ULSD and Biodiesel Exposed!

[brods]

Here in SW Missouri, we have had B20 in our fuel for over 2 years. I did notice that my transfer pump fuel filter was clogging up more frequently, but nothing else has happened to the fuel system in my truck after running it. I average 120-150 gallons of fuel a month sometimes more. BIO will clean your fuel system, guaranteed! I have talked to my motor man at my dealership, he has had no confirmed problems with the B20 mix. I think a lot of what we are seeing and hearing is embellished and/or taken out of context. NOTE: Everything on the internet is not true or fact.

For those of us who's trucks can sit for weeks at a time the risk of fuel system damage from bioblends is much greater than for those who are constantly using their trucks.

I doubt Mercedes Benz is making stuff up: http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalAssets/pdfmb/serviceandparts/biodiesel_Brochure5.pdf

Examples of damage that can be caused by the use of biodiesel fuel
include the following:
• Clogging of fuel filter caused by soaps, which may be formed by
biodiesel components such as products of aging or products due to
production shortcomings, which may contaminate biodiesel blends.
• Clogging of fuel filter due to the growth of microbes in free water
containing biodiesel blends.
• Fuel gelling under cold climate conditions, because biodiesel may
have poor cold flow properties depending from the feedstock and
because additives in biodiesel and conventional diesel are sometimes
incompatible.
• Corrosion and sticking of low-and-high pressure fuel system
components such as pumps and injectors, especially after a long
storage period of the vehicle, due to the formation of sticky polymers
and acids during biodiesel aging/oxidation.
• Sludge formation in engine oil due to the formation of biodiesel aging
products.
• Deposit formation on piston rings, oxygen sensors and exhaust gas
recirculation (EGR) system parts.
• Nozzle coking and injector deposits accelerated through metallic by-products of biodiesel.
• Engine oil dilution, especially when driving under low load and engine temperature
conditions, because biodiesel is not evaporating from engine oil. Fuel enters the engine oil
during particulate trap regeneration.

The first question to ask is: why should one even consider using bio? What are the supposed benefits and what are the risks? Is it worth it?

Lets pretend for a moment that the risk vs benefit comparison is favorable to bio, what happens when you factor in the cost? Remember that biodiesel is subsidized to the tune of $1 per gallon by the federal government. There are also the “RIN” credits which the biodiesel producer can sell to the oil companies who are required by law to use “renewable” fuels: http://www.cleanfuelsdc.org/pubs/documents/cfdcfactsheetRINSd.pdf Both of these are hidden costs to us consumers. Even with these government handouts bio is still more expensive than dino. Is it still worth it?

But wait there is more. Here is a screenshot that comes up with a Google search on “biodiesel bankruptcy”:
#ad


$261 mil in debts. $17.3 mil in debts. $3.8 mil in debts. just the tip of the iceberg. Lives disrupted. Vendors, contractors, suppliers, hotels, municipalities, etc. stuck with the bills. How do you factor in the cost of all the bankruptcies? And with the price of oil dropping expect more bankruptcies to come. Is biodiesel worth it??

 

[jpogue]

What's great about it is you can make your own fuel. I ran my truck on nothing less than B25 during the winter and most times B75 or B100 during summer months. Had a good deal worked out with a local restaurant in 2006, ran my truck on this stuff for 2 years with no problems at all. Restaurant went out of business in 2008 and at that time people started paying the restaurants for their oil which made it not as cost effective. Not to mention my daughter was born in 2008 so any extra time to pick up oil and make fuel went out the window. My 96 has almost 300,000 miles on it now and still running fine. I will note that I filtered my fuel down to 2 microns which might have helped.

 

[ZBrooks]

ASTM specs exist for a reason. If you're buying or brewing fuel that doesn't meet these specs, you're playing with fire. Many of the pictures posted here are of partially reacted fuel or fuel that is really, really old. The OP's pictures look like he was attempting to burn as much glycerin as he was 'fuel'. Another picture looks more like hydrogenated oil. It is definitely NOT biodiesel.

Biodiesel, when properly made to spec, is an excellent fuel, fuel lubricant and fuel system cleaner. Like all fuel, it needs to be dry. I've made somewhere around 1500 gallons of it in my processor, 50 gallons at a time. I've had one issue in 8 years and that was because I didn't get it dry. It's disappointing to see the bad rap that bio gets when people who have no business making it attempt to do so and then pass it off on to others as the real deal.

