www.biodieselmom.com

Welcome to my Biodiesel page! I am Cathy Britell, and like most other Americans, I LOVE my personal vehicle. The purpose of this Web site is to let you know why biodiesel is the fuel I choose for my car, for here and now.

Not only do I like my car...I NEED it for my two jobs; both of which entail quite a bit of driving. I work as a physician, as a consultant and care provider for a number of agencies in various aspects of Rehabilitation Medicine. I travel around Washington a great deal, teaching and seeing severely disabled individuals in their homes. I'm also a musician and music teacher. I play and haul around a full-sized upright bass fiddle, a large hammered dulcimer, autoharps, mountain dulcimers, and sound equipment.

And I'm the wife of a tall guy and the mother of two very large grown sons and two big ever-young old dogs who like to go for rides in the car.

Here's a picture of our car. Both of my jobs bring me all around the Northwest, and so I need to drive a vehicle that is economical, reliable, and practical. I now have 70,000 miles on the car (the warranty's over, and I didn't have to use it..), and it's been absolutely perfect in every way.  Our 2003 Volkswagen Jetta (straight from the dealer and with no modification) TDI runs on 100% biodiesel. Now, I'm a pretty busy person, and I know nothing about cars; so, believe me...if I can easily and successfully drive petroleum free, YOU CAN TOO!!! In case you're curious, it will fit 5 adults and 2 dogs; or alternatively, 3 band members, an upright bass, a hammered dulcimer, guitar, two autoharps, banjo, and sound system. The other great thing about this vehicle is that it's really fun to drive, has a GREAT stereo/CD player, and very kewl interior and dash lights. The seating is VERY comfortable, and all-around it's the most functional car I've ever had. I've really not made any compromises in utility or comfort or economics to go biodiesel.

So...what IS this stuff?   

Biodiesel is a vegetable oil-based fuel that runs in diesel engines of cars, buses, trucks, construction equipment, boats, generators, and also in oil home heating units. It's often made from soy or canola oil, but can also be made from recycled fryer oil and, most excitingly, can be manufactured from algae.

BIODIESEL IS NOT ETHANOL, and IT IS NOT MADE FROM CORN OR CORN OIL!

Biodiesel has potential for reducing our dependence on foreign oil, reducing our trade deficit and creating jobs. Biodiesel can be GROWN and made entirely in the U.S., and supports American production and manufacturing jobs. In addition, biodiesel from the right sources can be nearly carbon-neutral, meaning it CAN, under the right circumstances, contribute almost zero emissions to global warming and contributes practically nothing to acid rain. Biodiesel also dramatically reduces other emissions and the exhaust doesn't smell bad (some say it smells  like popcorn or french fries). And biodiesel is 100% renewable... we'll never run out of it. Furthermore, if it gets into the soil or water supply it's harmless. Best of all, biodiesel is HERE AND NOW. It's not futuristic, it's an idea whose time has come.

Biodieselquestions:

Now, I expect that you'll have some of the same questions I had before I started using biodiesel; so I'll try to answer them for you from a non-technical housewife/doc/musician/mom perspective.

Aren't you driving up the price of FOOD WORLDWIDE by using biofuels? All biofuels are not alike. Indeed, the widespread addition of ethanol to gasoline has significantly increased the demand for corn and other sugar-producing crops, and led to perceived, feared or real shortages and increased price of  grains and meat around the world.  Furthermore, the production of ethanol is energy-intensive and may actually have a negative impact on the effort to reduce carbon emissions and the slowing of global warming. BIODIESEL IS DIFFERENT!! It can be made from waste vegetable oil, fatty by-products of soy-based animal feed, and even algae. Biodiesel production does not have to compete with food production. Furthermore, the production of biodiesel can be almost carbon-neutral.

• What is this biodiesel stuff and how is it made? It's made from vegetable oil; either straight from the farm, or after a trip through a deep fat fryer. In order to burn in an unmodified vehicle, It has been made less viscous by transesterification, where the oil is mixed in precise proportions with alcohol (either ethanol or methanol) and a strong base (potassium or sodium hydroxide). The byproducts of that are biodiesel and glycerine, which is used to make boutique soaps.
   

• What kind of car do you need to use it? To use 100% biodiesel you need a diesel vehicle that has no natural rubber parts in the fuel system.  Generally diesel vehicles manufactured after 1995 will be fine.  Check with your mechanic if you have a question.  You can burn B20 (20% biodiesel) in any diesel engine.
   

