1. Add a second tank to hold the vegetable oil. The engine will start on diesel, and once warmed up, heat will be provided by lines from the engine’s cooling system to warm the WVO. (Local vegetable-oil mechanic Joe McEachern prefers to use a 205-degree engine thermostat for greater heating, but the Greasecar fuel line runs inside one of the tank’s coolant lines and won’t withstand that much heat.)
Can you use vegetable oil in a diesel engine?
In diesel engines and heating oil burners, vegetable oil can be utilized as an alternative fuel. Straight vegetable oil (SVO) or pure plant oil is the term used when vegetable oil is utilized directly as a fuel in modified or unmodified equipment (PPO). Traditional diesel engines can be changed to guarantee that the viscosity of the vegetable oil is low enough for proper fuel atomization. This avoids incomplete combustion, which can harm the engine by creating carbon build-up. For use in a wider range of settings, straight vegetable oil can be combined with conventional diesel or processed into biodiesel, HVO, or bioliquids.
Can you run an engine on vegetable oil?
If your car is equipped with a diesel engine, it can run on biodiesel manufactured from used cooking oil without any changes. Pure vegetable oil, on the other hand, is not a practical fuel and is much more viscous than diesel. In simple terms, it’s thicker and stickier than diesel, so it doesn’t flow as smoothly and the engine will have a hard time burning it all. Pure vegetable oil can then accumulate in the engine, obstructing fuel flow and resulting in stalling or burnout.
Can a diesel motor run on cooking oil?
Without being converted to biodiesel, vegetable oil can be used directly as diesel fuel. It is, however, 11 times thicker than diesel fuel and does not burn as well in engines. It also has highly different chemical composition and combustion characteristics, and it has the potential to cause engine damage. Regardless, it can and has been successfully used.
While certain diesel engines can run on pure vegetable oils, turbocharged direct injection engines have additional issues. Older IDI diesel engines, such as those used in Mercedes, Toyotas, and Volkswagens from the 1980s, are more suited to SVO use (to name a few).
Here are some of the issues that must be addressed in order to obtain a successful outcome:
- Cooking the injector tips to the point that fuel atomisation is disrupted or even inhibited as a result of clogged orifices. This is owing to the thicker SVO’s inferior atomization and combustion, which causes hard cold starts, poor performance, smoke, and short engine life. The use of FTC Decarbonizer in the fuel has been demonstrated to have a significant impact on producing successful SVO results. It allows for quicker and easier fuel ignition. FTC actively burns off existing injector tip deposits while also burning the SVO cleaner and allowing for considerably less deposits to accumulate.
- Carbon deposits can be found anywhere in the combustion and exhaust spaces. The influence of the FTC Decarbonizer can be felt throughout the combustion chamber, exhaust valves and ports, and even turbochargers, depleting carbon buildup and preventing further accumulation.
- The piston ring is stuck. Sludging, thickening, and even gelling of the lubricating oil occurs as a result of poor combustion paired with some SVO fuel blowby into the crankcase oil. This problem develops over time, and the only way to prevent it is to use FOC’s specially developed detergents, which remove all sludge while dissolving carbon to loosen stuck piston rings. Keep an eye on your oil and change it on a regular basis.
- Problems with lubrication. Contamination of the lubricating oil with vegetable oils causes thickening and gelling, which is not good for lubrication. To avoid oil hunger due to blocked or constricted oil passageways, use Flushing Oil Concentrate at every oil change.
- In SVO, there are fungus growths. SVO provides a suitable nutrient supply for fungal and bacterial infestations, which can lead to filter clogs and fuel injection system damage. FTC Decarbonizer is also manufactured as a strong and effective biocide, which effectively addresses this issue.
The boat is 50 feet long. (Powered by a Volvo). Trevor uses Straight Vegetable Oil in his Volvo diesel, but he also developed his own system to make biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. He starts the engine with biodiesel and shuts it off with biodiesel. To minimize viscosity, the waste SVO passes through a low-cost oil filter that is heated in an engine coolant bath. It is switched to run on SVO once the engine and SVO have reached a stable temperature.
