| Subject: Godd Bye vehicle warrenty! |
Author:
Oropan
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Date Posted: 08:20:20 02/25/07 Sun
In reply to:
Duncan7
's message, "Re: "It's very dangerous, very explosive and toxic and potentially very problematic,''" on 07:36:51 02/23/07 Fri
>For once, an article I agree with. Although you don't
>have to use methonal, any alcohol will do and I
>recommend a certain amount of butanol for best results.
>
>>well what did you expect, lie and methonal is used to
>>make the biodiesel
>>
>>FUELING A REVOLUTION
>>Biodiesel moves almost into mainstream in Bay Area
>>
>>About a year ago, Paul McNees chose to change his life
>>by changing his fuel.
>>
>>He sold his Saturn sport utility vehicle and bought a
>>diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz. A mechanic whipped it
>>into running order and replaced the soft rubber fuel
>>lines with something sturdier.
>>
>>Then the El Sobrante teacher started burning biodiesel
>>-- a fuel cooked up not from petroleum but from
>>vegetable oil, often waste oil from restaurants or
>>food processing plants.
>>
>>"I just couldn't justify filling up that tank with
>>gasoline anymore for a multitude of reasons,'' said
>>McNees, 43, citing global warming and the war in Iraq.
>>"This has been great. It's totally cleaned out the
>>engine. It runs great, has a lot more power. It sort
>>of smells like french fries -- it doesn't have that
>>noxious diesel smell."
>>
>>A small but growing number of Bay Area drivers like
>>McNees are trading their gasoline-fueled autos for
>>biodiesel-powered cars. How many is hard to tell. The
>>biodiesel industry is nascent, largely unregulated and
>>informally organized. But experts agree that biodiesel
>>use is growing.
>>
>>Nationally, biodiesel consumption is up sharply --
>>from 500,000 gallons in 1999 to more than 75 million
>>gallons in 2005. In the Bay Area, the number of
>>customers filling up at Berkeley's Biofuel Oasis --
>>one of the region's few public biodiesel stations --
>>has climbed from about 200 three years ago to about
>>1,800 today.
>>
>>Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Bush have
>>mentioned the fuel in their respective plans to cut
>>greenhouse gases and reduce petroleum dependence. The
>>University of California recently signed a landmark
>>deal with oil giant BP to develop biofuels.
>>
>>Much of biodiesel's appeal stems from the fuel's
>>ability to perform as well as petroleum diesel while
>>emitting fewer exhaust materials that cause smog,
>>particulate pollution and global warming. According to
>>the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pure
>>biodiesel emits 67 percent fewer unburned
>>hydrocarbons, 48 percent less carbon monoxide and 47
>>percent fewer particulates but 10 percent more
>>nitrogen oxides.
>>
>>Yet, despite its benefits and growing popularity,
>>biodiesel might not be the fuel of the future because,
>>as demand grows, the amount of land needed to produce
>>the oils could become untenable, experts say.
>>
>>Biodiesel is created in a relatively simple process
>>known as transesterification. Producers, including
>>fuel companies or home brewers, start with clean or
>>waste vegetable oil, then add methanol and a catalyst
>>such as lye. A chemical reaction produces biodiesel
>>and glycerine, which can be separated easily. The
>>glycerine can be used in a variety of products, from
>>soap to manufactured fireplace logs.
>>
>>Biodiesel has been popular for years among farmers in
>>the Midwest and in the South, where virgin soybean oil
>>typically is used to produce the fuel. Yet its use in
>>the West, until recently, was largely limited to
>>hobbyists who brewed the fuel at home and people who
>>prided themselves on not using oil.
>>
>>The home brewers include people like Ben Jordan, who
>>makes his own biodiesel and teaches an alternative
>>fuels class at City College of San Francisco, in which
>>students create a batch of biodiesel.
>>
>>"It's very dangerous and potentially very
>>problematic,'' he said. "You're dealing with methanol
>>and lye, and when you mix it together, it is very
>>explosive and toxic. It's not something to mess around
>>with. However, if you know what you're doing, you can
>>safely and easily make it in your own home.''
>>
>>Home brewers deserve much of the credit for the
>>percolating interest in biodiesel, said Anna
>>Halpern-Lande of Tellurion Biodiesel, a San Francisco
>>marketing and distribution firm.
