Bio diesel Warranties
At the NAMPO exhibition in South Africa from 16 to 19 May 2006 John Deere ran a tractor on 100% biodiesel supplied by Shaval BioDiesel for the duration of the show.
Countries:
Bio diesel standards vary slightly from country to country. In many cases, these differences are not related to the qualities of the bio diesel itself, but rather pertain to additives that assist the fuel to operate in colder temperatures.
Manufacturers:
Vehicle manufacturers usually use the EN14214 or ASTM standard as the benchmark fuel standard, in order to maintain warranties on injector systems.
In most cases, the manufacturer gives users an option of the ASTM or EN14214 standards of bio diesel, because most vehicles originate in Europe and America. In Asia, which also has several vehicle manufacturers, these standards have also been widely adopted as the benchmark for use in their motors.
What is important to realise, is that it is up to the vehicle manufacturer to decide which standards are applicable their vehicle models. Usually this information can be found on the manufacturer’s website, but a useful collection covering numerous vehicles has been assembled on www.rixbiodiesel.co.uk.
Below are some standards from various countries. Unfortunately Shaval Bio Diesel cannot publish the South African standard, as the South African Bureau of Standards copyrights it, and only allows it be viewed for a charge.
The important point though, is to see which bio diesel standards apply to your specific vehicle. Since no vehicles originate in South Africa, the SABS-1935 only becomes relevant if you intend to sell your bio diesel.
There are no laws against producing your own bio diesel for your own use in South Africa. On the contrary, the South African government wishes to encourage its use as every litre of bio diesel produced locally, lessens its annual import bill for fossil oil.
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