Bio Diesel Question

[Dawg]

We are starting to get some Bio Diesel in our area. One store has B20. My buddy has been using B20 in his '04 LB7 for at least a couple months with no problems to date. Anyone else routinely running B20? Any problems? IIRC the Owners Manual says B2 is approved.

Thanks in advance.

[phill0072]

The only thing that I have noticed with my lly is reduced fuel mileage by 2 to 2.5 miles per gallon. I know the price is a few cent's cheaper a gallon but it does not make up for the lost mileage in the long run IMHO. I think the only place I have bought it was in effingham, IL. and it was .04 cents a gallon cheaper than the regular ULSD:cool:


60 MPH ALL DAY-EVERY DAY

[DarylB]

I've ran B20 in my old LB7 several tanks, but not too many in a row - since the Bio Pump is 40 miles away near my wife's job. I did notice more power and less exhaust smell/sting from the Bio. I'd say MPG was equal or better by at least .5 mpg. Never had a fuel filter proble or any issues to date.

[Dawg]

I'm sure my usual fuel stop will get the Bio-Diesel soon enough. I'll probaly use it when it becomes available. I'm just looking for info from those that have been using it. Thanks for the replies so far. I was hoping more would chime in with real world experience.

[Dakster]

Just started getting B99 here in South Florida. No problems so far. I did notice a little less MPG and a little LESS power, but Stanadyne fixed the power problem. I believe it is because they are using virgin Palm Oil and it has less BTU's and Centane than D2.

Nice thing about BioDiesel is if you get it on you it washes off, unlike D2 where you smell like an oil refinery for the day...

I have run probably close to 90% in the truck and 100% in the TDI. I haven't noticed any problems. I am back to running a more conservative 50/50 mix, mianly because the B99 station is over 20 miles away and they are NOT a 24 hour operation.

[Bill Voitel]

Dakster, You are correct regarding the reduction in BTU's of Bio. But at blends of 5-20% the mpg drop should not be noticeable. Been brewing and running 100% for about 18 months now. I do see a drop when running 100% home brew from vegi oil. Now I am not sure about the cetain thing I can tell you that on both of my 7.3's are not as loud running 100%.......Just another tip from THE DARK SIDE......and yes I still miss the burb!!!!!

[Dakster]

It does seem to make the diesel clatter quieter. Where do you get your Methanol to mix with the Lye? That seems to be my biggest barrier to homebrewing... The lubricity difference between Bio and ULSD is HUGE.

I'm also taking a look at centrifuges. You can process "on-demand" and much quicker than with settling tanks. Again, the only barrier seems to be the price and since I don't know anyone else that has a diesel or is willing to run Bio it would take too long to recoup my investment.

[mschuyler]

I'm running B99.9. The dealer put a 220 gallon tank in my garage complete with pump and a shut-off type nozzle. When it gets below 100 gallons I call him up and he comes out with a delivery truck and fills me up. The truck is a 2007 classic LBZ and runs sweet. Clatter is near zero, especially after the first few minutes of warm-up. I use Stanadyne as an additive. I will probably go to 50/50 for the winter months as I'm afraid of gelling. This will also feed my generator for the house. 220 gallons would run the generator for 400 hours.

They just opened a new multi-million gallon per year bio-d facility in Aberdeen/Hoquium, WA, so I am very hopeful the supply will increase. I haven't had problems, but it's still precarious. If my one supplier went TU I'd be dead.

BTW the 99.9% is to allow a .1% blend with regular diesel. If they do this there is a $1.00 per gallon subsidy that the blender takes. In other words, you're getting bio-D at $1.00 off courtesy of the gov, done as an incentive to get more bio-d online. Mine is made from USA-grown soybean oil. The new plant will be using palm oil from Indonesia/Malaysia. I've heard there is competition for farmland now as some farmers are switching from soybeans to corn because of ethanol. Seems ironic that two alternative fuels would be competing. I know one of the criticisms of ethanol is that it raises the cost of corn, therefore food. I trust making it from soybeans is better in that we're not taking soybeans out from the mouths of babes. (Soy Milk: Yuck!) But there are some people who won't be hppy unless we all ride bicycles. Of course, it's difficult to haul a couple thousand pounds of gear on a bike. Pedal harder!

