American Biodiesel Energy

The new ASTM D6751 cold Soak Filtration test is leaving many Biodiesel producers and consumers out in the cold. In Response new products are presenting new technology designed specifically to ensure that biodiesel products conform to the ASTM standard for cold flow properties.

What is this new test all about? The American Society for Testing of Materials has recently added the cold soak filtration analysis and defined it as: the time in seconds that it takes for cold soaked biodiesel to pass through two 0.8 micron filters and the amount of particulate matter expressed in milligrams per (mg/l) collected on the filter. Why is this new test important? The problem is when biodiesel is stored in temperatures below 40 degrees F. for extended time periods, certain particles within the fuel solution will fall out of the fuel to the bottom of the storage tanks. This particle fall out will build into an ever thickening layer of build up at the bottom. Generally the colder the temperature and the longer the fuel stays at that temperature, will induce even more material to fall out.

The material has the potential to plug filters, increase maintenance cost and at worst shut down engines. What is this material that falls out? It has to do with the feedstock that the biodiesel was produced from. Feedstocks, especially those produced with used cooking oils (UCO), waste vegetable oils (WVO), yellow grease or animal fats (Tallow) will produce high levels of fall out materials. These materials can also be caused by incomplete removal of glycerin, soaps, waxes, or resins during the Transesterification process.

In response to this problem companies such as 70CentsaGallon are offering in-expensive options like Cold Clear. This system uses a three-stage bank of housings in a combination of filtration, adsorption and absorption principles to capture the materials that can cause plugging or crystallization in biodiesel fluids. This treatment system is solving the cold soak filtering dilemma in B-100 biodiesel and other biodiesel blends in a single pass while having little loss in yield.

This new ASTM test is a positive step in making biodiesel a more consistent consumer friendly product with the help of new technologies like Cold Clear.

Watch the video related to American BioFuels

Albrecht Schaper of Fuel 21 tells about the progress of biofuels in Europe, their future and gives answers on questions about the food/fuel-debate and the difference between the European biofuels and South-American biofuels.

Help answer the question about American BioFuels

Chinese missle test Monday? Why Haiti?
Chinese test was successful Monday. Why would China have an interest in Haiti?
China Increasing Involvement in Haiti

More proof that the Monroe Doctrine is dead.

Agents of state-owned Chinese companies are circling large land tracts in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. The Chinese want to use the land to grow jatropha, a hardy, drought-resistant, perennial plant that produces excellent feedstock oil for biodiesel fuel processing.

A natural barrier against erosion and desertification, jatropha is native to the Caribbean; plantations are already operating in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.

The crop has the potential of breaking the cycle of poverty in Haiti forever, while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A hectare of jatropha yields 1,892 liters of fuel–more than four times as much as soybean. Not surprisingly, jatropha has been hailed as a miracle plant capable of transforming the developing world.

All of which is truly impressive and inspiring. But the Chinese agenda includes more than environmentally friendly, socially sustainable biofuels. Beijing announced today that it will send the fifth group of riot police, totaling 125 members, to Haiti next month for an eight-month peace-keeping mission. They will bring the total number of riot police officers sent by China to Haiti since October 2004 to more than 1,000.

China's peace-keeping role gives the country a military toehold in Haiti, which, combined with increased Chinese investment on the island, increases Beijing's political leverage over the Haitian government. China's primary objective is to persuade Haiti to end formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Haiti is one of only 25 remaining nations that still recognize the self-ruled island that China regards as a renegade province. Half the Taiwan relations bloc is in the Latin American Caribbean region, in America's backyard.

Secondly, China wants access to raw materials–that is, whatever Haiti and other Caribbean nations might have to offer, as Beijing pursues a policy of securing preferential access to the raw materials of Latin American nations, including anti-American Venezuela, a key Chinese ally. China is about to replace, or, at least, rival the United States as the South American nation's number one oil customer; and Chinese investment in Venezuelan production and refining is increasing.

In the context of this mercantilist-style energy diplomacy, China will cooperate with Venezuela's encroachment effforts. The Castro-loving crackpot of Caracas–Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez–has set his sights on meddling and making trouble for the US throughout the region. Corrupt, seemingly hopeless Haiti is an easy target. Venezuela and China think Haiti has hit rock bottom and is ready for rebuilding–in accord with their interests.

China also wants to increase its ownership of shipping and port facilities in the region, as part of a policy of establishing strategic presence at so-called choke points around the world, including the Panama Canal and the Bahamas. The canal is effectively controlled by Hong Kong stock exchange listed Hutchinson Whampoa, a company controlled by Li Ka Shing, a tycoon with strong ties to China's Communist Party rulers.

# posted by Confidential Reporter @ 3:37 PM

About Author

Victor Garlington -
About the Author:

Victor Garlington has been a long proponent of bio-fuels and produces bio-fuel for his own vehicles. He is currently helping others discover alternative fuels as a solution to high fuel prices. He can be contacted at victor@70centsagallon.com

http://www.70centsagallon.com/index.html

Comments are closed.