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ISA testing new Permaflo biodiesel on Indiana roads

By JANE HOUIN
Ohio correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Ask anyone who has tried it: The biggest drawback to using traditionally refined biodiesel in the Midwest is biodiesel’s poor cold-weather performance.

But now, the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), in cooperation with researchers from Purdue University, have developed a solution. It’s called Permaflo biodiesel, and thanks to a new method of refinery is virtually free of the cold-weather performance issues that have plagued traditional biodiesel.

According to the ISA, the biggest obstacle in the adoption of biodiesel is that in cold temperatures, it is known to clog fuel filters and storage tanks when it gels or crystallizes. These problems have resulted in reluctance by consumers to use biodiesel and a perception that regular diesel is superior, despite more environmental benefits of biodiesel.

To deal with these cold-weather problems, consumers have traditionally had few options. They could use lower biodiesel blends, such as B2 (2 percent biodiesel and 98 percent diesel) or B5. They could use additives that don’t prevent crystallization, but do reduce the size of the crystals. Or, they could use heated fuel and storage tanks, heated fuel lines and steam-jacketed tank cars.

Most consumers chose a fourth option: Avoid biodiesel altogether.
What makes Permaflo biodiesel different is instead of covering up or working around these cold-weather problems, it is refined in a way that alters the chemical composition of the biodiesel. This structural change results in vastly improved cold-weather performance.

Permaflo uses a cold-flow fractionation process, which allows consumers to use to B100 (pure biodiesel) without experiencing fuel gelling or crystallization. Traditionally processed biodiesel contains saturated and unsaturated oil molecules. The saturated molecules have higher melting temperatures, or “cloud points,” than unsaturated molecules.

The higher the cloud point, the higher the temperature at which crystals begin to form in the biodiesel. The formation of these crystals is what is known as gelling of the fuel.

In cold-flow fractionation, the saturated and unsaturated molecules of oil are separated from each other – a key difference from traditional refining. This separation allows the remaining unsaturated oil molecules to have much lower cloud points than traditionally processed biodiesel, meaning it gels at much lower temperatures.

Permaflo boasts a cloud point temperature as low as minus-76 degrees Fahrenheit. That means until the temperature drops below that point, the biodiesel should not experience gelling problems in storage or in the engine.

The biodiesel from the saturated oil molecules that were separated off, which has a much higher cloud point, can then be marketed to warm weather users, where gelling is not an issue.
The process works by using urea in the refining process to separate the saturated and unsaturated oil molecules during refining. The urea bonds with the saturated molecules, forming solid Urea Inclusion Compounds, which drop out of the solution.

Because cold-flow fractionation only required one additional component (100 percent recycled urea) as compared to traditional biodiesel processing, it can be readily integrated into biodiesel plants. The process is simple, low-cost and compatible with both new and existing biodiesel plants, according to the ISA.
Once processed, Permaflo can be used as fuel for ground vehicles and aviation, as well as for potential chemical feedstocks. The ISA has already produced more than 4,000 gallons of Permaflo biodiesel that is being used in real-time, on-the-road testing in Indiana.

Two of the test users are using the biodiesel B100 fuels with no additives or mixes, while another user is testing a Permaflo B20 blend with standard diesel that has a cloud point of 3 degrees. Permaflo has a minimum cloud point of minus-18 degrees.

All the vehicles and engines used in the testing have been subjected to the elements of an unpredictable Indiana winter. They are not plugged in or stored in a heated building. During the road test process, ISA is tracking total use, daily average miles per gallon, overnight low and daily ambient temperatures at startup and daily and total hours using Permaflo.

3/18/2009