2005 has truly been biodiesel's year. The year began with the adoption of the JOBS act last fall which provided a $1.00/gal excise tax for Biodiesel and Ethanol. This credit has just been extended in the new Energy bill signed two weeks ago along with other federal incentives to encourage construction of biodiesel production facilities.

The 4 cylinder turbo charged Jeep Liberty engine, with high pressure common rail injection, leaves the Ohio assembly plant with a tank of B-5 Biodiesel. This engine produces an amazing 295 ft./pnds. Of torque at 1800 RPM! NAFTC Photo

Attendance exceeded all predictions at the National Biodiesel Board's annual convention in Ft. Lauderdale last February. During the conference, Diamler-Chrylser unveiled the Jeep Liberty Diesel and announced they will leave the factory with B-5 biodiesel in the fuel tank. A lot of environmentalists were there, and while talking with many of them I got the impression that these environmentalists had figured it out: Diesel engines are inherently more efficient than their gasoline counterparts-which is why they are used wherever heavy work needs to be done! This means that to get X amount of work done, be it moving a car from one side of town to the other or hauling 80,000 pounds of freight from New York to Chicago, a diesel engine will do the job and produce much less (12% to 20% less) CO2 than any gasoline engine. So if your primary concern about the environment is the release of carbon from CO2 into the atmosphere (global warming), then diesel is the way to go, and biodiesel is even better! So many environmentalists were in Ft. Lauderdale to learn about and support biodiesel.

Then along came Willie Nelson, ever a true friend of the American Farmer, with his own trademarked version of B-20 called "Biowillie". Willie has been working to distribute this fuel throughout the country. His organization has announced plans to distribute the fuel through 170 retail outlets.

While opening a biowillie pump at Greer, SC recently, actor and NAFTC Odyssey Day spokesman Dennis Weaver joined Willie at the podium and gave his own ringing endorsement of this clean burning and renewable fuel.

The venerable magazine Popular Mechanics carries a monthly feature article written by comedian/car collector/former automotive technician Jay Leno. Jay writes about biodiesel and clean diesel technology in the September issue. Jay has some prime quotes in this article; "I felt that diesels equal truck stops: you know, slipping in that puddle of oil near the pump, getting your hands greasy-and still not being allowed to sit at the lunch counter with the real truckers. A Drag. But that was then. Things are very different now." Leno makes the same point we at the NAFTC have been making for some time, which is simply the fact that because diesels are more efficient and can be fueled, at least in part, by a renewable and carbon neutral fuel (biodiesel), diesels are better for the environment and for our energy security than gasoline engines. As Leno states: "Cetane trumps Octane! -Now I'm a believer".

Yet for all this warmth and good cheer for Biodiesel there has been an undercurrent of controversy between proponents of the fuel such as the state soybean growers associations and the National Biodiesel Board on one side and most of the diesel engine manufacturers (OE's) and the world's leading manufacturer of diesel injection equipment, Robert Bosch Co., on the other side.

The issue is what blend of biodiesel and petrodiesel is optimal for the environment and for the industry versus what is acceptable to the OE's. The biodiesel industry and advocates such as Willie Nelson and the NBB want B-20. (20% biodiesel, 80% petrodiesel). Most of the engine manufacturers-with a few notable exceptions- are recommending that the percentage of biodiesel into petrodiesel for engine fuel not exceed B-5 (5% biodiesel, 95% petrodiesel).

Explanations for this hesitancy to embrace B-20 have been hard to pin down. The NBB devotes an entire section of their website to interpreting various manufacturers' warranty statements in a favorable light toward B-20 use.

No one is a stronger advocate for Biodiesel than yours truly. Trust me on this. My involvement with Diesels and Biofuels goes back nearly 40 years. Yet, as we at the NAFTC continue to maintain in the biodiesel workshops and training classes we present, B-20 is not quite ready for prime time. If you are using B-20 in an older diesel with mechanical injection, just update your hoses and filter and go right ahead. Yet before we begin using B-20 in a modern high pressure system such as Common Rail, there are engineering issues that need to be addressed. The biodiesel production industry needs to allow the manufacturers the time that they need to assure use of B-20 will not cause any long or short-term problems with modern, clean diesel technology.

In this belief we find we are much in agreement with one of the leading manufactures of Diesel engines, Cummins, Inc.

A typical common rail diesel injector must withstand fuel pressures in the range of 30,000 PSI. The spray pattern must be perfect to assure high torque with low emissions. Water, dirt and aggressive chemical compounds can ruin this injector quickly. Photo courtesy of BOSCH

Last week the NAFTC hosted an instructor update at Cummins. Several Cummins engineers made presentations to our group on subjects including technician training, clean diesel technology, gaseous fuels technology, ultra low sulphur diesel (ULSD) and biodiesel.

