Biofuel production has reisen dramatically in recent years and more and more farmers are seeking for a competitive edge in reduced dependency on petroleum based fuels, oil pricing policies, and the rising cost of crude on the world market. The following companies are committed to the development of technical solutions to allow farm tractors to run on vegetable oil fuels.  These companies recognize the challenges facing farmers (like rising fuel costs) and build tractors to help producers overcome these challenges.

Agrotron M Series Natural Power.  This 130-184hp tractor series features a patented Deutz Fuel Management System comprising of an engine regulator with integrated fuel control, and a two tank feed system designed to operate reliably with vegetable oil fuels.  These engines meet TIER 3 emission limits even when run on crude rape seed oil. Teh main feature of this tractor is the prescence of two tanks: one for diesel adn the other for vegetable oil fuel.  A supplementary tank is used for diesel fuel, while the main, larger tank holds the vegetable oil.  Given the different viscosities and physical characteristics of the two fuels, it is not yet possible to run engines on vegetable oil at all times.  For cold starting, short runs, and in operations invovling extended idle periods, conventional diesel fuel is used instead of vegetbal oil.  Since the use of  oil also affects diesel performance, the fuel injection system has also had to be redesigned to suit. Deutz Fahr guarantees the following with this tractor:

• that the technical characteristics of the engine and fuel injection system are suited to the use of vegetable oil
• the duration and reliability of the engine and its ancillaries
• that the engine can be used in all types of operating and load conditions
• respect for current legislation on exhaust emissions
• manufacturer's warranty lasts 24 months or 2000 operation hours
• support is available through dealer network for technical assistence and spare part supply.

This tractor was developed together with the engine manufacturer Deutz, is based on a valve-controlled two-tank system. This comprises a 340-litre rapeseed oil tank and a considerably smaller diesel tank with a capacity of some 80 litres, as well as sophisticated valve technology. This tank capacity is designed for 80% rapeseed oil operation, which means that it is above all for vehicles that are primarily operated at a high engine load.

The engine is first started with diesel fuel and then warmed up. This is necessary because the rapeseed oil differs significantly from diesel fuels in viscosity as well as flash point. Both properties have a decisive influence on combustion. In order to ensure as complete a combustion process as possible, the vegetable oil must be sprayed just as finely as the diesel. To achieve this, the viscosity of the oil must first be adjusted to match that of diesel. The viscosity of vegetable oil is strongly dependent on temperature: the higher the temperature is, the lower the viscosity becomes. That is why the greentec system only switches to rapeseed oil operation when certain parameters are attained. The automatic switch-over occurs when the oil has been preheated to 70 degrees Celsius with the aid of the cooling water heat exchanger or when engine power output is at least 25 percent of the maximum load for more than 30 seconds.

• As soon as these parameters are no longer met, the system switches back to diesel operation. The rapeseed oil branch is then flushed with diesel, which takes a few seconds. Flushing prevents the rapeseed oil from entering into the diesel. When switching off the engine, the driver must switch over to diesel operation manually, if the automatic function has not already done so. The driver can monitor which fuel is currently being used through a special indicator in the Varioterminal. Some benefits and features of this tractor:
• This is an integral system, since it was developed together with the engine manufacturer. The greentec tractor has undergone comprehensive testing and Fendt gives farmers a manufacturer's guarantee, just as with the diesel-operated vehicles. Thanks to Fendt's well-known excellent warranty and goodwill service, owners also have no disadvantages when selling their tractor on the used machine market.
• The single greatest operating cost factor in many farming businesses is fuel. With the use of rapeseed oil, costs in this area can be reduced significantly. Because the tax burden on diesel is high, it is considerably more expensive than rapeseed oil, even when purchased litre-wise. At oil mills or filling stations, pure rapeseed oil currently costs about 0.70 euro per litre.

Expeller oil is a raw material, and like fuels and biodegradeable products, it requires special awareness of its properties, for example, regarding correct storage. To maintain your warranty on these tractors, your fuel must meet DIN 51 605 fuel standards.  Your Energrow Pressing and Filtration System are there to help you meet this standard.

Although SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) is very similar to diesel, there are a number of differences that need to be accounted for when using SVO to replace diesel fuel. SVO has a lower viscosity (it's thicker and gels sooner in cold temperatures) and higher flash point (requires a higher temperature at which it can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air). The 3 standard options to running SVO depend on what percentage of diesel fuel you want to replace:

1. 5-10%: No conversion required. Mix oil directly into your existing diesel fuel tank for added lubricity

2. 30-40%: Single tank conversion. Mix oil directly into your existing fuel tank, while applying extra heat to the fuel.

3. 80-100% Two Tank Conversion: Requires a secondary fuel tank, to switch between diesel and SVO.

Based on svo fueling studies in Europe, Energrow recommends that when burning SVO in North America, you go with either option 1 or option 3. This recommendation is in place due to common variable and cold temperatures, which is not ideal for start-ups on SVO. For more information on these options and the conversion solutions offered by Energrow, please contact us.

Upon conversion, your vehicle or generator can run off of all well known plant and animal oils and fats. All bio-fuels, like foodstuffs, are CO2 neutral, free of sulphur and poisons to the environment. Bio-fuels only produce a fraction of the pollutants that mineral diesels produce. Bio-fuels are renewable, relying on solar energy that has for millions of years acted as energy an carrier for nature. It can now replace fossil fuels used in any diesel run engines.

Our world has become increasingly dependent on fossil fuel, a non-renewable resource. The use of fossil fuels is steadily increasing as our increased use of combustion engines increase. This burning of such fuels has dramatically increased the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere. Concerned individuals understand that it cannot simply continue like this. One needs to embrace environmentally friendly and alternative energy sources. Every individual can make a difference and save money while doing it!

The inventor of the diesel motor, Rudolf Diesel, actually didn't run his first motor using diesel, it ran on vegetable oil! At that time, diesel didn’t exist, yet the fossil fuels industry quickly recognized the invention and produced a suitable fuel to run the engines. By offering a cheaper price and the availability of a convenient, world-wide network of gas stations, there was little demand for alternhatives that were more environmentally friendly.

• Diesel, as a crude oil distillate, which for millions of years has been bound in raw oil, releases among other chemicals, CO2 into the atmosphere when burned.
• With the introduction of Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD), non-compatible fuel systems are suffering unexpected and dramtic lubrication failures. The lubricity of vegetable oil is far superior to ULSD diesel and can offset the use of other, expensive fuel additives.
• It harms our flora and fauna when it finds its way into the ground or water systems

The advantage of diesel is that its flash point is substantially lower than that of vegetable oils, a decisive factor to the ignition performance of diesel motors. Diesel also maintains its fluidity longer than vegetable oil in colder temperatures. Yet for these disadvantages, there are solutions:

1. Straight vegetable oil can simply be supplemented in low amounts to your diesel fuel as a lubricating/fuel supplement agent.
2. Converting an engine to run higher amounts is easy with Energrow's conversion systems