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I drove a 2001 TDI Golf for 12 years and used mostly Biodiesel. Not a chemist. The fuels pollute differently, as they aren't chemically identical. Bio creates
by bigethan 11y ago
I drove a 2001 TDI Golf for 12 years and used mostly Biodiesel. Not a chemist.
The fuels pollute differently, as they aren't chemically identical. Bio creates more soot when it burns as it's not as efficient of a burn. But the main charm is that no/minimal greenhouse gasses are produced by the burning (it's corn oil, not dinosaur oil).
But.
The new Clean Diesel's aren't very Biodiesel friendly due to the cleaning process requiring a fuel that burns a little better than Biodiesel does. So it is a hassle if you wanted to try Biodiesel in your Clean Diesel. Not many people were trying it according to the folks at Dogpatch BioFuels, enough so that they looking to find new buyers for their fuel.
I don't know what matters most to the EPA, and what VW was cheating at, to know if the defeat device in a Bio car does worse things to the environment.
- TheCondor 11y agoPretty sure biodiesel emits carbon when it burns, the charm is that it's renewable, so long as we can farm vegetables. It's not carbon that was sequestered in the earth but it's still carbon
- bigethan 11y agoYep that's the soot part I mentioned.
- jhayward 11y ago> The new Clean Diesel's aren't very Biodiesel friendly due to .. The only biodiesel restriction I'm aware of in larger (e.g., 3/4 to 1 ton pickups) is related to the amount of water bound to glycerin in the fuel. Common-rail injection systems are very finicky and any above-design-limit water can cause corrosion which damages the injectors or fuel pump. My truck is certified for only 5% (B5), newer ones are B20 certified. The only difference is the fuel system. I've not heard of any emissions impacts.