Oregon fuel mandate. 2% bio blend. Should I worry?

[24V-DSL]

10% ethanol in gas is very unpopular in Oregon. Small engine problems, worse gas mileage, etc.



Effective 10-1 diesel fuel must have a 2% bio blend. Nine counties have already adopted. Next step will be 5%.



What negatives might this cause?



2% enough to cause the reported detergent/cleaning effect? Plugged fuel filters, etc.

 

[Pawpaw]

Adding 2% or 5% bio to your diesel shouldn't have any negatives, other than a possible =slight= price increase.



On the up-side, it will put back the lubricity that was lost when we switched to ULSD.



Since biodiesel is a good solvent, it may cause you to change your fuel filter more often for a while... until the gunk is cleaned out of your fuel system.



Bob

 

[Tractorat]

Its been a 5% mandatory in Washington for a while now

 

[snuff]

Adding 2% or 5% bio to your diesel shouldn't have any negatives, other than a possible =slight= price increase.



On the up-side, it will put back the lubricity that was lost when we switched to ULSD.



Since biodiesel is a good solvent, it may cause you to change your fuel filter more often for a while... until the gunk is cleaned out of your fuel system.



Bob

sorry not trying to hijack here, just wondering how is it a solvent. ?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Bio isn't as much a "solvent", as it is a detergent as far as cleaning is concerned - adding 2-5% to diesel fuels is the BEST news I've seen for a long time - and will eliminate the need to add fuel additives for lubricity!



NOW, if we could just REMOVE that damned Ethanol from the gasoline... #@$%!

 

[snuff]

check thanks, should anyone worry about the higher water content in bio diesel or due to the lower % the oem filter/seperator should handle low blends. thanks again.

 

[Jefff929]

check thanks, should anyone worry about the higher water content in bio diesel or due to the lower % the oem filter/seperator should handle low blends. thanks again.

I don't think so, commercially available BioD has had issues from time to time that have caused problems for some folks. As the process has come along most manufacturers have implemented stuff to stop bad things, but remember it will be diluted in DinoD. Only folks who home brew or run B99 are more at risk for Water, incomplete processing or other issues.

 

[snuff]

thanks again.

 

[brods]

Not so fast with the improved lubricity. Some biodiesel producers use distillation to achieve the tightened ASTM specs. Distillation reduces the lubricity of the bio. See the statement from here: Lubricity of Biodiesel "Preliminary study using distilled soy biodiesel reveled that blending distilled biodiesel can not increase the lubricity of ULSD and S-8 as compared to blending with undistilled biodiesel. " Iirc some of the "contaminants" that give bio its lubricity also cause problems during the ASTM cold soak test for filter plugging. So do not automatically assume that all biodiesel has great lubricity.



There is still a long way to go before the biodiesel industry settles down into a routine where most of the positive and negative aspects of the different biofuels can be discovered. As a particular feedstock (like soybean oil) becomes popular the price skyrockets causing that feedstock to no longer be cost effective for making bio. Combine that with the drop in the price of oil and many manufacturers that can only handle soy feedstocks simply shut down. Some others are trying to make bio out of lower cost feedstocks such as brown grease, corn oil (a byproduct from ethanol plants’ distillers grain), etc. Until the industry settles on a fixed range of feedstocks and produces fuel from them long enough to get accurate data on their effects over time, it is still pretty much a crap shoot.



24V-DSL, Snuff, as others have said, since it is so diluted I would not worry much about it. Other than to carry a spare fuel filter, there is not much you can do about it anyway. I would not count on any positive benefits from it either.

 

[TboneMan]

I'm still not sold on using "food" for fuel. ESPECIALLY MANDATING IT!



That said, I run 5 gal. of home brew bio. each time I fill with dino. This is waste oil that would have made its way to a landfill and I am volunteering to do it.

 

[Dieselnut59]

I don't "brew", I simply filter, settle, drain, filter and use salvaged cooking oil in concentrations up to 50-60%. I use around 20-30% in my '03 and Liberty. It is truly FREE fuel this way, as the restaurants give me the oil.

 

[AMink]

I don't "brew", I simply filter, settle, drain, filter and use salvaged cooking oil in concentrations up to 50-60%. I use around 20-30% in my '03 and Liberty. It is truly FREE fuel this way, as the restaurants give me the oil.

Don't say that too loudly, they'll tax ya for it!:{

 

[TboneMan]

My "brew" is just that, waste veg. oil process to remove the glycerin not raw, filtered oil.



In my case, I get it from a guy who sells it legally as a fuel additive, and he collects and pays the appropriate taxes.



Those who simply dump off the shelf veg oil into their tanks could be subject to the tax man should a revenuer "dip" his/her tank.



I believe there was a post on here a while back where that actually happened.

 

[TboneMan]

Speaking of using food for fuel. Take a look at the activity SUGAR on the commodities market. It is at a 30 year high due to projected shortages from bad weather and Brazil over utilization of sugar cane for ethanol production.



Here we go again! Sounds like corn a year or so ago.

 

[Dieselnut59]

My "brew" is just that, waste veg. oil process to remove the glycerin not raw, filtered oil.



In my case, I get it from a guy who sells it legally as a fuel additive, and he collects and pays the appropriate taxes.



Those who simply dump off the shelf veg oil into their tanks could be subject to the tax man should a revenuer "dip" his/her tank.



I believe there was a post on here a while back where that actually happened.

If "blended" with taxed fuel, it is legally considered an "additive". I checked into this. It may vary from state to state. I think the ones the revenuers are after are the ones who buy NO fuel. Wonder what will happen when these POS electric cars come out? Hell, I figure I am still burning more fuel than a Jetta TDI or a "hybrid", so they are getting my road tax. Remember, I am buying "taxed" fuel and also running that in my welder/generator, generator, lawn mower, tractor, ATVs, pressure washer, pump and wood splitter. It all comes out in the wash for me. . the revenuers get their share, I do some environmental good (especially compared to the gasoline equivalents) and I save money!

 

[TboneMan]

If "blended" with taxed fuel, it is legally considered an "additive". I checked into this. It may vary from state to state. I think the ones the revenuers are after are the ones who buy NO fuel. Wonder what will happen when these POS electric cars come out? Hell, I figure I am still burning more fuel than a Jetta TDI or a "hybrid", so they are getting my road tax. Remember, I am buying "taxed" fuel and also running that in my welder/generator, generator, lawn mower, tractor, ATVs, pressure washer, pump and wood splitter. It all comes out in the wash for me. . the revenuers get their share, I do some environmental good (especially compared to the gasoline equivalents) and I save money!

D-nut, I totally understand what you're saying. Unfortunately, those arguments don't hold up in court.



As for the electric vehicles... . I foresee the revenuers finding a way to tax the power used to charge the batteries. Whether it be special meters on the outlets or in the vehicle itself (measuring the juice it takes from the elect. socket). I know my local utility no longer uses meter readers. It is all done by radio comm. with the "meter reader" drive by. I can see how similar tech. could be adapted to separate "charging" wattage from regular home use wattage. At highway tax could then be applied (along with all of the other outrageous tax on your elect. bill.