Switched to Renewable Diesel!

For many years I have been running blends of biodiesel on Aeolus, for all the environmental, as well as mechanical, reasons. For a while it was available at the fuel dock in Friday Harbor but they didn't sell enough to keep it. Those big trawlers come in and get 500 gallons and they weren't getting biodiesel because they were concerned about their hoses and such. I've written on this blog before about biodiesel, and how it is better for our engines. When I run a high percentage of it, I love that the exhaust smells pleasant instead of nasty, and I know my engine is able to smoothly operate.

However, biodiesel has become hard to acquire here in Western Washington. The stations that sell it have dwindled and I've had to use numerous 5 gallon fuel cans to transport it to Aeolus.

Well, since we have moved to Olympia, WA I've joined the South Sound Sailing Society and attended a recent meeting. At this meeting the speaker was Peter Wilcox of the Inside Passage Decarbonization Project,  who did a wonderful job of giving us an overview of his organization and various ways we can aid in the effort to reduce our carbon footprint as boaters on the Salish Sea. Even for those of us sailors, we know the winds here, especially in summer, often mean hours of motoring, so fuel is a prime candidate for reducing carbon.

Among several good ideas, I got most excited about a new diesel that is not new, but new to me as a sailor here in the Salish Sea. The new fuel is renewable diesel and it is close cousin of biodiesel but with some significant differences. For one thing, renewable diesel is chemically interchangeable with fossil diesel! Every atom in renewable diesel is found in fossil diesel. It is just hydrocarbons. But it is made from the same feed stock as biodiesel, fats and oils and such. Unlike biodiesel, the process for renewable diesel injects hydrogen, creating the hydrocarbons, and unlike fossil diesel, it does not contain the impurities and sulphur and soot that fossil diesel does. Renewable has a much higher cetane number, which is like an octane rating for diesel. It burns more completely, and thus with more energy, than either fossil or biodiesel.

Clear, Odorless, Clean, Higher Cetane...Awesome!

But wait, it gets even better: The darn stuff is clear and odorless! That's right, it's as clear as a glass of water and doesn't smell. My wife is delighted at the thought of our boat not having the "diesel smell" anymore. So the bottom line for me, is that it is better for my diesel, is a direct replacement for fossil diesel, and is way better for the environment and the Salish Sea. It's a win in all directions. There are issues with the sourcing of fats and oils, and scaling this to national levels presents challenges, but small scale for now it is golden.

I'll add that it is being used widely in fleets of diesel trucks in CA where it is mandated by law. These big trucking companies have testimonials about how great it is in their engines, causing no problems with hoses or such.

The current challenge here in WA is that it cannot be purchased in WA! Bummer. But you can do like me and get a fuel card at Carson Fuels in PDX and get it there. I went down with six 5 gallon cans and got a load last week, and will be going back soon to finish filling my 70 gallon tank.

Sure would be great if more of us here in the Salish Sea would take the challenge issued by Peter and the Inside Passage Decarbonization Project and among other things, switch to renewable diesel.