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| What is Biodiesel |
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As a mild solvent, biodiesel cleans the engine. the engine runs quieter, smoother and there is no black smoke or choking smells and has been known to deliver an increase in performance.
Bio-diesel offers a range of environmental benefits unrivalled by any other alternative fuel. Bio diesel is the easiest, cleanest and most efficient form of fuel to power engines. It is a renewable and sustainable energy with a positive balance to the environment. Bio-diesel can be manufactured from waste cooking oils (WCO) or virgin oils such as rape seed and soya. It is completely biodegradable and non-toxic. Bio diesel can be used as a direct replacement for petroleum diesel or may be blended with fossil diesel, without modification, in all modern diesel powered engines.
Most manufacturers allow 5% blend, however, many allow higher blend percentages.
Emissions of Carbon dioxide from bio diesel are over 70% lower than that of fossil diesel. Bio diesel emits far less greenhouse gases and local air pollutants than its mineral counterparts. The emission of sulfur is almost zero with biodiesel, a great polluter and which causes the acid rain effect. Suplfur Hexaflouride has global warming effects, 23,900 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2) and is growing by 10% (Defra)
To learn more about how biodiesel is made download the following file:
Biodiesel production - overview |
| Converting to Biodiesel |
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When starting to use biodiesel in vehicles that have been running on mineral diesel, biodiesel should be introduced gradually. Starting with a 5% blend of biodiesel. Therefore, before filling up, you need to have a reasonable idea of the capacity of your fuel tank. Most vehicle handbooks will specify the size in litres. e.g. if your tank holds 50 litres, 5% is 2.5 litres. Put in biodiesel up to the 5% of the capacity of the tank and then fill up with mineral diesel.
Most fuel from the filling stations is now about 5% biodiesel. So you may be using it already. If you want to increase the use of biodiesel, do so on a gradual basis. The rate at which you increase it is up to your judgement but, for example, it could be:- first tank 5%, second tank 10%, third tank 20%, fourth tank 40%, fifth tank 60%, sixth tank 80%, seventh and subsequent tanks 100%. Please be aware, that you may require a fuel filter change after the first few weeks of using biodiesel, especially when the blend is greater than 10%.
When you have reached your required level, you can switch freely between that level and 100% mineral diesel as required. You would only need to repeat the introduction process should you use mineral diesel consistently for a prolonged period. |
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