Biodiesel

I bought my first biodiesel today. This will be an experiment to see how it works out.

The stuff is hard to find here. For two years I have been calling or stopping by new sources as I discover them online or from newspaper articles. While there is a lot of enthusiasm, nobody actually sells the stuff. Two major petroleum distributors, the type who make farm deliveries, are listed in national biodiesel registries but face to face they say they have never sold any and have no idea where to find a source. And their minimum delivery would be a lifetime supply for me.

I have found small co-ops in Sacramento and Berkeley (none in Sonoma County) who have been written up in the newspapers, but upon inquiring I was told they consist of the founding members, aren't accepting new members, and wont sell to the public.

Finally I found a neighbor who intermittently gets a 350 gallon tank in his driveway refilled. I think he's a co-op member but is willing to resell what he has to anyone. I bought 20 gallons.

This seller uses biodiesel in a VW pickup, a fairly modern one, and said he runs it 100% (B100) except in what we call cold weather, which means overnight lows below 40 degrees but seldom freezing. In this 'cold weather' (I can hear some of you snorting) he advises B70 for easier starting. He didn't mention jelling, just that the stuff wouldn't ignite easily in the morning. I've read it will gel somewhere around freezing.

I think I will drain my half tank of diesel and try running this at 100%. I want to explore worst-case cold starting. (And now that the weather is turning warmer, I don't expect to be on the tractor below 45 degrees). If I begin the experiment using a half tank then I can still pour the real diesel back on top of it to make B50 if I have to.

Re the usual concerns - I replaced the fuel line with modern hose from NAPA five years ago so I don't expect fuel hose softening as some warn against. The tank is transparent and I can see its clean, so I don't expect to loosen a lot of crud. (another biodiesel warning. The stuff has greater solvency). One of my goals is to have cleaner exhaust. Recently I spent hours using the backhoe and the continual diesel exhaust was a nuisance. This raw fuel doesnt smell anything like diesel, more like linseed oil. It will be interesing to see how the exhaust smells.

Stay tuned for updates ........

And if someone else here is running B100, I would like to hear your experiences.

Yes, PLEASE keep us up-dated! As mentioned in another thread here, disease has about wiped out my orange grove, and I am clearing out a section to plant Jatropha. (I am hoping this will replace the income lost from the oranges. And if things work out right, in another year or 2 I'll plant several more acres.) I will be using Mr. Brian Beer for my "guru". There is so much stuff on the internet, and we all know how much "BS" there is there, and it's hard to tell what is and what is not reliable.

I used to run Bio-Diesel in my F250 a lot because there was a station that carried it on my way to work. The exhaust smell is much better.

I sold the F250 and my only diesel is my tractor and it doesn't use enough for me to drive the distance I would have to go to get BioDiesel so I don't bother.

I wish I could find a diesel highway vehicle at reasonable cost.

Redneck that looks like a good outfit to go with. I read most of their website.

Bentley Biofuels of Reno is the source for my stuff. They have been producing it for three years. Their website has answers to most fuel-user questions if you dig around.

California,
I too have a source that I pass every day. A new gas station opened about 6 months ago. They have a regular diesel pump and a bio pump. The bio is cheaper, but I don't know how much.

I wish biodiesel was that convenient here!

Report #1:
I drained the fuel system dry clear down to the injector pump including emptying the filter bowl. Then filled the tank with biodiesel, and bled the air out of the three bleeder points.

Fuel: "B99.9 or better" biodiesel containing no more than one part per thousand petro diesel.

Observation: This fuel smells like linseed oil, or like a BBQ that needs to be cleaned. (it is refined from recycled kitchen grease that comes from Reno's casinos and restaurants). The color is clear golden like honey. There is no diesel-like smell.

Starting: Air temperature 51 degrees. The engine was stone cold and hadn't been started for two weeks. On biodiesel, the tractor started the same as usual. After a moment of cranking and some fiddling with the throttle to find the right mixture it fired right off.

