Are there any disadvantages in using biodiesel fuel?

Answer 1

My understanding is that even properly refined bio diesel fuel can degrade lubricating oil more quickly demanding lube oil changes at six monthly rather than yearly intervals.

Edited Comment: I don't know why Boss H thinks I could benefit from a description of how diesels work. Anyway http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/Biodiesel_Blends_Above%20_20_Final.pdf contains a discussion of lots of problems which can occur, including the lube oil problem I mentioned.

Answer 2

The biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine with little modification. Biodiesel is a better solvent, so some regular diesel fuel lines will get soft and so have to be upgraded and replaced. Otherwise, the engine is unchanged. Since biodiesel is a natural product, it can go bad (rancid) just like vegetable oil. This is why it is normally sold as a mixture with regular diesel fuel. The obvious advantage is that biodiesel is made from renewable resources. If you grow soybeans and convert them to biodiesel, then the carbon dioxide you release into the atmosphere can be absorbed by the next crop of soybeans, leaving the amount of CO2 constant. Disadvantages include the fact that we have to divert acres of farms from making food to making fuel. When you do this, the price of food goes up to the point where some poor countries cannot afford to feed their populations. This has been happening with corn recently. Another advantage of diesel in general is that a gallon of diesel contains more energy that a gallon of gasoline. Roughly, a gallon of ethanol (alcohol) contains about 85% of the energy of gasoline and diesel has about 130% the energy. This is why a diesel engine will get better mileage and have a lower cost per mile than gas. Why do you think all the big trucks are diesel and not gas? Eventually, however, both gas and diesel have to give way to electric. Internal combustion engines are only about 2% efficient. Of the amount of energy that's in the gas or diesel, only a small part goes to moving the vehicle. The rest goes out as waste heat, tire friction, internal friction and unburned hydrocarbons. Even the dirtiest coal fired electric plant is better. Sooner or later the atmosphere will get so polluted that we'll all be forced to go electric or choke to death.

Answer 3

The problem with biodiesel is that you have to use agricultural land to grow the fuel crop. This leaves less land for growing food crops, and drives the price of food up. In some places like Brazil, crucial forests are cut down to clear land for growing biofuels.

Basically it's good for a small percentage of people to be using biofuels, but we can't afford for a large percentage to rely on them.

Answer 4

Not really,

it costs slightly more and does corrode fuel lines made for petroleum diesel fuel, but that can be fixed easily

FYI, filtering biodiesel doesn't remove the injector-clogging glycerin in vegetable oil. It is removed in the refinery .

Answer 5

there has been a change to regular diesel that is causing problems with seals, but boidiesel shouldn't have too much trouble. as long as your car is a diesel car the only other trouble you might have is with the expense & availability of biodiesel, (my boyfriend's brother had one & we could tell when he was using the bio because the garage smelled like french fries)

Answer 6

Yes you get less BTU's per gallon so you will have to fill up more often. Also as we use up more of our excess food stores to make Bio D more of the worlds hungry will have less food, if they don't learn to feed their own there is going to be alot of unhappy people in this world. The free hand out will end and third world nations have no chance to prepare for it but even if this was 10 years away most third world nations would just ride it out a little longer and their people would still be headed for stavation.

Danni

Answer 7

It is more expensive

It's a solvent and may attack various parts of the fuel system leading to leaks and fires

Answer 8

If the bio-diesel is not made from waste products; it drives up the cost of food and other food based products.

I guess if you don't have to eat; no problem.

Answer 9

I have many sections regarding this and many other issues:

I have lots of info that I think you will find quite helpful and enlightening:

http://360.yahoo.com/blorm_multaeeneea_lavacom (For tons of inspirational info)

http://ecowellness.multiply.com/ (For all the environmental info)

Let us all strive for a greener/brighter future by helping to create a solid foundation for future generations to build upon, so we can hand them a beautiful world, filled with never ending awe and wonders!!

Where peoples differences and uniqueness are accepted, where we all live as one, helping one another so that we can all play our own mysteriously beautiful melodies in the never ending, awe inspiring, song of life :-)

I truly have faith in humanity and believe that someday our lives and the world in which we live will truly be transformed for the better.

Answer 10

Yes, it requires seals to be made of different material so they don't break down quickly.

Robert A, i think you could benefit from this:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/diesel1.htm