Can Standard #2 Diesel be "Greener" than Biofuels?


According to studies performed at the University of California,
Berkley Combustion Analysis Laboratory, that standard #2 might be a
more environmentally friendly choice than commonly believed. The
University conducted a variety of combustion tests on regular fuel
dock diesel formulated to conform to CARB (California Air Resource
Board) standards. The same tests were performed with B20- (a mixture
of 20% biodiesel and 80% #2 refinery fuel), as well as 100% biodiesel
known as B100.

Biodiesel can be derived from a variety of sources. The University of
California study tested B20 and B100 biodiesel created with vegetable
oil recovered from the fast food industry as well as identical
percentage blends made with virgin soybean oil. The study identified
measurable differences in combustion byproducts.

The same study examined the effects of adding a popular enzyme-based
fuel additive Soltron (R) to both standard diesel and biodiesel fuels.

Test parameters:

The test was conducted in a controlled, laboratory environment. All
fuels were burned in a 5.9L, six-cylinder Cummins diesel engine at
1800 RPM with a steady engine load of 80%. When fuel samples with
Soltron enzymes were tested, the enzyme concentration was 1 part per
2000.

While biodiesel fuels are properly hailed as"renewable", there appear
to be only very small improvements in the overall spectrum of exhaust
gases observed when burning biodiesel rather than standard fuel oil.
For example, B20 blended with biodiesel produced from recovered
vegetable oil produced exhaust that contained 21% fewer unburned
hydrocarbons than standard fuel oil, so unburned hydrocarbons were
reduced by almost the identical proportion that petroleum based diesel
was removed from the mixture. Carbon monoxide emissions were only 8.4%
less than with 100% petro-diesel, a figure that becomes even less
significant when one considers that the heat energy contained in a
gallon of biodiesel is also slightly less than petro-diesel, so the
amount of carbon monoxide produced to produce the same amount of work
is closer than the 8.4% reduction alone implies.

If biodiesel has a "dirty little secret", it would be nitrous oxide
emissions. B20 formulated with recovered vegetable oil burns with a
1.6% increase in nitrous oxide emissions.

B20 produced from virgin soybean oil burned cleaner than B20 produced
from recovered vegetable oils. When comparing virgin soybean biodiesel
with standard petroleum based diesel, the Combustion Research
Laboratory documented a 33.3% reduction in unburned hydrocarbons and
an 11.4% decrease in carbon monoxide, with an increase of 1.4% nitrous
oxide.

The study results revealed that using a fuel composed entirely of
biodiesel (B100) rather than a blend did not clean up exhaust
emissions by the same proportion that petroleum-based diesel was
removed from the fuel.

Exhaust emitted from B100 fuel produced from used vegetable oils
contained 52.5% fewer unburned hydrocarbons than standard petro-
diesel, and carbon monoxide emissions were 22.2% less. Nitrous oxide
emissions were 3.1% more than with standard diesel fuel oil.

Virgin soybean B100 demonstrated less of an improvement over standard
petro-diesel than recovered vegetable oil B100. Unburned hydrocarbons
were reduced by only 38.3% with the virgin soybean biodiesel rather
than the 52.5% reduction observed with recovered vegetable oil. Carbon
monoxide emissions were 15.2% less than with petro diesel, compared to
the 22.2% reduction achieved with recovered oils. Virgin soybean B100
produced an alarming 13.2% more nitrous oxide than did 100% petro-
diesel.

When comparing fuels burned without enzyme additives, the cleanest
burning fuel appears to be B100 produced from used vegetable oils,
notwithstanding the 3.1% increase in nitrous oxide when compared to
standard diesel fuel.

Test results with Soltron(R) Enzymes

Soltron (R) is an enzyme compound that has proven successful in
improving the combustibility of the hydrocarbon chain that comprises
petroleum based as well as bio-based diesel fuel. Discovered by a
Japanese scientist, the enzyme is capable of partially "digesting"
refined crude oil molecules and "oxygenating" the fuel in the process.
Users additionally report that Soltron (R) eliminates many of the algae
and water problems often associated with fuel; particularly in cases
where (as with most pleasure boats) it is stored for extended periods.

