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Just the Facts on Biofuels This is the second article of a series dedicated to "clearing the air" about alternative fuels, because while the World Wide Web is a vast source of information, it is not always accurate or up to date. The NAFTC is a non-profit, unbiased organization that develops curricula and conducts training to educate and inform people about alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles. This second installment of "Just the Facts…" focuses on providing accurate information and erasing misconceptions about biofuels.
In this issue we will be discussing biofuels, which are fuels derived from renewable resources made from plant materials, such as biodiesel, ethanol, and methanol. Biodiesel and ethanol are the main focus of this article. This article will not cover methanol in any detail. (A basic explanation of methanol is that it is an alcohol fuel which was originally made from wood, known as wood alcohol, and is now made from the steam reformation of natural gas. Although methanol is the simplest alcohol, it is very poisonous and is slowly fading from the industry.) Currently there is no need to convert your vehicle to run on biofuels. A diesel engine will operate on biodiesel with no modifications, and ethanol can be operated in any gasoline vehicle that is manufactured to do so, known as a flexible fuel "flex-fuel" vehicle (FFV). Most consumers seem to be confused by the word conversion and how they relate it to alternative fuels. A conversion system contains additional components and a computer to allow the vehicle to operate on that specific fuel. The cost to operate a vehicle on biodiesel or ethanol is relatively inexpensive in comparison to other sources of alternative fuels. The initial costs are reduced without having the added expense of a conversion system. The actual cost of the biodiesel or ethanol is usually within pennies of the cost of gasoline and petrol diesel. As technology progresses and production increases, we can expect to see the cost of biofuels become more of an enticing incentive to incorporate the fuels into our lives.
Biodiesel Biodiesel is a fuel produced from agricultural products such as soybeans. It can even be made from used cooking oil! Biodiesel is produced by a refining process called transesterification. This simply means that the fats (lipids) in the source product (feedstock) are converted so that the glycerin in the oil is removed and the fatty acids (esters) are combined with alcohol to make a combustible fuel. Because biodiesel is a recognized alternative fuel—and therefore its users are eligible for a tax break—the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has come up with a formal definition: "a mono-alkyl ester of long-chain fatty acids derived from plant or animal matter." In addition, the National Biodiesel Board, an industry organization that represents the biodiesel industry (www.biodiesel.org), asserts that in order to be called "biodiesel," a fuel must meet the American Society for Testing and Materials standards. This is very expensive and may rule out virtually any fuel not produced by large commercial operations. Since small businesses and even consumers can produce their own biodiesel fuel, this definition may be too strict for our purposes. Regardless of how we define it, biodiesel represents a promising alternative fuel that is available today and can be used in most diesel vehicles with little or no modification. It is "carbon neutral," in that it does not add carbon to the environment—instead, it recycles carbon that is present in the form of plant and animal matter and uses it as a fuel source. Pure (100 percent) biodiesel is a nontoxic, biodegradable, sulfur-free, renewable fuel. Biodiesel fuel has 93 percent of the energy density of petro-diesel. Using biodiesel can reduce vehicle emissions (compared to conventional diesel fuels). The reduced emissions of diesel-powered school buses alone can contribute significantly to the health of children in this country. Reduced vehicle emissions are also achieved by blending biodiesel with petro-diesel.
Given the large number of heavy-duty diesel vehicles on the roads, using biodiesel fuel could make a major impact on U.S. petroleum consumption. Since biodiesel could be produced domestically from renewable resources—that is, the crops are grown in the United States and the fuel is produced at plants in this country—use of biodiesel promotes energy in self-sufficiency and could create a new job market in the United States. Although there is no need to convert your vehicle to operate on biodiesel and therefore no upfront expense, there may be some costs involved when initially using biodiesel. The fuel itself is a natural solvent, which means it cleans very well. The biodiesel will clean the existing contaminants from petrol diesel in your fuel system and may clog filters until all contaminants are removed. There is no exact process to determine how many filter changes are needed as it will differ depending on how long the vehicle has been operating on petrol diesel. Straight vegetable oil used directly in a secondary fuel tank is not considered biodiesel. Some companies offer a conversion system that allows the vehicle operator to run on straight vegetable oil by starting the vehicle on diesel for several minutes, switching to straight vegetable oil, and then switching back to diesel fuel for several minutes prior to shutting off the vehicle. The reason for this is that the straight vegetable oil has not gone through the transesterfication process and may clog the fuel system, causing damage to expensive engine components. Ethanol Ethanol as a vehicle fuel has been in use for more than a century. The method surrounding the production of ethanol is a very mature technology. Chemically, ethanol is ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH)—since it contains a hydroxile group, it is an alcohol. Ethanol is a clear liquid with a pleasant odor. It is usually distilled from fermented sugars that come from plants, such as corn, sugar cane, and grains. A promising new technology may also produce ethanol from municipal waste systems (garbage and sewage). Some heavy-duty trucks are able to use E-95, a blend of 95 percent ethanol and 5 percent gasoline. E-10 (10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline) is another popular blend that has been in use for many years. Actually, any conventional gasoline-powered vehicle has the ability to use E-10 ethanol blend as its fuel! Vehicles that are designed to run on E-85 are called flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). FFVs are designed to run either on a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline (E-85) or on conventional gasoline. A list of available E-85 vehicles can be found at www.e85fuel.com/e85101/flexfuelvehicles.php. The majority of conventional vehicles available today can use a 10 percent blend of ethanol without any modifications. On the other hand, FFVs have certain differences when compared to conventional vehicles. The main difference between these two vehicles is found in the engine calibration and fuel management system. Ethanol vehicles have a special computerized system that performs four important tasks:
Although there are additional components needed to operate on ethanol, there is no need for the consumer to purchase a conversion system in addition to the purchase price of the vehicle providing the vehicle is an FFV. Many automotive manufacturers are producing full lines of their vehicles to operate on E-85. It would be too expensive for them to produce a separate gasoline and an E-85-compatible version of the same vehicle model, so the manufacturers are producing E-85 vehicles as they are able to run on gasoline, leaving to option to use either fuel the consumer desires.
There is the option for an owner of an existing vehicle that is not E-85 compatible to use ethanol. Some companies are producing conversion systems that require the installation of an additional computer and chemical additives that coat the fuel system with a protective layer which allows the use of ethanol. These systems are fairly new and have no long-term dependability test results. The cost of the system is usually under $1,000 and needs to be installed. Ethanol is not yet at every corner filling station but many stations are adding E-85 filling pumps monthly. A list of available E-85 filling stations can be found at the following link: http://afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator/. Supplemental Links: National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) – http://www.naftc.wvu.edu
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