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2007 ENERGY TOUR: Day 26 July 20, 2007This morning we fueled up at the Cenex Station in Missoula, Montana. This station carries B20 and B99. When we went to the pump there was only B20. We went in and asked about their B99. After pulling a few strings we were lead to the pump in the back with the B99. We spoke with the owner about biodiesel and he told us that he used to have B99 at the pump but people had fuel filter problems with it so he now only retails B20 unless specifically requested. Please remember that using pure biodiesel requires no diesel engine modifications, but when you first start using it you may need to change your fuel filter after a few times of filling up. This is especially true for older engines that have used petro-diesel for many years. This is because as the biodiesel circulates through the engine it cleans out the old deposits and this goes into the fuel filter. After the initial change you shouldn't have to change the filter more often than recommended by the manufacturer. Biodiesel is superior in emissions, lubricity and sustainability. The Energy Aware Express runs just as well and possibly better on B100. There has been a lot of debate about what biodiesel is made from. The vast majority of biodiesel available for retail is made from soybean oil. We have also found safflower oil and waste vegetable oil derived biodiesel. Although good biodiesel can be made from waste vegetable oil, it is difficult and costly to produce spec biodiesel in large quantities from it because its properties vary so greatly from batch to batch which requires extra steps and supervision to ensure quality. Soybean oil is by far the most commonly used oil for manufacturing of biodiesel in the US for reasons such as cost, availability, biodiesel properties. It is important that research continues into biodiesel production methods and feedstocks that don't compete with food and which can be grown, harvested, and transported in a sustainable way. We really enjoyed our drive through Montana, Idaho and Washington. The Seattle area has lots of B99 and B100 available. We attended the opening night of the Shoreline Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair www.shorelinesolar.org. The keynote speaker was Alan Durning from the Sightline Institute www.sightline.org. His speech on sustainability in the Northwest covered many interesting points. One of topics he covered in detail is that when the actual costs of energy are broken down the majority of the money spent leaves the local area. What we pay for energy is partly in dollars and also in other ways like environmental and social costs. Because in the northwest almost all fuel for vehicles and natural gas is imported all that money spent on energy that could stimulate the local economy is "leaked" out of the Northwest area. All over the US our money is leaving our economy and going out to other countries because of our dependence on fossil fuels. This money could be spent on local renewable fuels and thereby stimulate our economy and keep our money local. At the opening night there was also a Haute Trash Fashion Show www.hautetrash.org. This was pretty entertaining, the runway style fashion show features clothing and accessories made from trash. We look forward to the fair, classes and exhibitors tomorrow. |
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