1- Does the Biodiesel contain petroleum?
The Biodiesel doesn’t contain petroleum, but it can be mixed in any level with petroleum diesel to create the mixtures, generally called B20 or B5.
The Biodiesel has also demonstrated to improve the functioning of the vehicle with more lubricity and the reduction of emissions. It is simple to use, biodegradable, not toxic, and essentially sulfurate and aromatic compound free.
2- Can the Biodiesel to alleviate the global heating?
The biodiesel reduces the monoxide of carbon net by 78 percent compared to the petroleum diesel. The cycle of closed coal of the Biodiesel is the cause of this. The carbon monoxide rushed to the atmosphere when the biodiesel burns is recycled by the plants in growth that later are processed in fuel.
3- Mixtures of B5 or B20 and pure Biodiesel.
B5 is a mixture of five percent of biodiesel and 95 percent of petroleum diesel. A mixture of 20 percent of biodiesel with 80 percent of petroleum diesel is known as B20. However the biodiesel can be use in any mixture, including 100 percent, the mixture B20 is considered the best mixture for the normal use in conventional diesel motors for the improvements of the quality of the air.
4- What are the reductions of emissions?
The emissions of fine particles has been identified as an important risk to the health, the smaller the particle is, the bigger the risk is. The vehicles worked by diesel motors are perceptibly disproportionate contributors to the contamination of fine particles and nitrogen oxides in urban areas.
The Biodiesel is the one and only alternative fuel that has passed in its entirety the test about effects on health of the Clean Air Act. The use of the biodiesel in a conventional diesel motor results in the substantial reduction of non burnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and matter particles in comparison with the emissions of the diesel fuel. Also, the emissions of oxides and sulfates (biggest components of the acid rain) of the biodiesel are essentially null compared with the diesel.
Of the main polluting agents of the escape, the non burnt hydrocarbons and the nitrogen oxides are precursory of the formation of ozone or smog. The biodiesel use in a conventional diesel motor makes a substantial reduction of non burnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and matter particles. The emissions of nitrogen oxides decrease or they increase slightly depending on the cycle of service of a motor or of the methods of tests employed.
The use of the biodiesel diminishes the solid fraction of coal of the particles while a growing quantity of oxygen present in biodiesel allows a more complete process of the combustion. Since the sulfurate is not present in the biodiesel, the fraction of sulfate associated to the diesel based on petroleum is eliminated. Besides reducing the general levels of polluting agents and of the coal, the compounds that are frequent in the escape of the diesel motors based on petroleum and on biodiesel are different. The investigation conducted by the institute of investigation of Southwest on a motor of Cummins N14 indicates that the escape of biodiesel has a less harmful impact in the human health.
The emissions of Biodiesel have diminished the levels of all the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the nitrated compound of the PAH were reduced by 75-85 percent, according to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB).
5- Is the Biodiesel more safe than the diesel of petroleum?
The scientific investigation confirms that the emission of the biodiesel is less harmful in the human health than that of the petroleum diesel. The emissions of Biodiesel have diminished the levels of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and the compound nitrated of the PAH that have been identified as compounds that can potentially cause cancer. The results of the test indicate that the compound PAH was reduced in 75 to 85 percent, to exception of the benzo(a)anthracene, that was reduced in 50 percent. Hundred percent biodiesel and the biodiesel mixtures with petroleum diesel are safer to store, to manipulate and of to use that the conventional diesel.
6- Does the Biodiesel need special facilities for its storage?
In general, the standard procedures for the storage and the manipulation of the petroleum diesel can be used for the biodiesel. The fuel should be stored in a clean, dry and dark atmosphere. The acceptable materials for the storage tank include aluminum, steel, fluorinated polyethylene , the fluorinated polypropylene and the teflon. The copper, lead, the can and the zinc should be avoided.
The Biodiesel suffers a problem called oxidation if it remains stored for periods of more than six months. This means that the fuel will oxidize slowly in a certain term unless an anti-rust preservative mixes with fuel to prevent this process to happen.
7- Can Biodiesel be used in any diesel motor?
The Biodiesel can be use in any diesel motor, generally without needing to carry out modifications to the motor. Its performance is comparable to the diesel, with similar content of BTU and one cetane higher. It offers excellent lubricity and lower emissions compared to the petroleum diesel.
8- Should cautions be taken when using Biodiesel?
Should cautions be taken when using Biodiesel.
With the time, the Biodiesel will relent and degrade certain types of elastomers and natural rubber compound used in hoses and systems of sealing of older bombs of fuel. Cautions should be had when using high mixture percentages to make sure that the system of existing fuel in older motors doesn’t contain compounds of elastomers incompatible with the biodiesel. The makers recommend that the butyl or natural rubber don’t enter in contact with pure biodiesel, because they will get sticky and dissolve. Most of the vehicles constructed after 1994 possess pipes and seals totally synthetic, so that they won’t suffer this problem. The oldest vehicles will need to be supervised.
The Biodiesel has a higher point of gel. Biodiesel 100 percent, designated B100, it becomes muddy in 32°F. A mixture of 20 biodiesel percent, 80 percent of regular diesel, B20, has a point of gel from 3 to 10°F, according to the NBB. As the regular diesel, the point of the gel can be decreased more with the preservatives as the kerosene , which mix with the diesel in winter in areas of cold climate.
9- Does the Biodiesel work with old motors?
The Biodiesel can have some methanol of the production process that uses during metal oxide. The methanol with the time will destroy the rubber pipes and the seals, reason why the oldest motors without synthetic seals made of products like the Viton, will need to replace the rubber parts of the fuel system.
10- How does the Biodiesel help the lubrication?
The biodiesel provides a significant improvement of the lubricity on the petroleum diesel fuel, when the biodiesel is added to the conventional diesel fuel, even in mixtures at levels below one percent.
11- What is the biodegradation of the Biodiesel ?
The Biodiesel has desirable qualities of degradation that make it the election fuel for the users aware of the environment. Studies in the university of Idaho, compared the biodegradation of the biodiesel in a watery solution to the diesel fuel and the dextrose (sugar).
The samples of Biodiesel demeaned more quickly than the sugar, and they were degraded to 95 percent in 28 days. The diesel fuel based on normal petroleum only was degraded to near 40 percent after the same period of the test of 28 days.
Mixing biodiesel with diesel fuel based on regular petroleum also accelerates the total biodegradation of the blended fuel. For example, mixes of 20 percent biodiesel and of 80 percent of diesel fuel (B20) demean twice quicker than the petroleum diesel. 100 percent of pure biodiesel degrades as quickly as the sugar and the mixtures of 20 percent will degrade twice quicker than the diesel fuel based on petroleum.
12- Wich are the sources of vegetable oil useful as fuel?
The virgin vegetable oil can be obtained from many sources, such as of the soybeans, of the sunflower seeds, of the palm oil or colza/canola and even of some types of algae. The recycled vegetable oil of local restaurants and other of other sources are also a useful reservation of the renewable fuel for the diesel motors.