Trevor has already passed 30,000L of waste SVO through the Volvo (treated with FTC Decarbonizer). He rapidly discovered that FTC is required for the SVO to burn cleanly.
However, due to piston sticking, Trevor’s Volvo is now exhibiting blowby, smoke, and compression loss. He’s about to use Flushing Oil Concentrate to remove these deposits, and as long as no severe harm has occurred, the old Volvo will return to its former splendor.
Toyota Landcruiser 60 Series Wagon Toyota Landcruiser 60 Series Wagon Toyota Landcruiser 60 Series Wa (2-hour diesel) The 2H is a reliable, low-stress engine that, thanks to pre-combustion technology and an inline fuel pump, makes it a strong choice for operating SVO. Vic, another do-it-yourselfer, built the system himself. On the back of the Toyota, he drives the SVO tank on a swing away carrier. The exhaust tail pipe meets and travels through the SVO pre-heat tubing, which is part of the SVO holding tank.
To remove particles from the waste SVO, the pre-heated SVO passes through a Ryco Z9 oil filter. Naturally, the 2H begins and stops on diesel, but for the most part, it runs on waste SVO. Vic has been using this setup for a few years and attributes his success to the FTC Decarbonizer…it just doesn’t burn clean enough without it!
How much does it cost to convert diesel to vegetable oil?
You’ll also need valves to transition from diesel to veggie oil after the veggie oil has warmed up, as well as a manual switch on the dash to activate the changeover and a temperature indicator to tell you when the oil is hot enough. You should also run the engine on diesel for a few minutes before shutting it off to clear the veggie oil from the fuel lines. Finally, you’ll need a separate fuel gauge to keep track of how much vegetable oil is in your tank.
Although Ghafarzade admits that the change is simple, one of his recent customers came in after a failed DIY project. It was necessary to undo and redo the conversion. “Making a mistake usually isn’t worth your time,” Ghafarzade remarked.
Veggie oil is not as environmentally friendly as some claim, according to critics. Running automobiles on vegetable oil, modifying cars to operate on vegetable oil, and marketing vegetable oil for use in cars are all prohibited acts that are punished by fines, according to the Environmental Protection Agency: “Raw vegetable oil or recycled greases (also known as waste cooking oil) that have not been treated into esters are not biodiesel and are not approved for use in automobiles by the Environmental Protection Agency. Furthermore, vehicles modified to utilize these oils would almost certainly need to be certified by the EPA, which “has not certified any conversions to date,” according to the agency’s website.
According to the EPA, the prohibition is in place because more emissions study is required. Veggie oil has been demonstrated to have lower particle and CO2 emissions, but higher nitrogen oxide emissions. “Cooking oil is physically and chemically different from diesel fuel,” the EPA adds, “and its use in conventional engines will generally result in poor emissions and engine durability.”
The EPA, according to Ghafarzade, is more concerned about the government losing out on gas taxes than it is about emissions. Although the EPA has stated that it intends to strengthen enforcement, Ghafarzade claims that he is unconcerned because enforcement is so infrequent.
Getting into trouble is uncommon, but it does happen. Last year, a guy in Charlotte, North Carolina was fined $1,000 for using vegetable oil. State inspectors were looking for illegal fuels when they noticed Bob Teixeira’s “100 percent veggie oil” sticker. He was penalized $.299 cents per gallon for dodging the gas tax, and he was informed he needed to pay a $2,500 bond for tiny fuel consumers. In the end, the state agreed to a reduced fine and requested that the $2,500 bond be waived.
According to John Swanton of the California Air Resources Board, recovered grease improvements “tend to increase the lifetime of the older diesel vehicles that we would really just want to discard,” presumably because newer vehicles are built to comply with higher emissions regulations.
