Here Comes E15. Maybe. Probably.

[junior varsity]

agree, switchgrass for the win

[Randimus Maximus]

must resist being dragged into this debate. 

[Drjones]

This article states that the decision has been delayed until mid-June of next year.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/01/feds-punt-on-e15-waiver-decision/

I'll refrain from any comments on the issue.

Plenty of time to send one's experiences with E10 make the beast with two backsing up motorcycle fueling systems to the EPA.

[WetDuc]

Ethanol is cheaper to produce than gasoline.

[fasterblkduc]

I work in Research and Development with fuel filtration. I can tell you that Bio Fuels are a nightmare to work with. Very inefficient (lower mpg, engine runs hotter, etc), way too expensive to produce, inconsistently produced, do not work in cold environments, grow unwanted organic pests easily, nearly impossible to seperate water from, and wreak havoc on new diesel engines with tighter tolerances and high pressure fuel injection systems. These fuels are a nightmare for filtration companies. 

It's purely political that we are being forced to use it more and more. It is a very bad idea. The bottom line is this...there is no magic bullet when it comes to alternative energy. There is a trade off with everything. I won't get too political here but, being forced into these alternative enegry plans are feeding an agenda that is to make money. We are not told about the consequences of switching to these magic bullet ideas, but rest assured, there are consequences. 

[junior varsity]

I think there is a similar problem with pure electric, battery based cars. batteries aren't exactly enviro-friendly, and there are still quite a bit of resources being used when its plugged into the wall to charge.

[fasterblkduc]

I think there is a similar problem with pure electric, battery based cars. batteries aren't exactly enviro-friendly, and there are still quite a bit of resources being used when its plugged into the wall to charge.

That's what I'm talking about.   

[cutter]

We all need a few barrels of race fuel in the garage...

[corey]

in short.. by june of next year, us plastic-tank guys will be fuxored.

[junior varsity]

Is it doing anything to the carbon fiber tank guys?

[LowThudd]

I work in Research and Development with fuel filtration. I can tell you that Bio Fuels are a nightmare to work with. Very inefficient (lower mpg, engine runs hotter, etc), way too expensive to produce, inconsistently produced, do not work in cold environments, grow unwanted organic pests easily, nearly impossible to seperate water from, and wreak havoc on new diesel engines with tighter tolerances and high pressure fuel injection systems. These fuels are a nightmare for filtration companies. 

It's purely political that we are being forced to use it more and more. It is a very bad idea. The bottom line is this...there is no magic bullet when it comes to alternative energy. There is a trade off with everything. I won't get too political here but, being forced into these alternative enegry plans are feeding an agenda that is to make money. We are not told about the consequences of switching to these magic bullet ideas, but rest assured, there are consequences. 

I think that was a bit of a broad statement. First off, since the cetane rating is generaly lower for Biodiesel, the engine runs cooler. I have experienced this in my car. As far as fuel economy goes, negligable difference if any. Methyl Esters are fantastic solvents and keep the fuel system clean. This is a problem with older vehicles which have alot of diesel residue in the fuel system because all the deposits end up in the filter for a few filter changes(took my 83 300SD three pre filters and one primary filter). But after the inititional filter probems my car ran better than it did when I bought it. My car likes to eat veggie. As far as newer vehicles are concerned, by mandate all 98 and up diesel vehicles must be made to run on B100 safely. This is why modern diesels have synthetic fuel lines instead of rubber. And lastly, no, it cost less to produce soy biodiesel...barely. However, that is old technology(1960s). The new bio crop is algae(you can do a search on google and see for your self). In New Zealand they are making biodiesel from the algae which is already growing in reclaimed water. The algae is the first step in purifying the water(removes organig material), the algae must then be removed or it affects the taste of the water. This step was already being done to clean water, the algae is free. The next step is simple, the algae is either dried and pressed, or just run through a water/oil separator centrifuge. The lipids can then be converted to biodiesel. This can be done all over the earth. The algae is just waste if it isn't used. Saying biofuels are no good is just, inacurate at best.

Also the newest technology is Syndiesel which is produced through the gasifacation of organic material or methane gashttp://www.syndiesel.com/. We throw away tons and tons solid organic waste every day, which releases tons of methane gas. Syndiesel has higher cetane than Petrodiesel, lower gel point than petrodiesel(-60f), higher lubricity than petro/biodiesel, higher BTUs than petrodiesel, and a higher flashpoint than than biodiesel. It is a safe, clean efficient and rezilient fuel. Not all biofuels are bad. There is also ethanol being produced through gasifacation. That is the next step with spark ignition engines, but I still prefere compression ignition.

[ducatiz]

by mandate all 98 and up diesel vehicles must be made to run on B100 safely. This is why modern diesels have synthetic fuel lines instead of rubber.

where did you get this information?

my 2005 VW TDI will not run higher than B5, or I void my warranty according to VW.

http://tdi.vw.com/vw-warrants-b5/

[LowThudd]

where did you get this information?

my 2005 VW TDI will not run higher than B5, or I void my warranty according to VW.

http://tdi.vw.com/vw-warrants-b5/

Oops...your right. I just looked it up at biodiesel.org. I must have misread that somewhere less reputable. it is b5 compatability that was mandated.

[ducatiz]

Oops...your right. I just looked it up at biodiesel.org. I must have misread that somewhere less reputable. it is b5 compatability that was mandated.

where was this done?  I have heard/read nothing about it being "mandated" -- by whom?  EPA?  DOT?  CARB?

[LowThudd]

where was this done?  I have heard/read nothing about it being "mandated" -- by whom?  EPA?  DOT?  CARB?

I can't find the link I was looking for anymore(not biodiesel.org). I can find references to all diesels after 92 no longer using rubber lines. That may have been due to the change to LSD(low sulpher diesel). It sounds like VW is being overly carefull with the higher pressure ingectors of the newer models, I hadn't heard of that before. I know at least one person, personally who is running B100 in a 2008 VW with no problems. Sucks about the warranty.