Sylvie Willis
With the world's oil supply predicted to run out, the search for alternative fuels has become more urgent. Crude oil is refined into petroleum products that power vehicles, among other uses. Vegetable oil, for example, can be used as a fuel, but it is not compatible with all engines and requires modifications to the engine. The viscosity of vegetable oil must be reduced to make it compatible with conventional compression-ignition engines and fuel systems. Biodiesel, a type of biofuel, is another option that can be used in some engines with minimal modification.
Does Oil Fuel Car?
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Vegetable oil as fuel | Yes, with modifications to the engine. |
| Crude oil as fuel | Crude oil is converted into gasoline, kerosene jet fuel, heater fuel oil, aviation gasoline, and kerosene. |
| Engine modifications | Preheating vegetable oil, using biodiesel blends, and converting the engine for pure vegetable oil are some options. |
| Cost | The cost of vegetable oil is similar to diesel fuel, and engine conversion costs may outweigh fuel savings. |
| Environmental impact | Vegetable oil is a green alternative, and waste vegetable oil can be processed into biofuel. |
| Engine maintenance | Engines using alternative fuels may require more maintenance and attention to fuel injectors, cooling systems, and glow plugs. |
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What You'll Learn
Vegetable oil can be used as a green alternative fuel
Vegetable oil is a viable alternative to standard fuel types for vehicles. However, it is not a simple case of filling up your tank with vegetable oil and hitting the road. There are a few important considerations to make first.
Firstly, you must have a diesel engine. Standard gasoline-powered engines use spark ignition, which cannot achieve combustion with vegetable oil. The fuel lines and pumps in a gas engine are not designed to handle vegetable oil, and the sensors that determine fuel ratios in modern cars cannot cope with the variation. Diesel engines, however, can use vegetable oil with no other modifications.
The viscosity of vegetable oil is a key issue. It is so thick that the engine struggles to atomize the fuel when it is sprayed into the combustion chamber. This results in unburned fuel that clogs the engine. To avoid this, vegetable oil can be mixed with conventional fuels like petroleum diesel. This lessens the clogging problem but does not eliminate it.
Another option is to convert the vegetable oil into biodiesel. Biodiesel is derived from vegetable sources, often soy, and is refined at a special facility following antipollution laws and fuel regulations. Biodiesel can be used in any standard diesel vehicle, whereas vegetable oil requires the vehicle to be converted. This conversion process is not overly complicated, requiring the addition of a second tank, fuel selector valves, toggle switches, extra fuel and coolant lines, and an additional fuel filter.
While vegetable oil is a green alternative to standard fuels, it is not necessarily a cost-effective one. The engine conversion will likely not be offset by fuel savings, and the cost of vegetable oil is roughly the same as diesel fuel. However, depending on your location or ability to buy in bulk, it may be possible to acquire vegetable oil at a lower price. For example, some people have arrangements with local restaurants to collect their discarded cooking oil for free.
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Crude oil is converted into gasoline, kerosene jet fuel, heater fuel oil, and more
Crude oil is a fossil fuel that is refined into petroleum products, which are used for a variety of purposes. Crude oil can be converted into gasoline, kerosene jet fuel, and heater fuel oil through processes such as fractional distillation.
Kerosene, also known as paraffin, is a "light" fuel that burns at a higher temperature than heating oil. It is produced by fractional distillation of crude oil in an oil refinery. Kerosene has a lower flame temperature when burnt in free air, making it safer for performers who come in contact with the flame. It is often used in stoves, portable heaters, and for powering aircraft due to its high heat of combustion, which is similar to that of diesel fuel. Kerosene is also used as a solvent, lubricant, and cooling agent in various industrial applications.
Jet fuel, or aviation fuel, is primarily made from kerosene-type fuels, with additional components depending on the specific requirements of the aircraft. For example, military aircraft may use JP-8 (Jet Propellant 8), a kerosene-based fuel, while civilian aircraft may use a blend of kerosene and other hydrocarbons. The development of jet fuel has differed between Europe and the USA, with the USA initially using a wide-range distillate-type turbine fuel that evolved into the current JP-4 military fuel. In contrast, Europe conserved gasoline by using kerosene in gasoline-fuelled aircraft during the Second World War.
Heating oil, also known as fuel oil, is used for heating homes and buildings in boilers and furnaces. It is made from crude oil and is a heavier fuel than kerosene. Heating oil is typically used in industrial heating and power plants for electricity generation.
In addition to these products, crude oil is also converted into gasoline, which is used to propel vehicles. While vegetable oil has been explored as an alternative fuel source for cars, it requires a diesel engine and modifications to the fuel system to avoid clogging and engine damage.
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Used vegetable oil can be sourced from restaurants for free
It is possible to use vegetable oil as fuel for your car, but there are some important things to consider. Firstly, you must have a diesel engine. Standard gasoline-powered engines use spark ignition, which cannot achieve combustion with vegetable oil. The fuel lines and pumps in a gas engine are not designed to handle vegetable oil, and modern car sensors cannot always determine fuel ratios accurately with this type of fuel.
