Independence Day is around the corner!

[ikendu]

Independence Day is around the corner!

Today, is February 22. Independence day is only about 7 weeks away!

How can that be? What? Isn't Independence Day on July 4?

July 4th is the day we celebrate our independence from Great Britain. The middle of April is the time that I celebrate independence from oil for my transportation. Somewhere around that time, Iowa gets warm enough on a reliable basis to start using 100% soy biodiesel in my 2003 VW Golf TDI (diesel).

Why am I thinking about that today? Because in the last few days, Iowa emerged from a prolonged spell of REALLY cold weather (-11F one day last week). When it is -11, I have to keep winterized petroleum diesel in my fuel tank to be sure the fuel will flow when I need it. Yesterday and today the temperature is in the 40's. All of the ice and snow is melting off. And… I got my six 5-gallon fuel jugs out of the garage for a good cleaning.

All of the "gunk" (technical term) that accumulates on my yellow, "Blitz" fuel cans from sitting in the garage forms a slimy, goopy layer complete with cob webs, bits of leaves and just outright dirt. This morning, all six cans got a thorough washing. Tomorrow, I will make the first "fuel run" of the year and fill up my six containers with pure, clean, all U.S. made, 100% virgin soy biodiesel. In my VW Golf, 30 gallons of biodiesel is good for about 1300 miles when I'm running the pure stuff.

I'll be running a 50/50 blend ("B50") now until full independence day in the middle of April. That'll be sweet! What great joy knowing that each mile as I motor along I am not importing any oil, drilling any tundra, spoiling any beaches, funding any terrorists or adding any petroleum CO2 to my atmosphere. My soy bean fuel recycles CO2 each growing season. Although biodiesel uses a little methanol (mostly from natural gas) during manufacturing, even that could be made renewably from methane producing biomass or manure digesters. Even as it is, soy biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions by 78% compared to petroleum.

Here's to independence!

May more and more of us be free, more and more often every year!

 

[BIGIRON]

Just think of all those poor moviegoers who'll be deprived of popcorn and soyburgers just so we can save the planet!!!

Good post.

Just curious - how much $$ per gallon. We don't have a source here. I'd like to try it in my camper truck (Ford diesel).

 

[Flying Turtle]

I was wondering about the price, too. Our newspaper had an article today about it and its limited availability locally. It said the pure stuff is going for $3.50/gal. Is it less for you out in the corn belt?

Geoff

 

[Omega Man]

Dirty Jobs just had a nice episode on biodiesel. I really wish we (the US) could mass produce and make this available in commercial vehicles, and make the fuel easily obtainable instead of homebrewed. I'm not trying to turn your thread into a crap-fest, just crying aloud.

 

[ikendu]

I was wondering about the price, too. Our newspaper had an article today about it and its limited availability locally. It said the pure stuff is going for $3.50/gal. Is it less for you out in the corn belt?

Geoff

Last time I bought (Late November) it was $2.80/gal.

I'll let you know tomorrow (when I do my fuel run) on the latest price.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Good post, Ikendu!

If I get time this summer, I'm going to convert my Dodge CTD to a Frybrid system so that I can run pure biodiesel through the year, starting and stopping on petrodiesel or B10.

I pay ~$3.25/gal for B100. :buddies:

 

[alaskawolf]

Independence Day is around the corner!

Today, is February 22. Independence day is only about 7 weeks away!

How can that be? What? Isn't Independence Day on July 4?
).

Why am I thinking about that today? Because in the last few days, Iowa emerged from a prolonged spell of REALLY cold weather (-11F one day last week). When it is -11, I have to keep winterized petroleum diesel in my fuel tank to be sure the fuel will flow when I need it. Yesterday and today the temperature is in the 40's. All of the ice and snow is melting off. And… I got my six 5-gallon fuel jugs out of the garage for a good cleaning.

!

damn its noon here and it hasnt even warmed up any higher then -29F so far, their calling for -50F in some spots tonight i sooo very much wish it was July 4th right now

all my friends are having to add additives to their diesels which can get pretty pricy.

 

[DM51]

What great joy knowing that each mile as I motor along I am not importing any oil, drilling any tundra, spoiling any beaches, funding any terrorists or adding any petroleum CO2 to my atmosphere....Even as it is, soy biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions by 78% compared to petroleum.

What a truly wonderful scene is evoked here – mile upon panoramic mile of glorious bucolic purity. We can almost hear the birds twittering in their enthusiasm for the crystal clarity of the air above the virgin undrilled tundra, and the sea-creatures on the unspoiled beaches making little mooing noises of appreciation at the cleanliness of their sea-shores, and in the background the despairing howls of terrorists pulling their moth-infested beards out by the roots in their frustration at being deprived of your funds.

