Winter 2008

Quality / Editor's Query

hidden sludge hazards

By Bill and Cathy Schell

These three pictures show buildup in a tank that stored petroleum diesel for heating a home. This fuel tank was taken out a basement of a house, and we assume it served the house for approximately 20 to 25.......[MORE]

Quality / Spanking Ester

glycerides? who gives a drip!

By Leif Forer

Dear Ester~ How much is too much total glycerin in your biodiesel? Sure, the ASTM max is 0.24%, but where did that number come from? If you have 2.4%, is that really so much worse? Don't SVO'ers have 100%?.......[MORE]

Case Study

fueling biodiesel in VT

By Scott Sawyer, PhD

How do you a create a market for a product that historically hasn't existed in your state? And how do you do so through the lens of sustainable development? The Vermont Legislature, encouraged by a group of successful, progressive.......[MORE]

Case Study

cattle feed biodiesel

By Frankie Abralind

Deep in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Glenn Rodes is carrying on tradition. Rodes has lived here all his life, as did his parents, grandparents, and several generations of farmer ancestors before him, since before the Civil War. Now.......[MORE]

Biomechanics

the saga of the '09 TDI and its bio-indigestion

By Jason Burroughs

I took delivery of my 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI (base model, manual transmission) on August 29th. I bought it with the express purpose of using B100 exclusively. I was up front with the dealer. I even have a "powered by 100% biodiesel" sticker on the back window.....[MORE]

Case Study

the oil flows in Austin

By Chris Continanza

Jason Burroughs is the busiest guy I know. A call comes from a customer, says the drum behind her restaurant is full. Better call TJ and get the location on his routes. Another call comes from a retailer. A.......[MORE]

Biomechanics

teach a woman to veg

By Troy Hottle

Pittsburgh's Steel City Biofuels, where I serve as Education and Outreach director, teamed up with local SVO system installer Fossil Free Fuel this summer to produce Basic Mechanics and Biofuels for Women, a workshop for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit........[MORE]

Safety

shut down by the Santa Ana fire department

By Dave Ortolf

Are you currently making biodiesel or considering making it in a commercial facility? If so, I hope that you talk to all of the fire and commercial building authorities in your area. You may want to think again after.......[MORE]

Quality

catalyst: how much?

By Dr. Jon Van Gerpen

Most homebrewers recognize the need to titrate their oil before making biodiesel to determine the amount of catalyst needed. Free fatty acids (FFAs) in the oil will deactivate a portion of the catalyst, so the amount of catalyst must.......[MORE]

Golden Meniscus

create your own principles

By Kumar Plocher

Note: These represent my own spin on work that is being done by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (SBA), and the National Biodiesel Board Sustainability Taskforce (STF), all of whose efforts I support completely........[MORE]