>>
>>"The hobbyists make up a very small portion of the
>>market," she said, "but they play a critical role:
>>They capture the public's attention.''
>>
>>In the past couple of years, biodiesel and other
>>so-called alternative fuels have moved out of garages
>>and workshops and into the mainstream. On Wednesday,
>>Safeway, which operates 300 fuel stations in the
>>United States, opened a biodiesel test pump in West
>>Seattle. The fuel also is becoming popular with
>>celebrities: Country music legend Willie Nelson, for
>>example, is a partner in BioWillie Diesel, which
>>markets the natural fuel primarily to truck stops.
>>
>>The change hasn't gone unnoticed by some of
>>biodiesel's earlier adopters, such as Ahri Golden, 32,
>>a public radio documentarian from Berkeley, who has
>>burned biodiesel in her 1980 Mercedes for four years.
>>
>>"It was kind of hippie-ish," Golden said as she filled
>>up at Biofuel Oasis. "Now you see a lot more people
>>with nicer cars and more money coming for the
>>practicality and not just the ideology.''
>>
>>Yet it isn't practical for everyone. New diesel cars
>>aren't sold in California because of air-quality
>>regulations, and buying an older diesel can be
>>competitive, biodiesel users say. No significant
>>modifications are required to use biodiesel, but
>>because it is a solvent, soft rubber gas lines need to
>>be replaced with stronger tubing.
>>
>>Biodiesel stations also are still hard to find: There
>>are just nine in the nine-county Bay Area, according
>>to the National Biodiesel Board. The small-scale
>>operations usually have limited business hours.
>>
>>"You can't just run down to the gas station,'' said
>>biodiesel user Jonathan Austin of Oakland. "You've got
>>to plan ahead.''
>>
>>Because fueling stations have limited hours, many
>>biodiesel users fill their tanks, as well as one or
>>more 5-gallon containers that can be stored in the
>>trunk or stashed in the garage. Although the process
>>of making it can be dangerous, the biodiesel itself is
>>safe because it burns at a much higher temperature.
>>
>>And while some users don't like to use petroleum
>>diesel, the fuels can be mixed or used
>>interchangeably. Many biodiesel users fill their tanks
>>with blends -- B-20, a blend containing 20 percent
>>biodiesel, is common.
>>
>>Filling up with biodiesel can also be more costly
>>depending on fuel prices and a vehicle's fuel
>>efficiency, although many experts believe the price
>>will drop as use of the fuel becomes more widespread.
>>At Biofuel Oasis, the current supply of B-99
>>biodiesel, made from reclaimed soy oil from a potato
>>chip factory, sells for $3.65 a gallon. Gasoline sells
>>for around $2.79 a gallon nearby and petroleum diesel
>>for about $3.01 a gallon. However, cars that run on
>>diesel -- including biodiesel -- can get 40 to 50
>>miles per gallon.
>>
>>Many biodiesel users say they care less about the cost
>>and more about cutting America's dependence on oil and
>>combatting climate change. Their bumper stickers
>>reflect those opinions. "Biodiesel -- no war
>>required,'' read one on a car waiting to fill up at
>>Biodiesel Oasis. "This car powered by vegetable oil,''
>>read another.
>>
>>Jennifer Radtke, one of the five women who own Biofuel
>>Oasis, thinks growing concern about climate change and
>>the diminishing oil supply is driving the popularity
>>of alternative fuels.
>>
>>"A lot of our customers switched to biodiesel because
>>of the war,'' she said. "That's probably common in the
>>Bay Area, but across the country, it's probably
>>because of concern about climate change and renewable
>>energy. And that it's so cool.''
>>
>>Yet biodiesel faces serious obstacles before it can
>>become the fuel of the future.
>>
>>A current challenge is availability. Interest in
>>biodiesel may be rising, but so far local production
>>isn't. Just one firm manufactures biodiesel in the Bay
>>Area, according to the National Biodiesel Board, but
>>two Bay Area plants are under construction and are
>>expected to be producing the fuel later this year.
>>
>>Yokayo Biofuels in Ukiah (Mendocino County) has
>>produced biodiesel from waste vegetable oils for five
>>years. The company only recently began making enough
>>to supply Biofuel Oasis, in addition to three stations
>>in Mendocino County.
