Biodiesel clog dance continues
Biofuels have had many warnings.
One of the original problems with biodiesel was clogging up filters. This was because it cleans the residue left behind by the mineral diesel out of the fuel lines, which then collects in the filter. Which is why all fuel lines have filters - to stop unwanted solids going into the combustion chamber.
So the answer was to change the filter, usually only necessary once.
new problems
Now, a new warning has emerged. It’s not just the vehicle engine dirt that gets cleaned out. It’s also the grot in the garage’s storage tank.
This grot is not a mineral deposit - its bacteria that grow in the water sitting in the tank. It’s got worse because the biofuel still has vegetable residues in it that give it its different smell. Unfortunately, bacteria like this residue, they would use the same stuff as food anywhere else in the world too.
But it creates jelly-like lumps in the fuel, which can block filters and stop motors running.
This may get worse. The diesel-to-biofuel ratio set out in the Renewal Transport Fuel Obligation is currently 2.5 per cent. In 2010, however, it will double.
remedies forthcoming
Ray Holloway, head of the Petrol Retailers Association, said: “We’ve issued a set of guidelines to fuel stations to help them tackle the problem,” he said. “These include testing tanks for excess water - which helps the bacteria to breed - and taking advice from their supplier about the exact biofuel content of the diesel going into the tanks.”
The AA advises motorists to be more careful at small filling stations. Its representative said: “The situation isn’t as serious at large sites, where all the pumps have a high flow rate from the constant usage. It’s more prominent at less busy rural outlets, where the pumps might not be used so often.”
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