Unfortunately, a large quantity of petroleum products will already have been added to the atmosphere (or otherwise consumed) in the actual cultivation and production of your soybeans, even before the crop is taken off to be processed into bio-diesel, so I'm afraid the overall ecological picture isn't quite as rosy as you might think.

 

[ikendu]

...a large quantity of petroleum products will already have been added to the atmosphere (or otherwise consumed) in the actual cultivation and production of your soybeans, even before the crop is taken off to be processed into bio-diesel, so I'm afraid the overall ecological picture isn't quite as rosy as you might think.

>smiles and chuckles to myself<

Well, yes, I suppose that might be cause to take less joy at driving along without oil. Although, >smiling< any cultivating could have been with tractors running on biodiesel themselves (and often are), there's nothing about the energy powering a biodiesel manufacturing plant that requires it to be from non-renewable sources and certainly no imported oil is required.

So... I'm afraid I'm still pretty happy with my largely rosy picture.

Even if it isn't absolutely perfect, it is so much closer to "no oil consumed" perfection that I still feel its pretty darn good.

Sorry if my celebration of going without oil seems uncomfortable to you. Just out of curiousity, what do you think underlies your reaction to my celebration?

 

[ledlurker]

Dirty Jobs just had a nice episode on biodiesel. I really wish we (the US) could mass produce and make this available in commercial vehicles, and make the fuel easily obtainable instead of homebrewed. I'm not trying to turn your thread into a crap-fest, just crying aloud.

The biodiesel plants are popping up everywhere. There are currently 3 that are operational within a hour of my house and 2 more under construction that are about 90 minutes away, but you do not hear about them, why is that. Currently the operational ones do not toot their own horns. They are all modeled after the tried and true method of the Farmers CO-OP model. Soy Beans, cotton are big crops in our area along the Gulf Coast. My cousins still farm and belong to the CO-OP. It is a large group that personally financed their biodiesel plant with the cost spread out over 1200 members. They bring their soybeans to the plant and the oil gets extracted and the leftover biomass is still fit for human consumption and is sold to other companies. Even cotton seed is pressed for its oil and the leftover biomass is used for feeding livestock. The main reason they did this was econonmics. the farmers that participate in this CO-OP can get their diesel for up to $0.50 less than the discounted agriculture diesel which is not subject to taxes. Last years crop of diesel is now being distributed back to the farmers to prep the field for this years crop. My cousins say the end they have more money on the table and do not have to sweat when the price of fuel spikes.

You only hear about this stuff if you read a CO-OP news letter.

 

[BIGIRON]

Lurker, thanks. I was going to post what little I knew about this, but decided I didn't have enough facts. This is good news. Some of it may filter down to us. I'll be near one of the co=ops this weekend and may see what I can learn.

BTW - Ikendu and DM51 - remember the truth is in the middle - the battles are fought on the edges.

But I still like the feeling when I drop off the recycle or drive the Prius.

 

[TorchMan]

Aw man. I thought a Will Smith sequel was about to be released! :laughing:

Seriously though, isn't it more accurately Independence Season? It's something you are doing for more than a day, after all.

 

[ikendu]

Well, today's price in Iowa: $2.65/gallon for 100% virgin soy biodiesel.

 

[BIGIRON]

DinoDiesel is around $2.39 here, so a 1500 mile trip at 15mpg in my camper would cost $25 or $30 more for the biodiesel. I'd have no problem with that.

Interesting item in today's Brownells' newsletter. Seems some of the hunting/conservation groups, mostly in the midwest, are voicing conerns that the intensifying growth of corn and soy will result in reduction of wildlife habitat. Many of the farmers would leave a row or two of crops at the edges of their fields and crops in the corners "for the animals". (We did this decades ago when I was growing up). The feeling is that the crops are too valuable now to do this.

 

[ikendu]

Hmm... where I live in Iowa (right next to a farm field), I have never seen any farmer leave a few rows of crops for the animals. Everything is planted right up to the very last inch and harvested right up to the very last inch too.

I do know there is concern that CRP lands will be taken out of reserve (currently serving as wildlife habitat) and then planted into corn. I am for biofuels bigtime... but I am not for taking acres out of CRP to plant more corn. Instead, we should be looking the most sustainable mix of native perenniel plants to grow on that CRP land and then harvest as much as we can while still protecting the soil.

 

[65535]

If there was a biodesiel plant around here I could run it in my car (permitting I can get it soon being 16 and all) it,s great to protect the enviroment, I personnaly am an electric person, my dream vehicle is a 1Khp H1 hummer, using A123 high powered lithium nano tec cells.

 

[ikendu]

Actually, I love my diesel and I love running it on biodiesel, but my real dream is to convert our '96 Miata to electric drive using the new A123 batteries. I may be able to realize that dream before long!