Running: It sounds different. First I noticed more of a chugging sound, then I realized that the diesel knock these 2-cylinder Yanmars are famous for, is greatly reduced. It's not really a knock, it's more an unbearable racket like several fools hammering on a manhole cover with sledges. Using conventional diesel fuel, it is necessary to keep the rpms up initially to quiet the knock (the manual says to warm up at 1500 rpm) but the biodiesel allowed 1000 rpm idle, knock free, immediately. Below that it clanked as usual, but despite the racket it turned over smoothly without hesitation down to 400 rpm. I've read that biodiesel has a higher Cetane rating and I think that's what I observed.

Operation: To be continued....

Cali, thanks for the report, and the link. You're right, there is a lot of info there, I'll be reading more as I can. Looking forward to your report on the 'Operation'....

Sounds like good news Cali. It will be interesting to see how it works on your older tractor and if there are any seal issues.

I've never run pure BioDiesel, I think the highest I ever ran was B20.

re seal issues - This elderly tractor is so simple that I only see $6 worth of fuel system parts named 'oring' or 'packing', and these are accessible without removing the injector pump. Replacing them might take a half hour.

If they leak the first consequence would be fuel dribbling down the side of the engine, easily noticed before it would affect performance. (The other seals in the pump are copper washers under compression).

See parts #28, #13 (mine may not use #13), and #18 in Hoye's injector pump diagram. None of them seal moving parts, they are only 'gaskets' between sub-assemblies. I think the risk and consequences of damaging these few 'soft parts' seems minimal. I'm only gambling $6 plus a half hour labor.

Cali, do you know how the BD is made?


I came across a truck that had been run on straight veg oil (maybe cut with a little diesel). The pistons were eroded, for lack of better word, to the point where they almost had a hole in the middle of the top face. They also had cuts from the spray of the injectors. I understand this has something to do with the high pressure and heat turning the veg oil into plasma.
Apparently this effect isnt a concern with properly produced BD, so presumably it isnt an issue with the fuel you are using, but that would depend on how it is made.

Mith, the biodiesel refiner seems to know what he is doing. I hope.

He has worked in the areas of chemical and fuel analysis, specialized lubrication, and precision bearings, for decades.

His 'about me'. The other pages on his website are interesting too.

Cali,

I have run some percentage of Biodiesel in all my diesels old and new for a few years no with no ill effects to anything mechanical. In fact, the new ulsd that is now being forced on us does not have enough lubricity and lots of metal is showing up in oil analysis of fleet rigs. An independent lab researched if white/howes/diesel addative would help, and it sort of does, but the real aid was at least 2% biodiesel. The only drawback is it does make a little less power.

Mith brings up a good point though. Guys who just filter used grease and drop it in their gas tank are asking for trouble. It is these guys that give biodiesel a bad name. There are some cold processed stuff out there, but I like to know that my biodisel was heated when it was processed to burn out crap like oven cleaner which will burn up your fuel pump in short order.

Oh and it does smell so much better...wont give you a headache either....even 20% biodisel is good for that, but I have found that the best mix for me as far as economy, anti-gelling, and performance is 50/50 mix. The machine will run on 100% (except maybe the powerjoke), but I like the 50% stuff for best all around.

Mith said:

Cali, do you know how the BD is made?


I came across a truck that had been run on straight veg oil (maybe cut with a little diesel). The pistons were eroded, for lack of better word, to the point where they almost had a hole in the middle of the top face. They also had cuts from the spray of the injectors. I understand this has something to do with the high pressure and heat turning the veg oil into plasma.
Apparently this effect isnt a concern with properly produced BD, so presumably it isnt an issue with the fuel you are using, but that would depend on how it is made.

Click to expand...

Mith, that's a well documented problem with using straight filtered "french fry oil" The stuff that's been used to cool with had picked up all kinds of fatty acids and other impurities, as well as some partial hydrogenation from the high heat of the fryers.
The other folks who were having problems early on weren't washing the methanol & lye out of the solution.

Going through the diesel conversion process using heat, (m)ethanol, and lye (sodium hydroxide), followed by a water wash takes out the impurities and leaves you with a passel of relatively pure glycerin at the bottom of the fermentation vat and a lot of very clean diesel fuel - unfortumately, since it doesn't have all the refinery additives, B100 doesn't have the same shelf life of petroleum diesel.

Report #2

I spent the afternoon on the backhoe pulling stumps in the orchard.

