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I've always been fascinated by biodiesel (using cooking oil to power diesel engines). I wonder if that would be a good stop gap solution until electric is viab
by mStreamTeam 7y ago
I've always been fascinated by biodiesel (using cooking oil to power diesel engines). I wonder if that would be a good stop gap solution until electric is viable.
- toomuchtodo 7y agoEnds up clear cutting the rainforest to grow more soybeans, and there is nowhere near enough used vegetable oil for use at scale. Luckily EVs and high efficiency internal combustion vehicles are driving down the demand for ethanol in the US and obviating the need to consider biofuels as a petroleum alternative.
- noneeeed 7y agoDepends on the source of course. McDonalds in the UK claim to fuel about half their fleet of delivery vehicle with the used oil from their own restaurants. If you get the source right, biofuels are great. But as you say, get it wrong (e.g. the EU policy of encouraging bioethanol) and it is disastrous for biodiversity. I'm surprised we are not doing more with sewage, but I suspect that is to do with the difficulty of processing such a mixed substance, and the amount of infrastructure that would have to be changed.
- toomuchtodo 7y agoI’m familiar with efforts to use sewage and landfill gas for small scale fleet fueling needs (local municipality and garbage collection vehicles), I just don’t think it scales up much beyond that.
- pstuart 7y agoI have to agree with @toomuchtodo -- the "bio" part gets gamed by the industry. That said, I own a "biodiesel" vehicle and hope to find the time and opportunity to actually make my own fuel.