In 1912, engine inventor Rudolf Diesel wrote, “The usage of vegetable oils for engine fuels may appear minor nowadays.” “However, such oils could become as essential as today’s petroleum and coal tar products in the future.”
Is vegetable oil cheaper than diesel?
We know that some engines can run on vegetable oil, but is the effort worth it? In terms of monetary worth, it almost likely isn’t. It will be difficult to recoup the cost of the engine modification through fuel savings. Furthermore, the cost of vegetable oil is comparable to that of diesel fuel.
Veggie oil may be less expensive depending on where you live or whether you can buy it in bulk from a restaurant supply store, but it rarely represents a significant cost advantage over petroleum-based fuels.
Will a modern diesel engine run on vegetable oil?
As a result, the fuel you buy at the pump could contain anywhere from 0% to 7%’vegetable oil fuel.’ Modern diesels, according to my knowledge, have such tight tolerances due to all of the emission rules they must comply with that they would struggle to run on vegetable oil.
How do you turn diesel into cooking oil?
Cooking oil that has been used is not a safe fuel on its own. Cooking oil undergoes a process known as transesterification to make it safe.
The chemical process of transesterification converts waste oil to diesel fuel. It’s a fancy word for a straightforward concept. We mix an ester with an alcohol in this method. In the case of biodiesel, cooking oil is mixed with methyl alcohol, or methanol, to form the “ester.” To start a chemical reaction, a little amount of catalyst – commonly sodium chloride – is added to the mix. The end products are methyl ester and glycerin, which is the technical term for biodiesel fuel.
The biodiesel is ready to use once the transesterification process is completed. Glycerin is extracted from the water and can be utilized in cleaning products, cosmetics, and medications. Meanwhile, biodiesel is distributed locally for use in vehicles, tractors, farm equipment, and other applications.
Will diesel engine run on kerosene?
Kerosene burns cleanly in most diesel engines and does not affect them. As a result, kerosene burns cooler than diesel and lacks the lubricating additives found in diesel. This means that if you use kerosene in your diesel engine, it will place a strain on your injector pump unless you use the proper lubrication.
Can I make my own diesel fuel?
My Ford F-250 diesel crew-cab pickup did not pique my curiosity in producing bio-diesel fuel. No, it was after I paid $150 to fill up its 48-gallon gasoline tank that I decided to investigate the bio-diesel craze!
I believe it took me longer than most to consider bio-fuel because everything I ever heard or read about it came from the save-the-earth crowd, who drove around in old diesel school buses plastered with “flower power” and faded “stop global warming” bumper stickers—indicators that should be erased from my memory right now. In fact, a family friend named Jack Jones, who owns several diesel vehicles, asked me one day if I knew how to create bio-diesel fuel, which sparked my interest.
Making your own fuel to power diesel vehicles, farm tractors, and backup generators is a fantastic fit for anyone living off-grid or on a farm, regardless of who the early promoters were. Diesel fuel is not only simple to create, but it also requires very little equipment to get started. It is surely feasible to perfect the process with more expensive equipment later, as with other hobbies that might become obsessions, so I will start with the basics.
Where to start
You’ll need a steady supply of discarded cooking oil, and if you don’t have it, you’ll be wasting your time. This implies you’ll have to become friends with the owners of fast-food establishments in the area.
Waste vegetable oil (WVO) from commercial deep fryers is the starting point for all bio-diesel production processes, which may also incorporate lard and other kitchen grease. In most situations, the waste cooking oil is poured into temporary storage tanks behind the restaurants at the end of each day. Currently, most fast-food restaurants hire someone to collect this lost oil, along with other restaurant waste, once a week. However, as bio-popularity diesel’s grows, we’ll soon be defending our own sources and competing to see who can get there first each week! You’ll need a 50 to 100-gallon tank in your truck bed or on a compact trailer since you can’t just back up to a 500-pound tank of liquid waste oil and dump it into a bucket. You’ll also need a battery-powered gasoline pump; don’t worry, all of these products are easy to come by, and I’ll include a list of providers at the end of this post.
