NSAP & Chevy_Rules: Alternative Fuels, Which is for us?
By: Chevy_Rules and NSAP
June 30,2006
www.gminsidenews.com
Chevy_Rules Take on BioDiesel:
There are many alternative fuel choices. Ranging from Ethanol and BioDiesel to hydrogen and electricity. Obviously the ideal fuel is hydrogen and electricity. But, the technology that would make those fuels practical has not matured enough yet. As to produce hydrogen, the process still requires fossil fuels. So with todays technology what fuel is the best alternative until hydrogen becomes practical? My opinion is BioDiesel is the best alternative fuel.
BioDiesel refers to a Diesel equivalent using processed fuel from biological sources. BioDiesel is made of waste vegetable oil( WVO), virgin oil feedstock like soybeans and rapeseed, and animal fats. BioDiesel can be transported using our current infrastructure. BioDiesel can be made at home with the proper equipment and chemicals that would purify the oils so it could be put into a Diesel engine. BioDiesel is non toxic.
Today, BioDiesel is used only in blends with regular fossil fuel based Diesel. To measure BioDiesel companies use B20(made up number) indicating the fuel is 20% BioDiesel like E85 showing the fuel is blended with 85% Ethanol. Diesel engines do have the capability to run on B100 BioDiesel. BioDiesel does degrade natural rubber hoses and gaskets. The natural rubber hoses and gaskets are found on vehicle produced before 1992. After 1992, Diesel engines now use Viton, which is nonreactive to BioDiesel. We don’t know how many pre-viton vehicles are out there still with natural rubber as the parts are replaced with Viton material parts. BioDiesel has a flash point of ~150 Degrees C. Making it relatively non-flammable.
BioDiesel has positive effects on the engine. BioDiesel cleans the engine and improves engine life. It removes residue left by regular Diesel from the fuel injectors. Thus, improving fuel injector life. You want a slow transition as it can clog filters. You would want to change the filters after 600-800 after switching to a BioDiesel blend. BioDiesel has a gelling point of 40 degrees F. So far there is no products that can lower the gelling point of BioDiesel. So for winter blends, you would have to blend BioDiesel with kerosine and low sulfur Diesel. Or we could equip our Diesel trucks with a heated fuel tank so the B100 BioDiesel doesn’t gel. You can not have water contamination. As it reduces the heat of combustion of the bulk fuel. That results in more smoke, harder starting, and less power. Or with heated fuel tanks, people would have a year round microbe problem.
There are many materials that can be used to make BioDiesel. There are waste vegetable oil(WVO), plants, and animal fats. Currently, the U.S restaurants produce 300 million gallons a year of WVO. There are also animal fats that can be used to make BioDiesel. Then there are plants. Photosynthesis creates a chemical energy which BioDiesel uses. Soybeans, rapeseed, mustard, palm oil, algae, and jatropha are plants that can be used to produce BioDiesel. Using plants makes BioDiesel a true renewable fuel. Unfortunately, there is not enough materials to make enough BioDiesel to please the demand consumers put on the fuel industry.
BioDiesel is healthy for the environment and humans. BioDiesel produces significantly less emissions then Diesel. BioDiesel reduces Carbon Monoxide emissions by 50% and Carbon Dioxide by 78%. BioDiesel does produce more Nitrogen oxide then regular Diesel. But, the increase can be reduced and often eliminated by the use of catalytic converters and a properly designed and tuned engine. BioDiesel reduces the cancer risks by 94%! BioDiesel is the only alternative fuel that passes the health effects testing requirements in the Clean Air Act of 1990.
BioDiesel is a very capable alternative fuel. Right now it out competes solar cells with an electric drivetrain in cost and ease of deployment. Right now there is no formal studies showing the long term effect of pure B100 BioDiesel on unmodified Diesel engines. The benefits of BioDiesel outweighs the negatives of BioDiesel making it the best alternative fuel until Hydrogen becomes practical.
My Take On Ethanol/Butanol:
It’s a subject that is debated everywhere by regular people and even analysts; what fuel is going to be our source for energy in the future? With the recent influx of E85 vehicles or vehicles that run on 85% Ethanol, 15% petrol from American manufacturers Ford and General Motors; many believe that maybe Ethanol is our future fuel.
Most of the big automotive companies keep saying that Hydrogen fuel-cell cars are the next big thing. Well, that's nice and all, but we've been hearing about this for years and little action has taken place. The problem with Hydrogen is that it will be a rather extensive overhaul of our vehicles, fuel methods, and distribution network. That's where one of the biggest benefits of Ethanol comes in; it requires little changes to our vehicles, fueling, and distribution networks. Other than having fuel line alter in vehicles so that the Ethanol doesn't eat through them, our vehicles are ready for the fuel now.
I'm going to sort of switch things around in my article. Initially was going to write about how I think Ethanol is the best alternative fuel source, but while researching Ethanol I discovered Butanol. Butanol, like Ethanol is a four-carbon alcohol, but is; more flexible, cheaper, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly than normal Ethanol.
Butanol isn’t completely unknown. It’s used in paint thinner, brake fluid and hydraulic fluid. It is reported to have a yield of about 104,800 BTU per gallon when it’s burned. Comparing those numbers with those of straight gasoline, the Butanol has about a 10% loss in fuel economy, but Butanol has a 25% higher octane rating. This would allow a gasoline engine to get an increase of about 25% in power and 10% or more mileage than gasoline. The best part about switching to Butanol; it requires NO engine or vehicle modifications.
When I started to research Butanol, I stumbled upon this website (
www.Butanol.com). The site talks about driving across the United States in a 1992 Buick Park Avenue running only on Butanol; with zero modifications to the original car. They claim that the Park Avenue gets around 22 miles per-gallon on the highway when running on straight gasoline, but got 24 miles per-gallon when running on all Butanol; a 9% increase in fuel economy. By running on the Butanol the car had a 95% reduction of Hydrocarbons and Carbon monoxide was reduced to .01%. Oxides of Nitrogen was reduced by 37%. Like Ethanol, Butanol is made from corn or several other things that grow.
Is Ethanol our answer to cure our dependence on foreign oil? Is Butanol? BioDiesel? Hydrogen? I’m not the one to answer that. We can all discuss what we think is the answer, but in the end it’s going to be the corporations that decide.