Biodiesel Facts

"We turned our kitchen into a sort of illicit still and made a hell of a mess in there brewing biodiesel fuel out of about 60 litres of yukky waste cooking oil we got from behind McDonald's one night (they were happy to give it to us once we told them we didn't want to eat it). We were sure it would work, but we had to make it ourselves first -- we're not chemists, and if we can make it anyone can.

"And it works! Amazing! Last night we put the stuff in Midori's old diesel Land Rover and it ran like a dream and smelt like a bunch of roses! Well, French fried roses anyway. Now it runs clean, on waste Big Mac residues we brewed up in a bucket in the kitchen, and we're very tickled!"

Biodiesel facts

Biodiesel is much cleaner than fossil-fuel diesel ("dinodiesel"). It can be used in any diesel engine with no need for modifications -- in fact diesel engines run better and last longer with biodiesel. And it can easily be made from a common waste product -- used cooking oil.

1. Biodiesel burns up to 75% cleaner than conventional petroleum diesel fuel.
2. Biodiesel reduces unburned hydrocarbons (-93%), carbon monoxide (-50%) and particulate matter (-30%) in exhaust fumes, as well as cancer-causing PAH (-80%) and nitrited PAH compounds (-90%). (US Environmental Protection Agency)
3. Sulphur dioxide emissions are eliminated (biodiesel contains no sulphur).
4. Biodiesel is plant-based and using it adds no extra CO2 to the atmosphere.
5. The ozone-forming (smog) potential of biodiesel emissions is nearly 50% less than petro-diesel emissions.
6. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions may increase or decrease but can be reduced to well below petro-diesel fuel levels.
7. Biodiesel exhaust is not offensive and doesn't cause eye irritation (it smells like French fries!).
8. Biodiesel is environmentally friendly: it is renewable, "more biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt" (US National Biodiesel Board, based on US Environmental Protection Agency studies).
9. Biodiesel is a much better lubricant than petro-diesel and extends engine life -- even a small amount of biodiesel means cleaner emissions and better engine lubrication: 1% biodiesel added to petro-diesel will increase lubricity by 65%.
10. Biodiesel can be mixed with petro-diesel in any proportion, with no need for a mixing additive.
11. Biodiesel has a higher cetane number than petroleum diesel because of its oxygen content. The higher the cetane number, the more efficient the fuel -- the engine starts more easily, runs better and burns cleaner.
12. With slight variations depending on the vehicle, performance and fuel economy with biodiesel is the same as with petro-diesel.

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Ditulis oleh William Perkasa pada tanggal Thursday, June 26, 2008