B100 smells better! A couple of times I got a whiff of 'burned grease' smell, like starting the BBQ on high to burn it clean. Nothing the rest of the time. This is a great improvement over petro diesel. Power Service helps petro diesel burn cleaner but not this clean.

Starting: It's is a little slower to light off. After the first start of the day, this engine has always started on the first cylinder to hit TDC. But today I let go of the key too soon a couple of times when restarting. With B100 it likes to be forced through a full cycle, both cylinders fired once, before I let go of the key. I may blend in some of the PS-doped fuel I drained out yesterday to see if that restores the crisp starting. As soon as it starts there is no difference.

Power, and smoke when lugging: No noticeable change. The grade coming up out of the orchard starts out gradual then gets steep enough to make me stop and shift down. Today the power felt at least as good, and the smoke looked about the same, when I hit the steep part where it won't quite maintain speed in 7th gear. While the appearance of the lugging smoke was about the same, there was hardly any smell.

Shinnlinger, Erik, I have to trust this is quality fuel. It is labelled ASTM compliant and the refiner has the qualifications to test it properly as I noted above. I have thought about getting some litmus strips and monitoring the ph (acidity) as it ages. I read of a diesel engine that was ruined by highly acidic fuel, way out of spec. I think acidity is caused by bacteria breaking down the fuel. Does anyone advise Sta-Bil etc? Breathing that might negate the benefits of biodiesel. I may start using B50 if that is what you have found works best. Reading biodiesel industry stuff, their standard is 6 months shelf life for B100 and a year for B50.

Diesel knock: Definitely better. I think this is what the tractor is *supposed* to sound like! Japan has better grade fuel (45 Cetane minimum) than here (40 minimum but usually better). Biodiesel is claimed to have higher Cetane rating, and I think now my tractor is finally happy. I am able to run at slightly lower, calmer rpm (1050 vs 1150) to drive the backhoe pump without continual clanking (diesel knock). And it's pleasanter to operate the backhoe when the engine doesn't clank when a load makes the governor kick in. It just purrs. Well, to the extent that this noisy model will ever purr. Let's say it sounds like baseball bats on a manhole cover instead of big sledgehammers. It's a standing joke among owners that the 2 cylinder Yanmars are hard to resell because you can't convince a buyer that it isn't about to punch a rod through the block. Now much of that racket is subdued.

Report#2 Summary: The B100 experiment worked out. Starting is within the acceptable range, the engine runs smoother and has adequate power, and the reduced fumes and noise are better for the operator.

Cali, thanks for the report. The more I hear & read, the better the stuff sounds.

Report #3

Back to the drawing board.

By bedtime last night I was pretty sure I had inhaled enough fine particles during the day to irritate my throat. Coughing this morning confirms this. It isn't serious, just noticeable. The irritation is about the same as if I had swept out the garage without a dust mask. I used to feel like this when I had to work in Los Angeles back before they got their air pollution under control.

Apparently inert particle emissions are substantially higher from biodiesel but you don't notice that you are working in a cloud of exhaust because the nasty stuff you could smell is reduced. Operating a backhoe, you can't escape the exhaust like you could when moving. I already have the exhaust pipe aimed horizontal forward (for orchard clearance) so there's no room for improvement there.

One article I read said a municipal bus fleet had to dope their experimental biodiesel with 'off the shelf additive' to get their vehicles back down to the legal maximum for particulates emission. Power Service claims to do this.

Next step: research how much Power Service to put in.


The experiment continues.....

Thanks for posting your research here California, I'll be checking for updates.

Report #4.

Cold start vid posted. 3.3mb. You thought I was exaggerating about that rod-knock-like clanking?

Before adding anything to the fuel, still B100, I tried another cold start this morning. Temperature 51 after an overnight low of 40.

It's definitely reluctant to start. Too little throttle and it won't fire, too much and it smokes like a chimney. I had to re-run the Thermostart (manifold heater) for a few seconds and then it gradually came to life. Smoke cleared up after 10 seconds.

Man that noise brings back memories. Same noise as my old 2 cyl Kubota B6000. Thanks for posting that.

Cali,

Like I said, I run 50/50 and throw in any additive that makes sense, whites/howes/stabil/purple nurple, etc and I think that will help with your "cold"(ha!) starts and particulate issues