Alternatively this fuel can also be blended in any proportion with diesel in the diesel engines of modern automobiles. However gaskets and hoses made with natural rubber as found in automobiles made up to the early nineties tend to be degraded more by biodiesel than by petro-diesel because of certain solvent properties of biodiesel. Modern engines however use FKM in place of rubber as it does not react with biodiesel. The transition from petro-diesel to biodiesel may be made gradually since the latter is often found to disintegrate the residual petro-diesel deposit on the fuel tanks resulting in clogging of the fuel filters. A blend of the two types of fuels in appropriate proportions should be resorted to before switching over fully to biodiesel to reduce this possibility. A better option while using biodiesel is to replace the fuel filters on the auto engines and heaters.

Availability

Applications and productions of biodiesel are rising in Europe, USA and Canada. It is being used in mixture with diesel in automobiles and the growing demand for this fuel has made it available in the fueling stations in the above countries. Petroleum diesel is although cheaper at present than biodiesel, perishable nature of the former cannot keep its cost down in the long term. While man cannot restore the gradually depleting oil reserve, more and more agricultural subsidies will be made available to encourage production of biodiesel ultimately bringing down its price.

Uses

The debate continues over which one is a better car fuel- petroleum diesel or biodiesel. Producers of petroleum driven by their vested interests try to establish that petroleum diesel is better for car engines. The producers of biodiesel claim that pure biodiesel in fact increases the life of the engine by reducing its wear and tear. This is supported by independent bodies also. Fuel stations sell biodiesel produced with standards set by the authorities regulating production and use of the fuel and the consumers are satisfied with performance of this fuel. However the higher cost still encourages the consumers to opt for the petroleum diesel fuel for their car engines or blending small proportion of biodiesel with the traditional oil. Use of less than 5% of biodiesel in the blend was initially advised by car dealers like Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler in the USA to secure lives of their car engines but the recommendation has since gone up to 20%. Even 2% addition of biodiesel in the mixture reduc 1000 es the viscosity of petroleum diesel and increases the lubricity of the mixed fuel. The standard proportion of biodiesel now followed most widely is 5%. World’s first biodiesel train by Richard Branson, the famous British businessman, was run on 20% biodiesel. Branson’s first commercial aircraft to run on biodiesel in February, 2008 signaled the important role this fuel is going to play in future aviation.

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