Vegetable Oil - Information
The use of vegetable oils, such as rapeseed, canola, palm, soya bean, sunflower, peanut and olive oils as alternative fuels for diesel engines dates back almost nine decades and this potential use of plant oils has attracted researchers' attention for a long time.
A result of these studies which consider the content of mono-saturated oleic acid, the low level of saturated fatty acid and acceptable level of linoleic acid makes rapeseed oil the ideal preferred source of vegetable oil as biofuel in Europe.
Other sources largely used are palm oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil, which are economic and major sources of fuel in other parts of the world. However considerable studies on their application still need to be done.
The major advantages of natural vegetable oil:
- High calorific value: high energy density
- Liquid in form and thus easy to handle
- When burned it emits less soot
- When burned it has high energy efficiency
- It is neither harmful nor toxic to humans, animals, soil nor water
- It is neither flammable nor explosive, and does not release toxic gases
- It is easy to store, transport and handle
- It does not cause damage if accidentally spilt
- Its handling does not require special care to be taken
- It is produced directly by nature: it does not have to be transformed
- It is a recyclable form of energy
- It does not have adverse ecological effects when used
- It does not contain sulphur: it does not cause acid rain when used
- When burned it is neutral in C02: No contribution to the greenhouse effect.
- Elsbett-conversions and –kits are optimised for the use of straight / pure (new or recycled one) vegetable oils (SVO), which are equal to the quality standard and are not otherwise chemically or mechanically contaminated. The engines converted by us adhere to this standard. Under certain conditions we advise blending the vegetable oil with diesel fuel.
