30 April 2008

Truckers Protest Fuel Costs





It's a bit disappointing to hear some truckers call for more domestic drilling as a means of lowering fuel costs. There is a better way. End cannabis prohibition and run those big rigs on hemp oil!


Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel that runs in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine. Its use can extend the life of diesel engines, because it is more lubricating than petroleum diesel fuel. Fuel consumption, auto ignition, power output and engine torque are relatively unaffected by biodiesel and it is a proven fuel with over 30 million successful US road miles and over 20 years of use in Europe.

It can be stored anywhere that petroleum diesel fuel is stored. Biodiesel is as biodegradable as sugar, 10 times less toxic than table salt and has a high flashpoint of about 300 degrees Fahrenheit compared to petroleum diesel fuel, which has a flash point of 125 degrees F.

When burned in a diesel engine, biodiesel replaces the exhaust odor of petroleum diesel with a smell something akin to french fries. Biodiesel is 11 percent oxygen by weight and contains no sulfur, so instead of creating sulfur-based smog and acid rain as by-products, it produces oxygen instead. Biodiesel can be made from domestically produced, renewable oilseed crops such as hemp.

Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel in the US to complete EPA Tier I Health Effects Testing under section 211(b) of the Clean Air Act, which provide the most thorough inventory of environmental and human health effects attributes that current technology will allow. The Congressional Budget Office, Department of Defense, US Department of Agriculture and others have determined that biodiesel is the low cost alternative fuel option for fleets to meet requirements of the Energy Policy Act.
from: montana.edu

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