BIODIESEL

Biodiesel Heating Oil:

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel to No. 2 petroleum diesel.  It is produced most commonly from fatty acids derived from soybean or canola oil, but can also be made from such things as waste oil from restaurants and rendered tallow.  These fatty acids are put through a chemical process called transesterification that produces biodiesel as a primary product and crude glycerin as a by-product.  Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that has completed the health effects testing requirements of the of the 1990 Clean Air Act.  The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) has also recently issued specification D 6751 to establish quality standards and reduce costs of buying and selling the fuel.  Biodiesel is mot often used as a blend of biodiesel and No. 2 diesel for both home heating and automotive uses.  Biodiesel has a solvency effect that oxidizes many metals and has a hygroscopic effect on a nitrile rubber prdocuts (it makes them slowly swell and degrade).  A blend of 20% biodiesel (B20) and 80% petroleum diesel is the most commonly used mixture because it tends to mitigate the solvent and hygroscopic effects and generally exhibits the same performance qualities as 100% petroleum diesel.  That is not to say that 100% biodiesel (B100) is not a good option.  B100 performs very much like petrodiesel, but is much less polluting and renewable.  B100 is non-toxic, sulfur free, and biodegradable.  In fact, B100 biodegrades as fast as sugar.  It reduces particulate matter, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and sulfates, and reduces the carbon dioxide life cycle by 78% compared to petrodiesel.  B100 does, however, require some additional considerations.

Biodiesell is an excellent alternative home heating fuel.  Biodiesel blends 20% or less can safely be put in an existing storage tank and furnace system without deleterious effects.  The higher the biodiesel concentration gets, however, the more it will dislodge sediment, oxidize metal, and degrade nitrile rubber products.  Depending on the concentration and state of the fuel and furnace system, this may only require changing the filter element a couple times or it could cause the pump to clog with sediment or leak as the interior gaskets degrade.  However, using 100% biodiesel does not guarantee that your system will fail.  For all intents and purposes this is a new products, and there is a safe but experimental element to using it as home heating oil.  Some people have used B100 in their system and have only had to change their filters a couple times; others have eventually had leakage problems.  Oil burners made with biodiesel safe gaskets are currently available in Europe, but are not yet available in North America.  Some domestic oil burner manufacturers that are biodiesel compatible.  The oil burners currently on the market are safe to use with biodiesel, however, blends greater than 20% will void the manufacturer's warrant.  Additionally, B100 will become too viscous (thicken) to flow at temperatures less than about 35 degree Fahrenheit and B20 will do so at temperatures below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.  The best set-up is a new above ground tank in the basement or garage with new B100 compatible lines.  That way the temperature is controllable and there is no sediment or corrosion to contend with.