[Dakster]

How many miles on BioD do you have on the truck?? I've only put a few hundred on so far. I haven't had to drive it much lately. (I get a company car to drive back and forth to work)

Wow, so this would really cost 3.91 a gal instead of 2.91... I don't know the source of the palm oil they are using, but I'll ask. I assumed it was from Palms grown in Florida...

Ethanol is having the profound effect of raising food prices. Milk, Meat, and Produce to be exact. Many growers are finding out they can get better prices from selling to fuel producers. At least BioD COULD be made from WVO in which case there is not a lot of competition for it. One company starting up in Florida is making it from animal fats... I wonder how well that will work?

I wish I had as generous a supplier as you do. I can store 70 gallons. (50 gal. drum + 4 - 5 Gal Jugs).

[Rick Henderson]

I'm running B99.9. The dealer put a 220 gallon tank in my garage complete with pump and a shut-off type nozzle. When it gets below 100 gallons I call him up and he comes out with a delivery truck and fills me up. The truck is a 2007 classic LBZ and runs sweet. Clatter is near zero, especially after the first few minutes of warm-up. I use Stanadyne as an additive. I will probably go to 50/50 for the winter months as I'm afraid of gelling. This will also feed my generator for the house. 220 gallons would run the generator for 400 hours.

They just opened a new multi-million gallon per year bio-d facility in Aberdeen/Hoquium, WA, so I am very hopeful the supply will increase. I haven't had problems, but it's still precarious. If my one supplier went TU I'd be dead.

BTW the 99.9% is to allow a .1% blend with regular diesel. If they do this there is a $1.00 per gallon subsidy that the blender takes. In other words, you're getting bio-D at $1.00 off courtesy of the gov, done as an incentive to get more bio-d online. Mine is made from USA-grown soybean oil. The new plant will be using palm oil from Indonesia/Malaysia. I've heard there is competition for farmland now as some farmers are switching from soybeans to corn because of ethanol. Seems ironic that two alternative fuels would be competing. I know one of the criticisms of ethanol is that it raises the cost of corn, therefore food. I trust making it from soybeans is better in that we're not taking soybeans out from the mouths of babes. (Soy Milk: Yuck!) But there are some people who won't be hppy unless we all ride bicycles. Of course, it's difficult to haul a couple thousand pounds of gear on a bike. Pedal harder!

Can you tell me more about this? I am in Wa also and didn't know about the plant. Do you know where they are selling the bio?

[mschuyler]

Can you tell me more about this? I am in Wa also and didn't know about the plant. Do you know where they are selling the bio?

Here's a link to an article about the plant that was in the Seattle Times: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=imperium16&date=20070816&query=biodiesel

There are several places in Seattle that sell B99. I get mine at Quality Auto at the ferry dock on Bainbridge Island. Here's a map: http://nearbio.com/ where you can specify the area to find stations

[Lil'red]

What is the stanadyne additive everyone is talking about? Does it benefit your rig when running biodiesel or is it just an additive for any fuel? Any side effects? Thanks...Liam

[Dakster]

Sorry it took so long to answer... Stanadyne is a fuel additive. IN MY OPINION, it benefits regular diesel AND Biodiesel. There are different types/variations of stanadyne and other additives. I haven't run a scientifix test or have I heard of an independant test that says "Stanadyne is the best" or "nothing is just as good as any additive."

I have the centane improver and it also lower's gel/cloud point.

Whether it is BioD or D2, truck seems to run a little quieter/smoother with it than without, although it is not dramatic. I do it more for peace of mind than anything else and the "just in case we get a cold snap" or I decide to drive to someplace cold. (So. Florida only has summer blend fuel) It makes more of a difference to me when running B99 than regular D2. I don't know why, it just seems that way to me.

Hope this helps. Additives are as tricky a topic as what brand of motor oil do you use..