Biodiesel vehicles - READ ONLY

170 messages, Last post on Jun 30, 2007 at 6:36 AM

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#109 of 170 Can biodiesel replace 1/3 of our fossil fuel needs by gagrice May 23, 2005 (7:43 am)
This rather long government report lays out the plan to replace 30% of our transportation fuel with biomass resources. Much of which is being wasted currently. Lots of graphs and pictures for those that don't like to read. http://feedstockreview.ornl.gov/pdf/billion_ton_vision.pdf Replies to this message: sinepman (May 23, 2005 9:13 am) gagrice (May 23, 2005 11:49 am) sinepman (May 23, 2005 1:27 pm) and 1 more...
#110 of 170 Re: Can biodiesel replace 1/3 of our fossil fuel needs [gagrice] by sinepman May 23, 2005 (9:13 am)
Replying to: gagrice (May 23, 2005 7:43 am) Do you know if it is more expensive to produce bio-diesel? Are there any drawbacks to using it in cold weather? Wouldn't we have to grow more crops to make the fuel? It sounds like a great idea! Can you provide some add'l info? Also, do you know if it will work in home furnaces. TIA Replies to this message: gagrice (May 23, 2005 11:49 am) sinepman (May 23, 2005 1:27 pm) bhill2 (May 24, 2005 12:02 pm)
#111 of 170 Re: Can biodiesel replace 1/3 of our fossil fuel needs [sinepman] by gagrice May 23, 2005 (11:49 am)
Replying to: sinepman (May 23, 2005 9:13 am) It is slightly more than fossil diesel. It also in the B100 form will cloud and gel in temperatures below 20 degrees. It needs to be kept warm or mixed with other diesel in the winter. Many sites are dedicated to the furtherance of biodiesel as it is one of the few ways to wean ourselves off of fossil fuel and foreign imports. Replies to this message: sinepman (May 23, 2005 1:27 pm) bhill2 (May 24, 2005 12:02 pm)
#112 of 170 Re: Can biodiesel replace 1/3 of our fossil fuel needs [gagrice] by sinepman May 23, 2005 (1:27 pm)
Replying to: gagrice (May 23, 2005 11:49 am) Thanks for the information. As much as it seems like a good alternative, I don't see us being able to produce enough to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It is something I would be interested in. I understand VW now does NOT void the warranty if you use bio. Replies to this message: bhill2 (May 24, 2005 12:02 pm)
#113 of 170 Re: Can biodiesel replace 1/3 of our fossil fuel needs [sinepman] by bhill2 May 24, 2005 (12:02 pm)
Replying to: sinepman (May 23, 2005 1:27 pm) I disagree with your statement as stated. I certainly do not believe that we can eliminate our dependency on foreign oil, but every gallon of biodiesel that we produce reduces our dependency by however much oil it takes to produce a gallon of diesel. This country has a tremendous amount of fertile land not yet used, and the refining of vegetable oil into biodiesel is much more environmentally benign than refining oil into diesel.
#114 of 170 Biodiesel by z28_sedan May 24, 2005 (2:26 pm)
According to this website: http://www.local23.org/biodiesel/lifecyclesummary.htm ...for every gallon of petrodiesel burned, 2.2 gallons of fossil fuel (crude oil, presumably) are needed (1 gallon burned, plus 1.2 gallons needed to make that one gallon). I imagine gasoline requires even more crude as it's more complicated to refine than petrodiesel. By contrast, for every gallon of B100 burned, only 0.31 gallons of crude are needed. I imagine that can be reduced even more if biodiesel itself is used to fuel the harvesting, refining and distributing process. From what I understand, biodiesel from algae is the best hope for fueling the entire diesel fleet. Replies to this message: gagrice (May 24, 2005 4:07 pm) bhill2 (May 26, 2005 11:33 am) gagrice (May 26, 2005 2:07 pm)
#115 of 170 Re: Biodiesel [z28_sedan] by gagrice May 24, 2005 (4:07 pm)
Replying to: z28_sedan (May 24, 2005 2:26 pm) biodiesel from algae is the best hope for fueling the entire diesel fleet. The studies are there saying just that. It is more likely we will be able to replace fossil fuel with biodiesel than hydrogen. No one has come up with an efficient, clean way to produce, store and transport hydrogen other than using nuclear power. Using solar to produce algae and subsequently biodiesel is more likely. I think we will see wide use of biodiesel long before we see hydrogen fuel cells. Replies to this message: bhill2 (May 26, 2005 11:33 am) gagrice (May 26, 2005 2:07 pm)
#116 of 170 Re: Biodiesel [gagrice] by bhill2 May 26, 2005 (11:33 am)
Replying to: gagrice (May 24, 2005 4:07 pm) I can't imagine biodiesel not being in use long before fuel cells. Developing biodiesel seems such a no-brainer given that any diesel vehicle can use it and it would not require any additional infrastructure beyond the facilities to produce it. I also have to admit that producing it from algae absolutely fascinates me. Imagine being able to produce our fuel from swamp land! Replies to this message: gagrice (May 26, 2005 2:07 pm)
#117 of 170 Re: Biodiesel [bhill2] by gagrice May 26, 2005 (2:07 pm)
Replying to: bhill2 (May 26, 2005 11:33 am) I think the model was designed with the millions of acres of desert wasteland being flooded to produce algae. I'm with you that biodiesel is a no brainer. No gas engine can compare for overall environmental friendliness. Being CO2 neutral is a very big plus toward alleviating the GHG problems. Right now it is hard to find B100 biodiesel in San Diego. We have ULSD at the BP/ARCO stations so that is better than the old diesel.
#118 of 170 Anoher source of "bio" diesel by dhanley May 27, 2005 (6:21 am)
Thermal depolymerization--it's a process that turns anything carbon based into gas, oil, and water. Tweaking the process can make his "oil" into a useful diesel. http://www.kantor.com/useful/thermo.shtml This could provide our mobility fuel needs from what we throw away right now--simply reprocessing our farm waste ( chaff, manure, etc ) would provide enough fuel for us to all get around. Now i'm even more determined to get a diesel next. dave