Biofuel Alternatives

by Ray Eggert

The high cost of fuel in America has caused many problems for many people. We are not used to paying prices like these, so we need to search out every option to offset this cost. Biofuel such as Ethanol and Biodiesel are two fuels along with propane and natural gas that could be used in many vehicles today that are now burning gasoline. The problem is availability. Many fleets and city vehicles are using clean burning propane and natural gas, but not much is being done to promote these fuels to the public.

As for biofuel, ethanol is becoming more widely available across the country in many states, and as I understand it, many more are on the way. Right now there are more stations in the Midwest, than anywhere else. Ethanol is a blend of corn oil and petroleum in which many vehicles manufactured post 1998 can burn. However, you should check with your dealer before adding ethanol to your tank. The savings can be worth the effort. In the future I understand gas caps are going to be color coded to let the consumer know if his or her vehicle will burn the ethanol product. You can find a map of stations in your state that carry ethanol by going to ethanol.org If, for some reason there are no stations close by, ask your favorite gas station if they would consider making ethanol available.

As for Biodiesel, the problem is even worse, but is slowly improving. Biodiesel is a blended fuel that can be made from waste vegetable oil such as oil from deep fryers at restaurants. Most of this oil can be costly, and difficult to dispose of. Making fuel out of it can put it to good use, and at the same time solve disposal issues. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel, which burns much cleaner then regular diesel fuel. Biodiesel can be used in pure form or blended with regular diesel in any proportion. On the island of Maui, Biodiesel fuel is being used now in county and private fleets. At the few places across the country where Biodiesel can be found the price per gallon makes it worth searching out.