As far as the government is concerned, I don't believe that it should be subsidized or forced upon people. If people want it bad enough, let the market figure it out. This past March, while in Oregon, I burned about 45 gallons of b20 offered at one of the stations near Corvallis along I-5 and the truck ran great with it.

The best bang for the buck and reduction in emissions can be achieved by running b2. Lubricity is also greatly increased. I'd rather see fuel stations offer this rather than be forced to offer much higher concentrations such as b15 or b20.

 

[Tuesdak]

The fuel was purchased from a local Biodiesel producer. The State visited them and tested them to the ASTM specs. They failed to meet the exact spec including too much glycerin. They were also clueless as to what was going on with their product when I visited them and asked.

Was the fuel out of spec? Did I catch a new diesel bug? Did they not put any biocide in their finished product?

Best I can tell it the fuel was out of spec and "wet" with extra water picked up from their containers. Until this happened I had a warm fuzzy using this stuff. It was expensive to replace fuel tanks and injection systems. I am not saying all bio fuel is bad, but, this is a warning and hopefully will help others having this issue figure out what is going on and cure it before they ruin their injection system. Info is hard to find when you are faced with this problem.

Biodiesel emissions...
VW is getting their butt handed to them by the EPA over excessive NOx emissions. The Same EPA Approved Biodiesel (as well as DOT approved) and more or less allow it to be run on engines that are NOT certified to run Biodiesel or in some cases higher than 5% bio.

Yes, Biodiesel reduces visible black smoke and related emissions. (The part the public truly cares about because they can see it.)
The casually mentioned truth is Biodiesel raises the NOx emissions. (The part the public don't care so much about.)
B99 reduces MPG by 10%. (For blending tax credit reasons it's B99 not B100.)

In effect running B99 'emission decertifies' a diesel engine due to increased NOx emissions. So we have the EPA going to nearly put VW out of business over NOx emissions while having approved B100 as an over the road fuel regardless of it's increased NOx emissions. Going green hypocrites? Lawsuits happen over reduced MPG not meeting the window sticker. So you have two reasons OEM's don't want to approve B99 in their engines along with the other reasons.

 

[Regcabguy]

Any longterm experiences with Propel HPR? They claim manufactured to ASTM standards with a cetane of 75.
I topped mine off with 22 gallons of HPR but predictably could tell no difference.
I refilled with $2.39 Chevron.
I've got triple filtration including a Caterpillar water separator,GDP 2-micron+Baldwin PF7977 drop in.

 

[photowrite]

In effect running B99 'emission decertifies' a diesel engine due to increased NOx emissions. So we have the EPA going to nearly put VW out of business over NOx emissions while having approved B100 as an over the road fuel regardless of it's increased NOx emissions. Going green hypocrites? Lawsuits happen over reduced MPG not meeting the window sticker. So you have two reasons OEM's don't want to approve B99 in their engines along with the other reasons.

This is an interesting argument and statement?

 

[Tuesdak]

This is an interesting argument and statement?

The data is from older than 1997 engines w/o the NOx adsorbers, DPF etc.
http://www3.epa.gov/otaq/models/analysis/biodsl/p02001.pdf

 

[The patriot]

What I've also heard was the percentages of bio have problems making enough heat to keep particulate filters running clean/right.
AFAIK NJ has no plans to go to this.

 

[brods]

ASTM specs exist for a reason. If you're buying or brewing fuel that doesn't meet these specs, you're playing with fire.

ASTM specs are all well and good.... Do you believe all commercial biodiesel meets the spec when it leaves the plants? Do you further believe that after it has be transported by tanker truck or rail car, stored in tanks (for who knows how long), blended with dino and tankered to the station where you pump it into your truck, it is still in spec?

Many of the pictures posted here are of partially reacted fuel or fuel that is really, really old. The OP's pictures look like he was attempting to burn as much glycerin as he was 'fuel'. Another picture looks more like hydrogenated oil. It is definitely NOT biodiesel.

As for the picture of the 6" suction pipe feeding a polishing filter, that was the last step in the production line at a commercial bio plant. Who knows what that crap was. That line should only have carried good bio needing a final cold filtering to pass cold soak testing.

Biodiesel, when properly made to spec, is an excellent fuel, fuel lubricant and fuel system cleaner. Like all fuel, it needs to be dry.