>>
>>Kumar Plocher, Yokayo's president and founder, said
>>that although the process of making biodiesel is
>>relatively simple, it can be difficult to efficiently
>>and consistently produce high-quality fuel. Some
>>firms, he said, have invested in top-of-the-line
>>equipment and hired petroleum and chemical industry
>>experts but still failed to produce and distribute the
>>fuel.
>>
>>Yokayo has grown slowly and learned along the way, he
>>said. The company is still a small producer, he said,
>>making about 15,000 gallons a month.
>>
>>"Biodiesel has a lot of interesting little nuances
>>that you need to get to know,'' he said. "It's its own
>>beast, its own molecule.''
>>
>>Like oil, biodiesel may have its limits because of the
>>sources of the vegetable oils used to produce the
>>fuel.
>>
>>"People are really excited about biofuels now,''
>>Plocher said. "But there isn't much knowledge about
>>them. For instance, the issue of sustainability.''
>>
>>Much of the Bay Area's biodiesel is produced from
>>waste vegetable oil that comes from restaurants --
>>including burger joints and Chez Panisse. Although
>>that supply is now plentiful, it won't always be,
>>especially if biodiesel use and healthier eating
>>habits become more popular.
>>
>>"It's extremely attractive and cost-effective, but
>>it's very limited,'' said Severin Borenstein, head of
>>the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley.
>>
>>Most of the biodiesel produced and used nationally is
>>made from soybeans, which yield 50 gallons of
>>biodiesel per acre, Plocher said. Sunflowers can
>>produce up to 100 gallons an acre and canola
>>(rapeseed) as much as 150 gallons an acre.
>>
>>The huge amount of land required to grow biodiesel oil
>>could crowd out food crops. Aware of that concern,
>>some biodiesel producers have started importing palm
>>oil from the tropics. But the growing popularity and
>>production of palm oil for purposes including
>>biodiesel has caused the destruction of rain forests
>>in Malaysia and Indonesia, according to environmental
>>groups, including Friends of the Earth.
>>
>>Researchers are looking for more productive, and
>>sustainable, sources of biofuel -- including algae.
>>They're focusing primarily on four types of high-oil
>>algae -- diatoms, green algae, blue-green algae and
>>golden algae -- that could be cultivated in farms or
>>ponds. Oils could be extracted using chemical
>>solvents, enzymes, expeller presses, osmotic shock or
>>ultrasonic shock waves.
>>
>>But whatever its future, biodiesel has already
>>generated a fleet of loyal fans who say they would
>>never go back to petroleum diesel.
>>
>>"It feels good to be living your own ethics,'' McNees
>>said after filling his tank at the Biofuel Oasis. "It
>>is a little bit of a hassle, but knowing that I'm not
>>adding to the problem makes it so worth it.''
>>
>>
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------
>-
>>-------------------------
>>New life for old grease
>>
>>Used frying oil is one source of vegetable oil that
>>can be made into biodiesel. A common method called
>>transesterification breaks down cooking oil, resulting
>>in two valuable products: glycerine, an additive to
>>soaps, and methyl esters, the chemical name for
>>biodiesel, which can fuel a diesel engine.
>>
>>
>>1. PREPARATION
>>
>>-- Vegetable oil poured into processor
>>
>>-- Oil is heated to 120° Fahrenheit
>>
>>-- Acidity level is checked
>>
>>2. REACTOR
>>
>>-- Lye (alkaline base) and methanol (alcohol) are
>>mixed in a separate container
>>
>>-- Solution is mixed with oil
>>
>>3. SETTLING
>>
>>-- Oil is separated into glycerine and unwashed
>>biodiesel
>>
>>-- Glycerine removed
>>
>>4. WASHING
>>
>>-- Biodiesel is washed with water
>>
>>5. PURIFICATION
>>
>>-- Oil is separated from water
>>
>>-- Water removed
>>
>>-- Processed biodiesel transferred to storage
>>container
>>
>>6. DISTRIBUTION
>>
>>-- Biodiesel is "dried" or allowed to settle
>>
>>-- Ready for fueling
>>
>>
>>Source: National Biodiesel Board
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