The University of California tests revealed that adding Soltron (R) at a
rate of 1 part per 2000 to B20 diesel fuel produced with recovered
vegetable oil reduced unburned hydrocarbons by 34.6% compared to
regular petro-diesel, (vs. the 21% reduction observed with untreated
B20). Carbon monoxide emissions were slightly improved with the
addition of Soltron (R) with a reduction from standard petro-diesel of
9.1% rather than the 8.4% observed without the enzyme additive.
Perhaps the most significant reduction noted in the B20 recovered
vegetable oil testing was in the nitrous oxide category. While
untreated B20 increased nitrous oxide emissions by 1.6%, adding the
Soltron (R) enzyme reduced nitrous oxide emission to a level 12.1% below
that of ordinary fuel-dock diesel.

Soltron(R) was found to be less effective when added to bio-diesel made
from virgin soybean oil. In fact, in the unburned hydrocarbon tests
the Soltron (R) B20 formulate from virgin soybean oil reduced emissions
only 27.2% rather than the 33.3% reduction noted with untreated virgin
soybean B20. Carbon monoxide reduction was also less than with
untreated virgin soybean B20, (2.1% vs. 11.4%). Soltron (R) did reduce
nitrous oxide emissions in virgin soybean B20, scoring a 9.4% decrease
rather than the 1.4% increase associated with untreated soybean B20.

Tests of Soltron(R) on B100 blends were similar to the results noted
with B20 blends. While the B100 blends treated with enzyme additive at
a 1:2000 ratio all burned cleaner than the B100 blends alone, the most
significant reductions were observed in the nitrous oxide category.
Virgin soybean biodiesel emitted 13.2% more nitrous oxide than
standard #2 fuel oil, but when treated with Soltron(R) nitrous oxide was
reduced to a level 11.5% below that observed when burning petro-based
diesel.

Going green with petro-diesel

Petro-based diesel is a non-renewable resource, and we do well to
recognize that while we continue to import major percentages of our
crude oil from countries that are hostile to western culture and
governments we are potentially less secure. Bio-diesel can be largely
home grown, although critics routinely claim that the cost of growing
crops to be converted into bio-fuels can make a large-scale conversion
to biodiesel. Only a few fuel docks have biodiesel available, so for
many boaters any debate between petro-based or biodiesel is a moot
point, but there is some interesting news that should be of interest
to boaters concerned with air pollution from engine exhaust.

When the University of California added Soltron (R) to standard CARB #2
diesel at one part per 2000, unburned hydrocarbons were reduced by
54.3%. Remaining unburned hydrocarbons were actually lower than any of
the untreated biodiesel fuels. The 54.3% reduction very slightly
surpassed the reductions noted with the Soltron(R) treated biodiesel
fuels.

Standard diesel fuel treated with Soltron(R) emitted 13.6% less carbon
monoxide, a reduction that surpassed any of the B20 blends either
treated or untreated. All of the B100 fuels produced less carbon
monoxide than the treated petro-diesel.

While the Soltron(R) enzyme treatment proved effective for reducing the
nitrous oxide levels in biodiesel, the effect of Soltron on nitrous
oxide emissions in standard diesel was minimal, reducing standard
diesel NO by only 0.6%.

Conclusions:

Burning either a B20 or B100 blend of biodiesel can afford some
significant reductions in unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide
greenhouse gases. All untreated B20 and B100 fuels tested by the
University of California produced more nitrous oxide than standard
petroleum based diesel.

Treating B20 or B100 biodiesel with an enzyme additive further reduces
emissions in all biofuels produced with recovered vegetable oil as
well as in most categories of biofuels produced with virgin soybean
oil.

The University of California tests show that while the Soltron (R)
additive works on biodiesel, the effect is more pronounced on petro-
based fuels. Adding Soltron additive to petroleum-based diesel can
reduce unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide to levels as low as
or lower than most biodiesel blends, with or without Soltron(R)
treatment.

Chuck Gould wrote in news:d3c1fc9c-f8f1-
:

Can Standard #2 Diesel be "Greener" than Biofuels?


Wanna bet we can follow the money trail for this report back to a
major oil company? Notice how NO mention of the BIGGEST polluter in
dinodiesel fuel, SULPHUR, isn't even mentioned?

Vegoil diesel has no sulphur emissions.....duhh.

Larry
--
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"I have been to several major Chinese cities and have seen first hand
shops crammed with obviously fake American products." - Jon Dudas,
Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Rights.

How can they be fake? The Chinese make all "American Products" I
use!