Assuming you have a diesel engine, you could, in theory, use vegetable oil with no other modifications. However, vegetable oil has a very high viscosity, which can cause issues with the engine. The engine may struggle to atomize the fuel completely when it is sprayed into the combustion chamber, resulting in unburned fuel that clogs the engine. To prevent this, the vegetable oil can be mixed with conventional fuels such as petroleum diesel.
One of the main appeals of using vegetable oil as fuel is the potential cost savings. However, the cost of vegetable oil is often similar to that of diesel fuel, so it may not be significantly cheaper. One way to reduce costs is to source used vegetable oil from restaurants for free. Restaurants typically throw away their used cooking oil, so some people arrange to collect it from local eateries. However, it's important to ensure that the oil meets certain purity standards if it is to be used as fuel. Used cooking oil (UCO) must have moisture, impurities, and unsaponifiables (MIU) of less than 2% and free fatty acids (FFA) of less than 10% to be transformed into biodiesel fuel. If the oil is contaminated with water, burned foodstuffs, motor oil, or other contaminants, it can be difficult to recycle and may require additional costs and labour for proper disposal.
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Petroleum is the most-consumed energy source in the US
Petroleum has historically been the most-consumed energy source in the US in terms of total annual energy consumption. In 2022, total petroleum consumption in the US averaged about 20.28 million barrels per day (b/d), including about 1.17 million b/d of biofuels. In 2023, petroleum's share of total US energy consumption was about 38% (35 quads).
Petroleum is a product of crude oil and other liquids produced from fossil fuels. It is used to propel vehicles, heat buildings, and produce electricity. In the industrial sector, the petrochemical industry uses petroleum as a raw material (a feedstock) to make products such as plastics, polyurethane, solvents, and hundreds of other intermediate and end-user goods.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that US total consumption of petroleum and other liquids in 2050 will be nearly equal to the projection for 2023. Petroleum and other liquid fuels will decline from about 37% of total US energy consumption in 2023 to about 34% in 2050. Liquid fuels are projected to remain the main energy source for the transportation sector, but consumption is expected to be about 10% lower in 2050 than in 2023.
In 2023, the US primary energy consumption was about 94 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu), with fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas, and coal) accounting for about 84% of total primary energy production. While petroleum consumption in the US decreased in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it increased in subsequent years as the economy recovered.
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Gasoline can be composed of up to 5% oils
Gasoline, or petrol, is a petrochemical product derived from the fractional distillation of petroleum. It is a mixture of hydrocarbons with between four and twelve carbon atoms per molecule, including paraffins (or alkanes), olefins (or alkenes), napthenes (or cycloalkanes), and aromatics. The composition of gasoline varies depending on the oil refinery that produces it, as not all refineries have the same set of processing units.
Gasoline is a transparent, yellowish, and flammable liquid that is used as fuel for spark-ignited internal combustion engines. The fuel-characteristics of a particular gasoline blend are measured as the octane rating of the fuel blend. A low octane rating may cause engine knocking and reduced efficiency in reciprocating engines.
In recent years, ethanol blends have become increasingly common in gasoline. Ethanol is a renewable biofuel that can be blended with gasoline to reduce a country's dependence on foreign oil and lower carbon monoxide and greenhouse gas emissions. The percentage of ethanol in gasoline varies by country and region. For example, the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) requires gasoline for automobile use to have 27.5% ethanol added, while in Australia, ethanol use is limited to 10% of gasoline. In the United States, most finished motor gasoline sold is E10, which contains about 10% ethanol by volume.
While ethanol blends can provide certain benefits, they also have some disadvantages when used in engines designed exclusively for gasoline. These disadvantages include lowered fuel mileage, metal corrosion, deterioration of plastic and rubber fuel system components, clogged fuel systems, fuel injectors, and carburetors, and shortened fuel storage life.
Therefore, it is important to consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of using ethanol-blended gasoline, especially in engines that may not be designed for it. While gasoline can contain a significant percentage of ethanol, it is not accurate to say that it is composed of up to 5% oils.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is possible to use vegetable oil as fuel for your car. However, it is not recommended to do so without first modifying your engine. Most diesel car engines are suitable for the use of straight vegetable oil (SVO), also known as pure plant oil (PPO), but the viscosity and surface tension of the oil must be reduced by preheating it. This can be achieved by using waste heat from the engine or electricity. One common solution is to add a heat exchanger and an additional fuel tank for a petrodiesel or biodiesel blend, switching between this and the main tank of SVO/PPO.
Yes, modifications are generally required to use vegetable oil as fuel. The fuel lines and pumps in a gas engine are not intended to handle vegetable oil, and the sensors used to determine fuel ratios in modern cars cannot cope with this variation. However, some engines, such as the OM616 and OM617 engines found in certain Mercedes-Benz models, tend to perform reasonably with vegetable oil.
Vegetable oil is a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels. It is a renewable resource that can be easily produced and sourced, for example, from restaurants that would otherwise discard their used cooking oil.
Yes, there are some drawbacks to using vegetable oil as fuel. The cost of converting your engine to run on vegetable oil is likely to outweigh any potential fuel savings. Additionally, vegetable oil has a high viscosity, which can lead to incomplete combustion and clogging issues in the engine. It can also cause excessive smoke and damage to the catalytic converter.
