ok i am planning to start experimenting with wmo and i just had an "oh crap" moment.

here in canada, since july 2011 all ULSD sold here is 2% biodiesel. one retailer (petro canada) may have up to 5% fatty acid biodiesel in their fuel. my question is, would 2-5% biodiesel cause a polymerization problem if i started running a mix of pump diesel/w80? i would ultimately like to run 100% w80/rug (well actually PUG as regular has friggen ethanol in it too)

mabey im just being a little paranoid but i dont want to risk getting stranded a bunch of times and having to clean the entire fuel system to get my truck back on the road.

im no chemist! please help a brother out!

(edit: i cant spell government either apparently. : )

 

It's bio, not WVO. WVO and motor oil do not mix, but you're not using WMO. You should be fine. Bio actually is a great cleaner.

 

polymerization also takes time, heat and typically a catalyst. WVO fuel doesn't usually go though this for long enough to polymerize in the lines. and as Mdub said, its not WVO you are dealing with its processed Bio. otherwise it would probably start to polymerize in the underground holding tanks with the diesel

 

what i am worried about is will the gasoline i will use to settle/thin my wmo mixture cause the biodiesel that is already in my fuel to release the glycerin (as i understand) in the bio when i start to add wmo/rug. is commercially made biodiesel safer then back yard wvo biodiesel when it comes to it separating?

i suppose i could make a batch of wmo/rug, settle/filter it and then add it to a sample of fuel from my tank as well as add gasoline to a diesel sample and see what brews before i start using it.

i just want to make damn sure i wont have compatability probs as that would be a major PITA as i would have probs transitioning fuels, and would not be able to use pump diesel till i purged all the wmo if i was unable to produce wmo fuel for some reason.

im still trying to learn as much as i can before i jump into this head first, so forgive me if im missing something you are trying to say

thanks!

 

properly made bio (as added to commercial diesel) does not contain any significant quantity of glycerin in it. no compatibility there. mix and match to your harts content. just be careful when using RUG as some contain ethanol.

 

You should not have a problem. The only thing I have seen happen is when you have used a lot of wmo and have some sludge build up the bio will loosen the sludge and send it on thru. I have personally mixed home brewed bio and wmo together in a glass container and let set. As far as my eye could tell it never separated sat in that container for 6 months or so.

 

Unfortunately fuel supplies are all imbred here in ontario. its hard to know where the fuel came from. you can be buying fuel from anywhere and your getting another brand. supposedly according to internet lore esso (exxon mobil) premium is still supposed to be ethanol free, which is good if its true because a lot of esso gets rebranded in this region. (esso refinery in nanticoke)

long story short, the sign at the station dont mean s*#% around here!

with what were paying for fuel (saw reg gas for $1.43/l ($5.42/gal!!) on weekend in richmond hill by toronto) here it kind of pisses me off that the gasoline may have up to 10% ethanol here and affects your fuel milage negatively among other things!

i was already planning to try to hopefully avoid ethanol buy using esso premium for blending wmo, im glad to hear that the bio in the diesel here is not likely to give me probs with wmo/gasoline.

tree-huggers, although well meaning, are kind of a pain IMO!

thanks for your help guys/gals!