Ford's answers to the NHTSA 6.7 Investigation
There was a request for a link to Ford's answer's to the NHTSA investigation posted on a previous thread, since closed. Here is the link: Ford's NHTSA Answers to the 6.7 investigation This PDF i...
Forum Discussion
Biodiesel is the real witches brew.
Large number of makers, little quality control.
Methanol, soap, catalysts, water, etc. can be used in production, as with a whole lot of wash chemicals:
See wet and dry wash:
http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/1918/a-dry-wash-approach-to-biodiesel-purification/
http://www.answers-to-your-biodiesel-questions.com/biodiesel-chemicals.html
In theory, the nasty stuff, like methanol, water, is suppose to be out of the finished product.
But --- we know quality control is often indifferent --- even before you talk to home brewers.
Then there is the issue of storage.
Biodiesel is much less stable in storage (this was mentioned in the 2009 joint statement by the equipment people.
So even if the fuel is great, store it too long, improperly, or have water ingress into storage tanks, and it can screw up real fast.
Worse, it can be an emulsion --- making it hard to detect until it is in your tank.
http://utahbiodieselsupply.com/blog/archives/373
Large number of makers, little quality control.
Methanol, soap, catalysts, water, etc. can be used in production, as with a whole lot of wash chemicals:
See wet and dry wash:
The industry is answering the call by implementing programs designed to enhance fuel quality. BQ-9000 is a voluntary quality assurance program that includes procedures for fuel storage, handling and management with the goal of ensuring fuel quality throughout the biodiesel distribution system. Impure fuel may degrade engine oil, corrode fuel injectors with water and catalyst, block fuel injectors with soaps and glycerin, and cause seal failure due to methanol.
There are two generally accepted methods to filter and purify biodiesel: wet and dry washing. The more traditional wet washing method is widely used to remove excess contaminants and leftover production chemicals from biodiesel. In this process a fine water mist is sprayed over the fuel. The fuel's impurities are removed as the water settles to the bottom of the tank. However, the inclusion of additional water to the process offers many disadvantages, including increased cost and production time.
Conversely, dry washing replaces water with a magnesium silicate powder to neutralize fluid contaminants. An example is The Dallas Group of America Inc.'s trademarked Magnesol XL. The dry wash process offers myriad advantages over the wet wash system and is quickly becoming the method of choice among biodiesel producers for several reasons.
http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/articles/1918/a-dry-wash-approach-to-biodiesel-purification/
http://www.answers-to-your-biodiesel-questions.com/biodiesel-chemicals.html
In theory, the nasty stuff, like methanol, water, is suppose to be out of the finished product.
But --- we know quality control is often indifferent --- even before you talk to home brewers.
Then there is the issue of storage.
Biodiesel is much less stable in storage (this was mentioned in the 2009 joint statement by the equipment people.
So even if the fuel is great, store it too long, improperly, or have water ingress into storage tanks, and it can screw up real fast.
Worse, it can be an emulsion --- making it hard to detect until it is in your tank.
http://utahbiodieselsupply.com/blog/archives/373
