Comments on: Are Biodiesel Fuel Vehicles the Answer to the Growing Environmental Problems?

By: fu

fu — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:30:31 +0000

you suck… i hate this car, you hafve to recharge a battery…. just to go shopping.

By: In the near future, what alternative-energy will power our transportation? – World Future Energy Summit Blog

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:48:25 +0000

[...] car is the main achievement so far. Fuel-cell vehicles, electric vehicles, and those that run on biofuels are significant works in progress, and nuclear energy is being explored [...]

By: Donna C.

Donna C. — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:21:31 +0000

Has Anyone EVER thought of SLOWING down the driving and then inventing a SOLAR VEHICLE?????
Seems like a WIN WIN kinda thing with NO hurting the enviroment…. Right or wrong???
Takes longer to get somewhere because of the slower speed of the vehicle. I would think because of the storage of power..

By: Bill Logan

Bill Logan — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 04:25:27 +0000

I currently own a diesel 3500 truck that i pay less for fuel, but i polute the atmosphere withe smoke and toxic immisions. The fuel is less than gasoline and i’m getting 20 + mph on the road. I want to use biodiesel, and i know i will pay more for it. The payment is $478.00 per month and maintenance is expensive and i can’t find biodiesel anyware. Should i wait to see if my town will offer the blend of petro diesel and soy bean, or should i just get rid of it for a cheaper vehicle. I don’t use it to haul a trailer anymore, and being semi-retired i could use something cheaper to operate. What is your opinion?

By: Brian Carr

Brian Carr — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:24:05 +0000

VR – Thanks for the comment; lots of good information to digest.

I think your third point about how “biodiesel has been made from just about any source of oil” is what makes it sound very promising. If we can take items that would otherwise be waste and find a way to turn them into efficient fuels, I think that’s the best of both worlds!

By: VR

VR — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:08:54 +0000

Biodiesel does not void warranties in small blends. Up to 5% is warranted by almost every manufacturer there is. In the United States a few manufacturers allow up to 20% (B20) and as the biofuel industry standards are finalized and adopted – more manufacturers will support higher blends.

Also some more “pros” about biodiesel:

1. Diesel vehicles get better mileage to start with than their gasoline equivalents. So using a biofuel in a diesel engine gets more bang for the buck.

2. Biodiesel has a much higher net energy yield than ethanol or biobutanol. Meaning it takes less energy to produce biodiesel than the other biofuels.

3. Biodiesel has been made from just about any source of oil. It is being made from meat processing plant waste, and can be made from algae which is much more efficient than any other form of biofuel.

4. Biodiesel can be used in ANY blend in just about any diesel engine made since 1995. Older engines merely need new fuel lines to be biodiesel compatible.

Now to the cons:

Of course any biofuel can be produced poorly. In order to prevent wide scale ecological damage, make sure the biofuel you use comes from a responsible source. Write your elected and city officials, ask them to put moratoreums on imported biofuels. The whole point is to reduce our dependence on foreign nations. Not just shift it. Just like any other product – if you buy irresponsibly there is no incentive for companies to be responsible.

And with regards to “Emissions include a slight increase in nitrous oxide, which is commonly referred to as “laughing gas.”. This is still debated. (Also I am not sure that it emits the “laughing gas” type of NOx, NO2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_oxide ) Some recent tests have shown that the NOx emissions depends more on the type of engine than the type of fuel. In some engine designs NOx emissions from biodiesel are lower than that of regular diesel – and in other engine designs they are higher. A quick google for Biodiesel NOx emissions will get you more info than I can share here.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

By: Brian Carr

Brian Carr — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:52:51 +0000

Andrew – thanks for the comment, and good point. I remember thinking to myself as I was writing the list that I should have included habitat destruction (as I did for ethanol). Thanks for pointing that out.

By: Andrew Dodds

Andrew Dodds — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 09:11:09 +0000

To add to the cons:

- Demolition of the remains of the world’s rainforests to grow the stuff, should it be adapted on a wide scale. Humans already appropriate something like 50% of the entire biological productivity of the planet for food, wood and fuel; biofuels on any meaningful scale would push this towards 100%.