BrevardBioDiesel Blog

Doug in Cape Canaveral is selling a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI that has been modified to run on Waste Vegetable Oil in addition to diesel/biodiesel. He estimates its mileage at 36mpg with either fuel. If you are interested contact him via email.

The US Nation Biodiesel Board and ASTM announced the publication of new biodiesel blend specifications that describe blends of B5 (5% biodiesel) and B6-B20 (6-20% biodiesel):

• ASTM D975-08a, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils — used for on- and off-road diesel applications; revised to include requirements for up to 5 percent biodiesel.
• ASTM D7467-08, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil, Biodiesel Blend (B6 to 20) — a completely new specification that covers finished fuel blends of between 6 (B6) and 20 (B20) percent biodiesel for on- and off-road diesel engine use.

50% of US diesel engine manufacturers accept blends up to B20 - the publication of these new standards is expected to raise remaining approvals up from the B5 level. The existing B100 specification, ASTM D6751, was also updated to add a "Cold Soak Filterability Test" to help eliminate solid precipitate in cold conditions that may lead to plugged fuel filters.

The D975 (standard Diesel Fuel specification) update becomes the first official diesel fuel specification from ASTM that includes a non petroleum ingredient.

On Saturday October 11th, Brevard Biodiesel will be part of an alternative / efficient vehicle display at the Space Coast Progressive Alliance 4th annual festival.

Hometown news reports:

"With live entertainment, food vendors, a rummage and book sale and a variety of exhibitors, Progressive Fest has something for everyone."

"With more than 50 scheduled exhibitors, attendees will have a chance to learn about money-saving choices, such as alternative fuel vehicles, cooperatively grown produce and how to buy fresh local chicken eggs."

Also featured are door prizes, book/rummage sale, and food offerings. The event is from 11am to 4pm at the Eau Gallie Civic Center, 1551 Highland Ave., Melbourne, FL. The vehicle display will be outside on Highland Avenue near the Civic Center entrance. Stop by and say hello!

The 2008 National AFV Odyssey Day was held locally at the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in Cocoa, FL. After a welcome and introduction to alternative fuels by host Bill Young, the first presentation about biodiesel was provided by Amber Station LLC. Michael Schulist and his co-founders (who were previously mentioned here in a story about their UCF biodiesel efforts) talked about their waste oil (WVO) collection operations and gave several valuable tips regarding biodiesel production. These included using a glycerol pre-wash, using Purolite® in a cleaning step, and electrostatic glycerine separation (Found a Youtube video of that process using 1000V and 4 uA). They reported it was difficult to use Magnesol®, and were happy with the Purolite® and estimated it at a 5cents/gallon cost in production. Their glycerine byproduct is accepted by a waste water treatment plant similar to this.

After lunch, Bryan Lucas spoke about Orange County's use of biodiesel in their fleet of diesel vehicles and how they were helping meet Orange County clean air goals. They strictly stick to manufacturer warranty limits for their blend levels (B5, B10, B20). They contract through Mansfield Oil, who splash blends biodiesel into the petro delivery trucks at the World Energy plant in Lakeland. He noted that there are times when biodiesel supply is limited. When that limitation results in their drivers going back to petro fuel, the drivers make requests for a return to the biodiesel blend as their light trucks "run better" with biodiesel. They are well on their way to reducing petroleum use by 20% in 2010. They use ~750,000 gallons per year.

Next up, Robert Penoyer of Gasoline Equipment Systems Inc. gave a comprehensive overview of station/tank regulations and items to keep in mind if purchasing a station for retail use.

Finally, two real-world success stories were presented:
1) David Winslow of Universal Studios talked of their switch of every diesel vehicle to biodesel (B20) at Universal Orlando. This includes the Audi and Kubota engines on the Jaws ride. Universal uses around 100,000 gallons per year which is sourced through Lynch Oil of Kissimmee who get biodiesel from Agri-Source of Dade City (poultry based feedstock). Universal's total commitment to alternative energy on-site is impressive.
2) Ray Inman of St. Johns County talked about their own biodiesel production system that is now capable of producing 450 gallons of biodiesel at a time. Their system, by DSI Fabrications, features full PLC/Computer control and a flash evaporator. For an investment of $300,000 St. Johns County is now able to produce enough biodiesel, at a total ongoing production cost of $2-2.50/gallon, to blend their entire fleet supply of fuel to a B20 level. Waste byproduct glycerine is used by the local Waste Water treatment plant. They collect WVO from 30 of the counties 300 restaurants as a feedstock using their "You call, we haul" motto. The system was very impressive and the Clean Cities group hopes to take a field trip their as part of their next quarterly meeting.