>Dear Friends, > >I would like to know if any of you could give me feedback on the >use of coconut oil as a biofuel. > >Thanks > >regds > >Bernie Peiris
Hello Bernie Thailand is leading the way in this, but I don't think it's a very good direction, and has resulted in engine problems and manufacturers withdrawing warranty coverage, and insurance companies following suit. This is from a Thai news story: "A key official, Pongpisit Viseshakul, said the approved specification was likely to be diesel oil blended with no more than 10% vegetable oil. In contrast, most biodiesel produced at community level contained as much as 70% to 80% vegetable oil, said the director of energy conservation and alternative energy at the National Energy Policy Office." ... and it's often poor-quality stuff. NOTE that they call it biodiesel, but this is NOT biodiesel, it's just a blend. Some of the resources below refer to true biodiesel produced from coconut oil by transesterification, which is a different thing altogether - no problem here, good fuel. That's the recommended route - make biodiesel. The usual methods work just fine - see: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels: Journey to Forever http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm Biofuel at WebConX Otherwise, even in warm countries, you'll have to pre-filter the oil, de-water it, probably deacidify it, then run it in a dual-tank system which heats it to at least 70 deg C, with additional fuel filters upstream, and starting up and shutting down on either petro-diesel or biodiesel (and even this isn't suitable for all diesel motors and for all injector systems). There are those who'll disagree, but that's what you need to do to run your diesel motor safely. You might get away with less, but you're running the risk of problems and decreased engine life. In gensets, marine diesels, Listers and so on it might be okay, for vehicles, you're running a risk. See: Biodiesel: The Use of Vegetable Oils and Their Derivatives as Alternative Diesel Fuels, G. Knothe, R.O. Dunn, and M.O. Bagby, in Fuels and Chemicals from Biomass. Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society. Download full-text article (MS Word, 337Kb): http://www.biodiesel.org/reports/GEN-162.doc "Waste Vegetable Oil as a Diesel Replacement Fuel" by Phillip Calais, Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia, and A.R. (Tony) Clark, Western Australian Renewable Fuels Association Inc. http://www.shortcircuit.com.au/warfa/paper/paper.htm http://www.nf-2000.org/secure/Fair/F484.htm Advanced Combustion Research for Energy from Vegetable Oils (ACREVO) Search here for "coconut": http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel Info-Archive at NNYTech Also have a look at this: http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=11194 AlterNet -- Cars From Coconuts ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> FREE COLLEGE MONEY CLICK HERE to search 600,000 scholarships! http://us.click.yahoo.com/iZp8OC/4m7CAA/ySSFAA/9bTolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuels at Journey to Forever http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel at WebConX http://www.webconx.com/2000/biofuel/biofuel.htm To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
