reduce emissions in vehicles.
What’s the downside? We don’t get to go to the Middle East and play BOOMBOOM with billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money any more. This is only a downside for that segment of the population that makes a lot of money when people start blowing shit up, of course.
It isn’t as clean burning as hydrogen, but read that first sentence again (I’ll paraphrase)- with three grand, I could put three Biodiesel burning vehicles in the road by the middle of January. We have the Theoretical vs. the Practical, the abstract vs the real, right now solution.
Imagine- rather than putting billions of dollars a year into the hands of extremists in the Middle East, that money ends up in the hands of American farmers.
Wanna buy a truck? I know a guy…