Is vegetable oil safe to use in a diesel engine?
Yes! Rudolf Diesel tested his very efficient engine with a variety of fuels, including petroleum oils and vegetable oils. Vegetable oils burn best at temperatures between 140 and 190F. • Is VO legally a fuel? Technically, no. Like biodiesel a few years ago, vegetable oil has yet to be tested and ASTM-standardized. Surely the promise of road-tax revenue will help to change this status in the future. • What emissions are produced? Compared with diesel, burning VO produces less carbon, no sulfur, and less carbon monoxide. • What type of vegetable oil is best? Non-hydrogenated oils with low cloud-point are the easiest to filter and handle. Canola (AKA rapeseed) is the standard-bearer in Europe. • Where will I find VO to use for fuel? Restaurants that fry with large quantities of oil are a good place to start, if you want to recycle. There is also a growing supply of ready-filtered waste VO and non-food-grade oils on the market. • How do I filter waste VO? There are loads of filtration reso
