Proportion of Bio Diesel

NOHOH

NOHOH

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The recent thread about road diesel and tank deposits mentioned that Greek road diesel contained up to 10% bio diesel....

Does anybody know what proportion of bio diesel is contained in diesel I am likely to buy from typical MARINE fuel stations in....
Greece,
Italy,
Spain,
Portugal
Tunisia
France
Malta
Gibraltar...
UK

(That should just about cover it)
 
I made some enquirers in France last year and was told that it was typically around 20%. I was somewhat concerned
that my old Mermaid donk would suffer excess wear, but having contacted Mermaid they assure me no problem.
 
NOHOH said:
The recent thread about road diesel and tank deposits mentioned that Greek road diesel contained up to 10% bio diesel....

Does anybody know what proportion of bio diesel is contained in diesel I am likely to buy from typical MARINE fuel stations in....
Greece,
Italy,
Spain,
Portugal
Tunisia
France
Malta
Gibraltar...
UK

(That should just about cover it)
Click to expand...

Minimum 5.75% in 2010 rising to 10% by 2020.

It will vary from station to station in the same country so your question has no definitive answer. In France some diesel (mainly supplied in bulk to farmers) has as much as 18%.

The only potential problem with diesel biofuel is that it is more likely to polymerise than petroleum based fuel. With ethanol (added for ic engined vehicles) it has a lower energy level and is hygroscopic - that means bad news for OBs.
 
The potential problems for me....having an elderly engine and boat...is that I understand that bio-diesel will attack (amongst other things)... nitrile rubber......which, on my boat, makes up the seals for the inspection hatches (6 of them) of the fuel tanks. I don`t know if nitrile rubber is used for seals elsewhere in the system (like the injection pump for example). Bio- diesel is also lacking in sulphur...which older engines rely on for lubrication of the injection system (This I`m told can be ameliorated by adding a small amount of 2-stroke oil to the fuel)......

But maybe I`ve been misinformed about these shortcomings of bio-diesel
 
I am in UK, had to replace the seals on my two Tek Tanks after 2 years. They supplied them foc, I believe they were nitrile.
Typically there is up to around 5% bio-diesel in fuel but it can vary.
Tek Tanks now use a different rubber. I suggested to them thas
t they inform their customers about this potential problem, don't think they were too keen on that idea.
 
Carmel2 said:
I have been using this http://www.stanadyne.com/view.php?id=74 It is helping on consumption, as for the rest of the claims we will see at the end of the session.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that.....It sounds interesting....and I for one will be interested to hear your opinion of it later in the year...but doubtless others will be along soon to put in their twopence worth about it.

Cheers
 
There was a tag on the pump at the local station when I filled up with 95E10 petrol with Mrs.DW's car. We have been using it for years, so I look at the link. www.e10.fr . It seems they do not reccommend it (10% ethanol) for boat engines or lawn mowers. So far no problems with either.
I also saw on a US boat site, that people were getting problems with GRP fuel tanks, as the ethanol was attacking the polyester resin. The cure was coating with epoxy. This was with petrol too, but I wonder about diesel.
 
Delving into this further I had a search on the web and came up with this fairly alarming extract from a "newsletter" from Golden Arrow Marine from 2011
Bio Diesel is a solvent and is aggressive, it will corrode certain metals such as copper and will attack rubbers such as nitrile and neoprene. It is also water absorbent and increases the risk of diesel Bug or bacterial contamination. The general recommendation is to have the fuel system thoroughly serviced and overhauled before using Bio Diesel and then to increase frequency of filter changing. The use of biocide may help to reduce contamination effect. Bio Diesel has a limited shelf life so it is essential that you maintain good fuel turnover.

For further information on this important matter please down load British Marine Federation's (BMF) guidance notes, Perkins fuel statement and Chevron's report on Bio Diesels affect on lubricating oil by clicking on the links below.

■BMF Bio Fuel Guidance Note
■Perkins Biodiesel Statement
■Effects of biodiesel on lub oil

You can find the full article here (scroll down for the bio diesel bit) http://www.goldenarrow.co.uk/pages/news/

Most alarming is the news that bio diesel attacks copper.......my fuel system is `riddled` with copper washers...

I wonder if this whole issue is one which the BORG might take up....or maybe they already have?
 
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