Biodiesel has been used as a fuel increasingly over the past years on account of oil crisis and high prices of the conventional fuel. Blends of Biodiesel and conventional hydrocarbon-based diesel are products most commonly distributed for use in the retail diesel fuel marketplace. A labeling convention involving “B” factor is used to state the amount of Biodiesel in any fuel mix.
For instance, fuel containing 30% Biodiesel is labeled B30, while the pure Biodiesel is always referred to as B100. B99 is commonly seen, because 1% petrodiesel is sufficiently toxic to retard mold. Blends of 20 percent Biodiesel with 80 percent petroleum diesel can generally be used in unmodified diesel engines. Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form, but may require certain engine modifications to avoid maintenance and performance problems.
Mixing of pure Biodiesel with petrodiesel may be accomplished by in-line mixing wherein two components arrive at tanker truck simultaneously or by mixing in tanks at manufacturing point prior to delivery to tanker truck.
The Biodiesel has calorific value of about 33 MJ/L which is 9% lower than regular petrodiesel. Moreover the variations in Biodiesel energy density are more dependent on the feedstock used than the production process. It has been claimed Biodiesel gives better lubricity and more complete combustion thus increasing the engine energy output and partially compensating for the higher energy density of petrodiesel.
The color of Biodiesel varies between golden and dark brown, depending on the production feedstock. It is immiscible with water, having a high boiling point and low vapor pressure.
Biodiesel is known to have better lubricating properties than the other currently available low viscosity diesel fuels. Addition of Biodiesel reduces engine wear increasing the life of the fuel injection equipment that relies on the fuel for its lubrication, such as high pressure injection pumps, pump injectors and fuel injectors.
Biodiesel can also be used as a heating fuel in domestic and commercial boilers, sometimes known as bioheat. Older furnaces may contain rubber parts that would be affected by Biodiesel’s solvent properties, but can otherwise burn Biodiesel without any conversion required.
The usage and production of Biodiesel are increasing rapidly. Fueling stations make Biodiesel readily available to consumers across UK, Europe, and increasingly in the USA and Canada. A growing number of transport fleets use it as an additive in their fuel and surprisingly in some countries; Biodiesel is less expensive than conventional diesel.
Approximately 85% of Biodiesel production comes from the European Union as the Global Biodiesel production reached 3.8 million tons in the year 2005.
It is suggested that waste vegetable oil is the best source of oil to produce Biodiesel, but the available supply is drastically less than the amount of petroleum-based fuel that is burned for transportation and home heating in the world.
Biodiesel has been popularly used in running the older models of Mercedes Benz and in due course usage of Biodiesel as a regular replacement to the conventional fossil fuels would most certainly revolutionize the world.
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