"Excellent" is debatable. An excellent fuel would be a drop in for diesel requiring no special modifications. The solvent aspect of bio cannot be understated. No paint will withstand it. Concrete comes apart where pumps drip bio on it. And even Viton A (the most common FKM elastomer) will swell from biodiesel if there is water present. Viton GF is better, but of course it is roughly 50% more expensive than the already super high priced Viton A.

It's disappointing to see the bad rap that bio gets when people who have no business making it attempt to do so and then pass it off on to others as the real deal.

Unfortunately many of the commercial bio plants I've done work at fall into this category.

As far as the government is concerned, I don't believe that it should be subsidized or forced upon people. If people want it bad enough, let the market figure it out.

Right on! Though biodiesel would not exist commercially without the government subsidies and the forced consumption.

Since it is a crap shoot what quality bio will come out of the pump and given the potential expense to fix the fuel system, I avoid all biodiesel like the plague. That our government is forcing these renewable fuels that damage older equipment down our throats is a disgrace.

 

[Tuesdak]

What I've also heard was the percentages of bio have problems making enough heat to keep particulate filters running clean/right.
AFAIK NJ has no plans to go to this.

Heat is a symptom not the cause.

Biodiesel doesn't evaporate as well as #2 diesel. This means some of it condenses on or hits the the cylinder walls during "cheap design" post injection DPF cleaning events and winds up in the engine oil. So the unevaporated 'fuel' can't reach the cat and light off for 'heat' to clean the DPF. Then it doesn't evaporate out of the engine oil like #2 diesel will. Further The oil lab doesn't notice the biodiesel diluted engine oil and flag it as fuel. The lab does notice reduced viscosity. Dedicated injectors in the exhaust for DPF cleaning are the only way OEM's can use B20.

B99 used in our 2008 Duramax would result in very long regeneration times and made a lot of oil. It was a bad idea even with more frequent oil changes. Oil changes cost money and long regen times burn more fuel. You really don't to run ANY % of bio in post injection DPF cleaning engines.

 

[Tuesdak]

Don't recall where but a comment was made that Government could run up to B20 with some mystery retrofit where civilian engines were at B5. Further proof OEM fuel filters are a bad joke on you. Short answer is B20 is ok with a "optional water separator". The years it applies to is just minor details.

Answer is buried in TSB 14-007-06 Rev. A 09/02/06 (Also noted in the TDRBG)

A maximum blend of 5% biodiesel (B5) is acceptable as long as the biodiesel mixture meets
ASTM specification D-975, D-975-grade S-15, and ASTM D6751. A biodiesel fuel blend that
is higher than 5% is not acceptable without additional fuel processing because these higher
percentage biodiesel blends contain excess amounts of moisture which exceed the water
stripping capability of the on-engine final fuel filter. Should a higher percentage biodiesel fuel
be used, an auxiliary water stripping filter will be required.

A maximum blend of 20% biodiesel (B20) can be used by government, military, and commercial
fleets who equip their vehicle(s) with an optional water separator, and adhere to the guidelines
in the Department of Defense specification A-A-59693.

 

[ewcmr2]

The fuel was purchased from a local Biodiesel producer. The State visited them and tested them to the ASTM specs. They failed to meet the exact spec including too much glycerin. They were also clueless as to what was going on with their product when I visited them and asked.


Best I can tell it the fuel was out of spec and "wet" with extra water picked up from their containers.

Always get and keep fuel receipts. If contaminated fuel in your tank matches the contaminated fuel in suppliers tank they get to pay for your repairs.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

I tried B100 in my DT 466 powered Diesel pulling tractor.. Horse power was down quite a bit, BUT the huge issue I had was algae contamination. That stuff is a complete nightmare to get out of the system. I went so far as to pressure wash the tank, dissasemble the fuel pump, replaced fuel filters 5-6 times. Finally high dosed the system with biocide and it has been ok.

 

[JR]

I tried B100 in my DT 466 powered Diesel pulling tractor.. Horse power was down quite a bit, BUT the huge issue I had was algae contamination. That stuff is a complete nightmare to get out of the system. I went so far as to pressure wash the tank, dissasemble the fuel pump, replaced fuel filters 5-6 times. Finally high dosed the system with biocide and it has been ok.

B100 has roughly 10% less energy content than straight #2. You would probably notice the difference in your application much more than you would in general use.