What are some of the issues of concern to both Cummins and the NAFTC?

Water; Biodiesel is extremely hygroscopic. It will readily absorb water up to a level of about 1500 PPM. Quality control procedures need to be put into place to monitor biodiesel moisture levels all the way through the distribution system to the point of retail sale.

Overall blend quality; The Dept. of Energy recently conducted a random audit of B-20 at the retail level. The study found that only 64% of the fuel samples obtained by the DOE fell within a Biodiesel concentration of 18%-22%. Some samples were as low as B-5, some as high as B-100. As stated above, further work needs to be done to ensure uniformity and quality from producer to retailer.

Shelf life; Biodiesel tends to oxidize over time, especially if exposed to oxygen. The fuel tends to become rancid and thus acidic. Nobody wants to put acid into their fuel system! Research is currently underway to reduce or eliminate this problem from biodiesel. Blending with petrodiesel greatly reduces the tendency to oxidize as does the addition of anti-oxidants to the fuel and storage in an oxygen free environment. (Nitrogen gas can be used for this purpose.)

Biodiesel consists of molecules called alkyl- esters. These are fatty acids that are bonded to an alcohol molecule, usually methanol. The bends in the fatty acids are points where the carbon-hydrogen bonds are not fully utilized, or saturated, with hydrogen. Thus they are known as unsaturated fats. However, these bends in the molecule are subject to oxidation. Oxygen will break these chains into acids such as aldehyde or ketone, giving the fuel a rancid odor and making it acidic. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Materials interaction: Studies by both Cummins & Bosch have shown that high concentrations of Biodiesel can attack metals such as brass, bronze, copper, lead, tin and zinc. In addition, Biodiesel can be aggressive toward natural rubber and elastomers such as nitrile. The engine manufacturers have not had sufficient time to study these phenomena and devise solutions.

The clean burning properties of Biodiesel are illustrated in this table. However the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) created in the presence of high heat, need to be dealt with. Cooled EGR and Selective Catalyst Reduction are two popular methods of eliminating NOx. NAFTC Graphic

NOx; As most of us already know, NOx is public enemy number one on the EPA's emissions wanted list. NOx not only produces harmful ground level ozone in the atmosphere, it also provides for the formation of acid rainfall. Nox is a product of high heat in the combustion chamber. When a diesel is working hard, its combustion chamber is one of the hottest places around. This is why diesels are so severely regulated by the EPA for NOx emissions. Guess what? Biodiesel burns even hotter than petrodiesel. So, while biodiesel is cleaner in all other respects than the stuff that comes out of the ground, it produces more NOx. Use of high biodiesel concentrations could cause an engine to exceed its NOx certification!

Biodiesel and ULSD; Today's diesel fuel carries between 300 to 500 PPM of sulphur. Next year our nation will switch over to a reformulated diesel fuel which will have virtually no sulphur (<15PPM). This fuel is to be known as Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel or ULSD. The interaction between biodiesel and ULSD needs to be evaluated further. There is some research which indicates that ULSD may promote oxidation of biodiesel. More studies are needed.

This is a cutaway of a high pressure supply pump used in many common rail diesels. The pump, which is lubricated only by the fuel passing through it, must produce fuel pressures in excess of 30,000 PSI. Photo courtesy of BOSCH

This is the bad news about biodiesel. I have not discussed any of the good things in this article. (Not enough space in one newsletter!) Yet let me assure you, the good things far outweigh the bad, and there are no problems here that cannot be overcome given some time. So, what should we be doing now?

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) needs to develop a stand alone fuel specification for B-5 and B-20 blends just as they have with their D-6751 specification for B-100.

The National Biodiesel Board's BQ9000 quality program should be adopted by all major biodiesel producers. Perhaps government incentives could be adopted at the state or federal level to encourage this activity.

Research into the issues discussed above must continue.

Let's all encourage our legislators to enact biodiesel content laws such as are already on the book in states like Minnesota where all retailers are required to offer at least B-2 or higher.

Fleets that are already using B-20 need to be vigilant about their fuel's quality, especially as regards blend accuracy, water content and pH.

In the meantime, let's do all we can to ramp up to B-5. There are many more diesel retailers across our country that don't carry biodiesel than those that do. Bringing most of those retailers to a B-2 or B-5 standard would require more biodiesel than presently available, (30mm gal/yr in 04---50mm gal in 05?). As the folks at the Indiana Soybean Board are fond of saying, "B-2 is better than B-None!".