Products

Biodiesel

Go Green! Valley Oil Company is proud to serve our community with biodiesel. Request a quote for a biodiesel delivery at your convenience.

We can deliver biodiesel blends from B5 (5% biodiesel) to B99 (99% biodiesel).

Please note that you should not switch from ultra-low sulfur diesel to B99 biodiesel the first time you fuel up with biodiesel, as biodiesel is a solvent and will clog your fuel filters if you don’t increase the percentage gradually from 5% to 99%.

Biodiesel Information

Benefits

Safe — Biodiesel is a safe, non-toxic, and biodegradable product.

Environment — In 2000, biodiesel became the only alternative fuel in the country to have successfully completed the EPA-required Tier I and Tier II health effects testing under the Clean Air Act. Biodiesel contains virtually no sulfur or aromatics, and use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons (-67%), carbon monoxide (-48%), and particulate matter (-47%).

Home-grown — Biodiesel is a renewable and sustainable alternative fuel. A U.S. Department of Energy study showed that the production and use of biodiesel, compared to petroleum diesel, resulted in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, biodiesel has a positive energy balance. For every unit of energy needed to produce a gallon of biodiesel, at least 4.5 units of energy are gained. This takes into account planting, harvesting, fuel production, and transportation to the end user.

Increased Lubricity — Biodiesel increases the lubrication of your car’s engine. More lubrication will increase the longevity of the engine. Even biodiesel levels as low as 1% can provide up to a 65% increase in lubricity with diesel fuel.

Operating Performance — Biodiesel has a higher cetane rating than most US diesel fuel. Biodiesel offers similar power with its fuel consumption, horsepower, torque, and haulage rates as conventional diesel fuel.

Precautions

Fuel Filters — Biodiesel is a solvent and will clean out the diesel sludge in your fuel system of your vehicle. This sludge will clog your fuel filter if the right precautions are not taken when using biodiesel. This will require the filter to be changed. A symptom of a clogged fuel filter is loss of engine power.

Rubber Hoses and Seals — In general, pure biodiesel will soften and degrade certain types of elastomers and natural rubber compounds over time. Using high percent blends can impact fuel system components (primarily fuel hoses and fuel pump seals), that contain elastomer compounds incompatible with biodiesel. Manufacturers recommend that natural or butyl rubbers not be allowed to come in contact with pure biodiesel. Blends of B20 or lower have not exhibited elastomer degradation and need no changes. Vehicles manufactured before 1994 may have this issue.

Cold Weather — Cold weather can cloud and even gel any diesel fuel, including biodiesel. Biodiesel can gel at temperatures starting at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher without an anti-gel additive. During the winter months, the only way to be 100% certain your fuel will not gel is to maintain a percentage of petroleum diesel in your fuel supply with the use of anti-gel additive.

Paint — Biodiesel is a solvent and will strip paint. Clean up any spills on the vehicle’s body with soap and water immediately.

Car Warranty — Most OEM dealers and customer service departments currently tell their customers the use of up to 5% biodiesel (B5) is acceptable, with the requirement that pure biodiesel fuel adhere to the quality standards specified by American Society of Testing and Materials standard (ASTM D 6751) prior to blending.

Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Warning — TDI owners should avoid using any petroleum diesel after switching to biodiesel. Switching back and forth between ULSD and B99 has been known to cause fuel pumps to fail.