6 Ways To Find And Use Biodiesel Anywhere (Part II)

Clayton B. Cornell — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:45:55 +0000

The first part of this guide should give you some good resources for finding biodiesel at home and on the road. But don’t think you have to rely on retail biodiesel to get by. Homemade (aka “homebrew”) biodiesel may be available in your area, or you may be inclined to make your own.

While fuel quality obtained by this method can vary considerably, it’s still possible (even likely) to get fuel that meets national standards. That being said, you may have to get your hands dirty, and this will require a bit more research than finding a local biodiesel pump.

Options 1-3 of this guide are located here.

4. Biodiesel Coops: Discount Fuel At A Price

Another option for the intrepid is to join hands with other biodiesel enthusiasts and participate in making the fuel yourself. Biodiesel co-ops pool resources, equipment, and know-how, and may be the best way to learn to make biodiesel. While you don’t necessarily have to get your hands dirty to participate in a co-op, it can be satisfying work, builds community, and lies at the heart of the biodiesel movement.

Joining a co-op usually requires an initiation (not that type of initiation. Say, $40), and sometimes an annual fee. Co-ops tend to either make their own fuel or source it in bulk from a local supplier (the NBB also has biodiesel distributor maps). Either way, you usually end up with cheap fuel, (if you don’t over-value your time) on the order of around $1.50 per gallon. To find more information on your local biodiesel co-op, check out:

Local Biodiesel Conference’s Co-op Index (State by State)
Try Googling for “Biodiesel Co-op [State]“

You might also consider asking your local biodiesel retailer (see Part I of this guide to find one) if they know of local co-ops, or talk to the next person you see with a “Runs On Biodiesel” bumper-sticker.

5. Homebrewing: Make Your Own Biodiesel

Nothing beats the empowering feeling of making your own fuel, which could be considered a subversive act of local energy independence.

But don’t take my word for it.

Much has been written on the topic, and while I’ll revisit the subject in more detail later, if you want to get out there and start making your own biodiesel, take a look at this book, which I consider the homebrew biodiesel bible:

Biodiesel, Basics And Beyond: A Comprehensive Guide to Production And Use for the Home And Farm

It will also be worth your time to peruse the information available on the following sites:

Journey to Forever: Make Your Own Biodiesel
Collaborative Biodiesel Tutorial
Wikipedia: Biodiesel
Biodiesel Discussion Forums

Warning: not all biodiesel information is created equal. While forums can be extremely useful for collecting anecdotal (as well as experimental) evidence, they aren’t always entirely accurate. Use with discretion. Additionally, making biodiesel yourself can be dangerous. Make sure you do your homework.

6. Finally: Carry A Spare Tank of Biodiesel

One of my first trips after switching to biodiesel I loaded two 5-gallon containers of biodiesel into the back of my truck, determined not to use diesel on the 500-mile trip (I did, eventually). But depending on space and weight considerations (you’re looking at 40 lbs), an extra 5 gallons can make all the difference, especially when blending your own fuel in cold weather*.

If you end up at a station with no biodiesel and you have a long way to go, or you’re mixing biodiesel for cold weather, you can blend your own biodiesel (splash blend) by partly filling your tank with diesel and then adding biodiesel. Biodiesel is slightly denser then diesel, so make sure to add it first.

Five gallons of spare fuel in a diesel Jetta should get you something like 250 miles. If you’ve got a truck, you also have the option of acquiring a spare fuel tank for the bed (avg. 55 gallons), and loading up with spare biodiesel before you hit the road.

*For more information on biodiesel cold-weather issues, see the Biodiesel Mythbuster.

Conclusion: Energy Independence

So there you go, it’s not as hard as you thought to consistently use biodiesel, even while on the road. If you have more questions about the fuel, feel free to comment, or you can wait for the Biodiesel Mythbuster version 2.0 I’ll be publishing in the next month or so.

Still need a diesel vehicle? Jump back to Part I of the Biodiesel Guide: 7 Steps To Buying A Diesel.

Missed Part I of this post (Steps 1-3)? Click here.

The next part of this series will include myths and fact about biodiesel, warranty issues, and how to “convert” a diesel to run on biodiesel.

Photo Credits:1, 2

6 Ways To Find And Use Biodiesel Anywhere (Part I)

Clayton B. Cornell — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:30:20 +0000

Looking to find a source of biodiesel? Perhaps you followed my previous post, 7 Steps To Buying A Diesel, or maybe you already have a vehicle and feel it’s time to boycott OPEC oil. Either way, this guide will help you figure out how to get from A to B exclusively on biodiesel. Part II (options 4-6) of this post can be found here.

Remember that biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine (warranty issues aside) without modification. The only conversion necessary is where you decide to fill up, and that’s what this guide is intended to supplement. One caveat: be advised that biodiesel use can be tricky in cold weather, and depending on location and season you may have to drop to a 50% or even 20% biodiesel blend (more on that later). Without further ado:

1. At Home: Find Biodiesel At Retail Gas Stations

Without your knowledge, a local retail station may already have converted one of their pumps to some blend of biodiesel. The most common blend is B20 (20% biodiesel, 80% diesel), but don’t be surprised to see “biodiesel stations” with a lowly 5% blend (B5). (Stations now commonly offer B5 to confer lubricity lost by the introduction of Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel - ULSD.)

If you’re lucky, you may even find a B100 pump nearby, but there are other ways to get pure (aka neat) biodiesel (see below). You can find a list of retail biodiesel stations at both the National Biodiesel Board’s website, and NearBio.com:

2. On The Road: Route-Map Retail Biodiesel

While it’s great to have a biodiesel pump in your area, what about hitting the road? Since the biodiesel conversion doesn’t really change your engine, you can always revert to regular diesel fuel, although no one wants to do that after making a commitment to eschew petroleum.

Fortunately, both Mapquest and Google Maps now show biodiesel stations on route maps. Get directions and plan your route based on the availability of biodiesel.

Take a look at the following resources (and see Max’s earlier post):

If you’ve got a cell-phone with internet capacity or a Blackberry, you can access these resources from anywhere. But for those of us without such advanced technology, there’s another emergency option:

3. Emergencies: Find Biodiesel On You Cell

If you get stuck in B.F.E. without fuel or internet, you’ve got one more option. NearBio.com will actually text message you the coordinates of the nearest biodiesel station. Check it out:

NearBio.com Cell Phone Access Instructions

Of course, this does require cell-phone reception. See Part II of this guide for another emergency option.

The Catch To Biodiesel On The Road: CardLocks

For each of the biodiesel stations listed in the resources above, you’ll notice the hours of operation and accessibility, along with the blend of biodiesel the station sells. Many biodiesel suppliers have card-operated biodiesel pumps that can’t be accessed by wandering travelers, unless you plan on sending them an application beforehand.

I don’t know of a good way around this, unless you hit these pumps during business hours and someone can help you out. It’s probably a good idea to give the station a call before showing up with an empty tank. If all else fails, just make sure to plan your route around manned pumping stations.

Green Options » refuel