• Do you have to modify the car in any way? Newer TDI's are particularly well-suited for biodiesel use without any modification. If the vehicle has run petroleum diesel for some time, the biodiesel will clean out old deposits from the fuel tank and line, plugging the fuel filter; so that will have to be changed shortly after switching over. For older vehicles, you'll have to replace the rubber parts with synthetic materials if you use more than a 20/80 biodiesel/petrodiesel mix. BUT, hey...I'm no expert at this. Go to www.biodieselnow.com and ask questions in the appropriate forum.
   

• How much does it cost? A lot. The price goes up with the price of petroleum; because it still needs to be transported. Biodiesel is often as much as $1 a gallon higher than petroleum diesel. Even at present prices, though, I'm paying less per mile driven than with a small gas-powered car. 
   

• What's your mileage on biodiesel? In my Jetta standard transmission station wagon I get about 42 MPG in the city and about 45-48 MPG on the highway. I average about 550-600 miles per tank. That's a bit less than advertised on petroleum diesel fuel.
   

• Where can you get the fuel? Biodiesel is easily available in the Seattle area. Here's a where I get mine, depending on where I am, what time it is,  and where I'm going.

• Go to http://www.biodiesel.org for a list of suppliers near you.
  

• What about long trips?  Can you get B-100 out on the road? This is not easy everywhere.  Last fall I drove from Seattle to Winfield, KS and back and only used  B-100, partly just to prove I could.   But I had to take 20 gallons in containers with me, and made a detour to Boulder, CO to fill up my tanks and containers each way.  Realistically, at this time, you have to use petroleum diesel when traveling, since most biodiesel retailers have card-lock systems or pre-purchase setups.  We all hope that B-100 will be available on a retail basis throughout the country. 
   
• How does your car perform on this stuff? The literature says that biodiesel decreases your performance by 5 – 8%. Personally, I find my car to be zippy in town and on the freeway and over the mountains, and can easily and inadvertently exceed the speed limit on any road in the Northwest.
   

• What happens to your new-car warranty when you use biodiesel? There are a number of alarmist urban legends about this.   As far as we can ascertain right now, your warranty is good in all areas except the fuel system (clogging of the fuel filter, etc) using biodiesel.  We didn't have to test that issue.  Many experts believe that biodiesel is better for your car than petroleum diesel.  
  

• What does it REALLY smell like? Well, now...I have to be honest here. Some folks say that your exhaust will smell like french fries. Or popcorn. Well, mine most of the time doesn't smell, actually, like anything. When I first start up the car; particularly in cool weather, the exhaust smells, frankly like...burning vegetable oil. But when the car is stopped, it does smell a bit like popcorn underneath. So, that's the real truth when you get commercial biodiesel made from soy.
   

• What is the hard data on emissions? Biodiesel is the first and only alternative fuel to have a complete evaluation of emission results and potential health effects submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act Section 211(b). Here's some info from the EPA on emissions.
  

  http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/biodsl.htm   One very important issue in diesel emissions is related to school buses and child health. It has been found that school buses running on petroleum diesel have a very high INTERIOR level of particulate emissions that cause asthma and cancer. Most school systems are now beginning to explore the use B20 – B100 in their buses.

• What are the downsides of using biodiesel? There is one major drawback to this fuel. It gels at about 32 degress F. So, if you are parking your car outside in below-freezing temperatures, you'll have to mix it with petroleum diesel and/or add anti-gelling additives. There's a good discussion of low-temperature biodiesel fuel use at: www.biodieselnow.com . It is good to know that vehicles in Yellowstone National Park use it all year 'round.

  There is another BIG downside to biodiesel. That has to do with greed. If you decide that making money from biofuels is more important than the future of the earth, and cut down rainforests in order to produce it, you have done humanity a great desservice. If you use up all the food crops for fuel, so that people who depend on soybeans can no longer get them at an affordable price, you have also done a bad thing. SO, if you do use biodiesel, you need to become an activist for environmentally responsible production, and you need to keep your eye on the better alternatives that will be coming along soon.

• Where can I learn more about it? There are many good biodiesel web sites. If you have a specific question, try the bulletin boards at www.biodieselnow.com . Otherwise, there are more sites being added every day. Just click on this link, and Google will bring you to lots of good sites. If you'd like an easy-to-read book, try “From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank” by Joshua Tickell. You can order it here: http://www.veggievan.org   Also, there's a neat movie here that chronicles Joshua's journey into the world of biodiesel.  Watch it here:
  
  http://www.upressplay.com/login/index.php?page=umedia_showsub&uSubmit_id=191&mode=2&show_media=mov

• Can I ask you another question? Sure; but I'd advise you to ask someone more knowledgeable than me. I truly am an automotive dweeb. If you'd like, you can e-mail me at: mom@biodieselmom.com for questions, feedback, or just to say hello.

Drive safely, drive clean, drive happy,
drive renewable biodiesel