I’ve made it clear that you must first locate a source of waste vegetable oil. Keep in mind that if you have to drive 100 miles into a city to find a fast-food establishment, you may be wasting more fuel collecting waste oil than you can produce.
Chemical process
I’m not going to go into great length about the actual chemical process that occurs since you’ll pick it up as you get more involved. Because it’s so simple to create bio-diesel fuel, advertisements for kits that are relatively inexpensive and will make it much easier for you to get started abound on the Internet and in DIY magazines. Once you’ve begun manufacturing your own diesel fuel, you can invest in fuel test kits, fuel filters, and other devices to increase the quality and consistency of your output.
It takes four components to manufacture bio-diesel, regardless of which fuel-making kit you buy (and there are a lot of them): Methanol (racing fuel), sodium hydroxide (household lye), and water are all waste vegetable oils. These are a must-have for any process, no matter how basic or complex it is.
Safety issues
A few safety precautions are in order before you head out into the backyard and drop a can of drain opener (lye) and your son’s model airplane fuel (methanol) into a coffee can full of frying oil. It is probably conceivable to build your own bio-diesel processor from the ground up, given the minimal equipment required. However, the manner in which these highly reactive compounds are combined together, as well as their management during this process, raises major safety issues.
To begin with, methanol is extremely flammable, yet unlike most other flammable liquids, it burns without producing a visible flame. You may have witnessed a high-speed sports car race where a pit crew member began rolling on the ground for no apparent reason. These vehicles run on methanol, and fuel spills are common during quick pit stops, resulting in serious burns to crew members even when there are no flames or smoke visible. When sodium methoxide is combined with lye, the resultant sodium methoxide will burn if it comes into contact with bare flesh. Furthermore, you will not be aware that you are being burned because it kills all nerve endings immediately.
If you’ve ever used normal home lye to unclog drains or manufacture soap, you know how harmful it is to your skin and how hot it gets when thrown into water. Aluminum, tin pans, zinc coatings, and most paints are all swiftly corroded by lye, so only use glass, stainless steel, or chemical-grade polyethylene containers when working with these caustic compounds.
Finally, the vapors of sodium methoxide (a combination of methanol and lye) are particularly toxic to breathe, so make sure your fuel-making location is well ventilated (preferably an outside shed). During the actual mixing operation, keep a fire extinguisher close and a nearby water hose regularly releasing new water into a bucket.
Does burning vegetable oil produce carbon monoxide?
Furnaces, space heaters, fireplaces, and wood-burning stoves all contribute to keeping us warm during the winter months. However, for the purpose of safety, any fuel-burning device must be properly maintained and operated.
Carbon monoxide and particulates are released into the air when any fuel is burned, whether it is oil, natural gas, kerosene, or wood. These particles can pile up in your home without sufficient ventilation, posing a harm to you and your family.
A Few Simple Suggestions
The following are some guidelines from the US General Services Administration for limiting carbon monoxide in your home:
- On gas or kerosene space heaters, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and make sure you’re using the right fuel. A prolonged yellow-tipped flame may indicate that the heater is not correctly adjusted and is generating too many pollutants.
- While a space heater is being used, open a door from the heater’s room to the rest of the home and slightly open a window.
- Over gas cooking stoves and ranges, install and utilize exhaust fans, and make sure the burners are correctly adjusted. A persistent yellow tipped flame shows that the burner is emitting too much carbon monoxide. Request that the burner be adjusted so that the flame point is blue.
- If you’re buying a new gas stove or range, look for one with pilotless ignition, which means it doesn’t have a continuous pilot light.
- When using your gas fireplace, make sure the flue is always open.
- Annually inspect central air handling systems, including furnaces, flues, and chimneys, and replace any cracks or damaged parts.