 

[Hootguy]

i have 500,000 km's on homemade bio,,cheap low grade bio,,,never had a issue,,,change duel filter every year,,when i did the head gasket last year,, mechanic said it still had crosshatch in the cylinders,,and still on stock injection pump,,did change 3 lift pumps over the years,,but they're cheap,,,saved a lot of fuel dollars,,hard to beat 40 cents a gallon//

 

[EDankievitch]

I'm sure that almost everyone on here can and has an opinion. I can only go by my personal experience. I've been running Bio for over 12 for years now. In all that time I have had only one bad batch from a company that did not process the fuel right. They are out of business. That fuel was not clean. It wouldn't go through the nozzle on my boiler even when cut with 75% reg fuel oil. That said I've had many more good tanks. I buy fuel in bulk, 300 gal at a time. I clean my storage tank once a year. I use BioBor anti Fungus treatment once a year. When I service my truck's filters which I do at each oil change every 10,000 miles on my 2013, the filter coming out is almost as clean as the one going in. It's been that way on all the trucks that I have owned. In the last ten years the only time I plugged a filter was on fuel I bought out of state from a well used truck stop. That fuel was not a Bio blend and was loaded with fungus. The ship I work on burns roughly 14,000 gal of fuel a week this past year we got a load of fuel with a fungus. This past summer was a nightmare getting our fuel tanks clean. Once the fungus get's a foot hold it very tough to knock out. You really have to stay on top of treating your fuel to stay ahead of it.
Storage of Bio should not exceed 6 months, much like DEF fluid heat will shorten it's life. Plan your usage if you buy in bulk. I average 650 to 750 miles a week in the summer so my fuel never sits for long. Last winter we had extreme low temps some days below -5 I never had an issue with gelling filters. I run B20 blended for the seasons by my supplier. Bio provides much better lubrication than any of the additives available for the ultra low sulfer(sp?) fuels we have today. Lab testing has shown that the use of Bio has lowered the "Light Off Temp" of the DPF by as much as 30%.While it does produce a bit more NoX emissions it does not push the levels above what the DEF system can handle.
Unlike Ethanoal the production of Bio does not take away from the food chain. Up until recently it was a waste product leftover from making TOfO, and also left over from deep friers. For years the sewage treatment plants here on the island had a huge issue dealing with the waste cooking oil. They would have to run it through a diegester to break it down so they could then process it as sewage. Today we are running our diesel engines on it. The amount of emissions, Green House Gases made burning Bio fuels are No Greater than the amount of Gases absorbed by the plants grown to make the fuel. I really like that idea as apposed to releasing green house gases that have been locked in the earth for the past million years with coal or crude oil. Keep in mind that that plug in electric car that the tree huger's are pushing as "0 emissions" requires 1 1/2 to 2 time the energy to generate the energy it take to make it drive. that in the real world is as much as twice the emissions to do the same job of bringing you to and from work. Unless you are using a solar system to charge your car......
Wait isn't Bio a solar product? Plants were grown by American Farmers to make the feed stock to make it in an American refinery.... Hmmm.... This seems like a No brainer to me..
Knock Bio Diesel all you like. it's not 100% perfect but it does, with proper care, work and work well. And it keeps our Farmer, our people, Americans working and our dollars out of the middle east.

 

[Hootguy]

i also been running for 12 years or so,,and in my shop boiler with no problem,,i'm not brave enough to run it in my 2007 Mega cab 3500 with the 5.9,,but i know some people who do,,you cant beat making it yourself at 40 cents a gallon,,

 

[Tuesdak]

To clear up EDankievitch post:
DPF systems that use a post injection event in the cylinder to clean the DPF have serious issues with Biodiesel. Later systems that used a dedicated exhaust pipe injector do not have this specific issue. (All the other issues apply.)

Biodiesel doesn't evaporate very well outside a combustion event. So when injected into the cylinder on the exhaust stroke a fair amount will hit the cold cylinder walls and run down into the crankcase. #2 Diesel will evaporate and the little that hits the walls will evaporate out of the engine oil. (The trouble with #2, DPF cleaning, and fuel in oil on Fords is another story.) Biodiesel does NOT evaporate out of the engine oil.

The end result is a in cylinder post injection event on the exhaust stroke will dilute your engine oil and not give the cat converter enough fuel to heat up and quickly burn the DPF clean.

My results on a 2008 Duramax running B99 is oil level raised by quarts, loss of engine oil viscosity, and long regen times.