Biodiesel

[Biggles]

I have been making & using Biodiesel for about a year now. I use my B100 in my Pug 406 2.1tdi. Done about 15000 miles now.

There are loads of forums about the making and using of BD. You will find all you need to know about it in them.

I pay my tax as I am a licenced producer, and it works out about 36p/l tax paid.

I bought an Allroad 2.5tdi yesterday.. As yet I have not used my BD in it, but am told it should be fine.

I did see in one thread that people were having trouble with B100. On the course I went on I was told to introduce BD in stages to get to B100. BD is a very good solvent, and in the first 1-3000 miles it will clear ALL the sh*t out of your fuel tank and system. If you want to know more about BD, I'll be happy to answer what I can.

Oh! did I mention I make the equipment to make BD

Biggles

 

[Jaffa]

Well I have just started looking for a local dealer (South Wales) for Bio-Diesel..... and the only dealer charges almost £1.00p/l of Bio!!!!
Surely ...if you can offer it for less than 40p/l then this dude is taking the ****?????..... even though he states on his website that this is the cheapest possible price he can offer?
Click below......
http://www.sundancerenewables.org.uk/biodp/index.html
Click on Price Comparator?

Why is this guys price so expensive?????

 

[Biggles]

Not really.

He will be charging vat on his sales, and don't forget the vat is also on the fuel duty hes is already paying to HMCR.

He needs to make a profit, and if he is selling he needs to maintain accurate measuring & quality controls, all of which put up the price, and if he is producing over 5000L per year there are very expensive environmental on costs.

Lastly my feedstock I get for free, all I have to do is collect it. My on costs are the chemicals to make it, time and electricity, about 10p/l then the other cost is 27.1 p/l to HMCR.

He probably has to buy his feedstock at around 25-35 p/l so when you know the full ins and outs of it you can see how it is difficult to sell it cheaper.

Using Bio for most people is a home brew operation. At that level it works on a cost effective basis, commercially I think anyone that does it is very brave!!

Of course the real reason you should be using BD is for the green effects LOL.

So to sum up, no he is not taking the ****, I would think his p/p/l profit will be very low say around 5p. Not much for the effort involved.

Say 35 p/l feedstock, 10p chemicals, 27.1 Fuel duty, infrastructure and waste disposal 10p/ licencing & metering 10p, admin 10p, profit 5p, = £0.8271, + 17.5% Vat 14.47p = £0.97.18


Biggles

 

[meatychi]

Hi Biggles,

I am keen to use Biodiesel - But I am a little apprehensive about putting it into my 1998 A6 Avant 2.5tdiQ.

I read on a website that Audi have approved all there cars manufactured between 1990 and 2004. Not sure what year your motor is but if it is after 2004 then you have to change the mix.

Have you tried using regular veggy oil?

 

[nivagh]

I buy vegetable oils for a large food manufacturer for a living and I have spent quite a lot of time looking into biodiesel costs etc.
I can confirm that the cost of manufacturing biodiesel is not much less than buying diesel at a forecourt, and once Gordon Brown gets his taxes it's not exactly an incentive to people trying to be environmentally friendly.
And all this time we're burning palm oil shipped thousands of miles from Malaysia in our power stations because it's "greener" than coal or gas.
I despair.
Now, if you've got an old diesel, you could try mixing veggie oil from the supermarket in your tank, but beware, it will probably gum up your fuel filter...

 

[alwinharrison]

Been running my A3 110TDI on B100 for over 2 1/2 Years now. Performance and fuel consumption is indistinguishable from normal derv.

The only down side is that I do have to change the fuel filter more often, but I am currently paying 79.9ppl.

The pre PD engines seem fine on B100 , but have heard mixed reports with PD's

 

[Ess_Three]

Anyone know why BD isn't recommended for the high performance deisels in the VAG range?
I know that with my old man's Mk5 Golf GT TDI170, you aren't supposed to use BD.

Just wondered why...?

 

[alwinharrison]

I have heard that Biodiesel in high concentrations Knacks the piezo injectors used in later PD engines.

I think they only recommend a 5% mix. In a world that is moving towards alternative fuels VW moves backwards

 

[Ess_Three]

That would tie in with what my old boy had heard...something about very tight tolerances on the 2.0 high-power diesels not being compatible with Bio Diesel...and needing the hydrocarbon stuff to work properly.

Very odd...as you say.

 

[Biggles]

The problem with the new generation of diesels is the common rail pressure. Bio-diesel does not like it. I have heard it said that one of the Fiats have such a high common rail pressure that it is enough to ignite the bio-diesel.

I am having other problems with my 2.5 V6 so not going to use BD until it is sorted out.

I can report my Peugeot 2.1 12v has done best part of 20k on B100. I am very particular about the quality of my on BD.

I can't comment on veggie oil, never used it.

Hmm! shipping palm oil to fire power stations must have a huge carbon mileage overhead. And I bet it was grown on deforested areas. Very green.

Biggles

 

[S2Avant]

I have run our A3 110tdi on a 50% mix of WVO and diesel. I get it free every now and then.
The only difference I can tell is that the car seems to run quieter.

 

[Joni_s]

A mate of mine ran his old 405 on pure veggie oil. It clogged up badly in the end with the cylinders coked up and it was really hard to start so i wouldnt recommend it pure without the necessary heating etc thats required.

As for 'Biodiesel' i see that my handbook says my a4 2.5TDI can use 'Biodiesel' but from what i've heard elsewhere this means the type of biodiesel being sold at the pumps in Europe which i'm told is only actually 5% biodiesel and 95% DERV has anyone else heard this?

In that sort of concentration i believe the 5% biodiesel has desireable properties of cleaning and lubricting the fuel system but beyond that who knows. I guess only time and experimentation will tell.

So has anybody tried running pure biodiesel for any length of time in the 2.5tdi v6? have any components warn out or shown signs of it?

 

[Joni_s]

A mate of mine ran his old 405 on pure veggie oil. It clogged up badly in the end with the cylinders coked up and it was really hard to start so i wouldnt recommend it pure without the necessary heating etc thats required.

As for 'Biodiesel' i see that my handbook says my a4 2.5TDI can use 'Biodiesel' but from what i've heard elsewhere this means the type of biodiesel being sold at the pumps in Europe which i'm told is only actually 5% biodiesel and 95% DERV has anyone else heard this?

In that sort of concentration i believe the 5% biodiesel has desireable properties of cleaning and lubricting the fuel system but beyond that who knows. I guess only time and experimentation will tell.

So has anybody tried running pure biodiesel for any length of time in the 2.5tdi v6? have any components warn out or shown signs of it?

 

[meatychi]

If I could find a supplier then I would be prepared to try out some higher percentage biodiesel.

I a considering buying my own biodiesel kit as I am clocking up about 120 miles a day!

has anyone used one of these kits before?

 

[S2Avant]

Any examples of biodiesel kits you have seen for sale?

 

[meatychi]

Here is one I have been looking at:

http://www.british-bio-diesel.com/store/index.php?cPath=209&osCsid=ea86164bff3f16ebf26f69849fbb9501

There was also a mass producer selling o ebay which could convert 300 litres in 8 hours!

I reckon with the one that is selling for 650 then it would take about 10 months for you to redeem the cost and then it savings savings savings from there onwards.