HomeWelcome to Green Star Energy Ltd Green Star Energy Ltd are an eco friendly renewable energy company in the UK commited to reducing carbon output and helping to tackle Global Warming. Our expertise lies in the following areas:
Biodiesel Heating and Cooling Electricity & Power Generation Biofuels can be used as a fuel for generators which can supply environmentally friendly electicity to buildings or the national grid. EnvironmentWhy use Biodiesel? The main benefit derived from using Biodiesel comes from the reduction in emissions generated when using this biodegradable, low toxicity fuel. These emission benefits are gained all the while you are using a fuel that is made from a fully renewable energy source, grown right here in the UK .
Alternative Fuel Performance Biodiesel's most noted attribute highlighted by consumers is the similar operating performance to conventional diesel fuel. Biodiesel has a very similar energy value per gallon as petrodiesel, so there is no need to compromise vehicle performance when using this alternative fuel. Blending biodiesel with petroleum diesel in small percentages of around 5%, will actually improve the engines performance and with the right additives, increase mileage. Infrastructure
The beauty of biodiesel as an alternative, renewable fuel is that the standard storage and handling procedures used for petroleum diesel can also be used for biodiesel. There is no problem mixing biodiesel with diesel fuel in storage tanks or in vehicles. One of the largest roadblocks to the use of alternative fuels is the need for new storage facilities and modifications to the vehicle. Vehicles powered by CNG, LNG and many other alternative fuels have to stay within range of their fueling infrastructure, which limits their range of operation. Biodiesel suffers none of these issues. Biodegradable Blending biodiesel with regular petroleum based diesel fuel accelerates the blended fuel's overall biodegradability. For example, blends of 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel fuel (B20) degraded twice as fast as petroleum diesel. 100% pure biodiesel degrades as fast as sugar! Flash Point
Biodiesel and even petroleum diesel that has been blended with biodiesel is safer to store, handle and use than conventional diesel fuel. Biodiesel is so safe to handle that you can throw a lighted match into a bucket of biodiesel and the fuel will not catch fire. Not only does this make gas stations and their associated delivery trucks much safer, but a vehicle fueled with biodiesel is also much safer as it will not explode if involved in an accident. Biodiesel has a flash point of 150°C (300°F), which is much higher than the flash point of petroleum based diesel fuel which is ± 70°C (150°F). (The flash point of a fuel is defined as the temperature at which the fuel becomes a mixture that will ignite when exposed to a spark or flame) Lubricity Biodiesel is a fantastic lubricity additive and biodiesel is going to become even more important in the nations fuel mix as we moves towards using Ultra Low Sulphur diesel fuel. Testing at labs such as Southwest Research Institute, Standyne Automotive and Engineering Testing Services have demonstrated that biodiesel provides significant lubricity improvement over petroleum diesel fuel, even at blend levels as low as 1%. When the sulphur present in diesel fuel is combusted by the engine, it results in the black smoke and high emission levels in the exhaust plume. The sulphur level of petroleum based diesel fuel that is used for on-road purposes is limited to 0.05% by weight. The refinery process that removes sulphur, not only lowers the sulphur content but also removes trace amounts of certain polar impurities. Both organo-sulphur compounds and these polar impurities are the ingredients that give diesel fuel its needed natural lubricating qualities. Emission Reduction The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. Emissions of nitrogen oxides are either slightly reduced or slightly increased depending on the duty cycle of the engine and testing methods employed. Particulate emissions from conventional diesel engines are generally divided into three components and are in varying degree responsible for the black cloud emanating from a diesel powered vehicles exhaust tail pipe.
The first component, and the one most closely related to the visible smoke often associated with diesel exhaust, is the carbonaceous material. This material is composed of sub-micron sized carbon particles which are formed during the diesel combustion process. It is especially prevalent under conditions when the fuel-air ratio is overly rich, such as full acceleration, maximum power or on start up. The second component is hydrocarbon material which is absorbed on the carbon particles, commonly referred to as the soluble fraction. A portion of this material results from incomplete combustion of the fuel and the remainder is derived from engine lube oil that passes by the piston oil rings. The third particulate component is comprised of sulphates and bound water, with the amount of material being directly related to the fuel's sulphur content. The US has comparably high sulphur content in most of its petrochemical diesel fuels, so diesel engine use in America is more affected by this problem than most other countries. The use of biodiesel decreases the solid carbon fraction of particulate matter as the increased amount of oxygen present in biodiesel enables a more complete combustion process. Biodiesel eliminates the sulphate fraction problem associated with petroleum based diesel as there is no sulphur in biodiesel, sulphur dioxide is the major component of acid rain. In addition to reducing the overall levels of pollutants and carbon, the compounds that are prevalent in biodiesel and petroleum based diesel fuel exhaust are different. Research conducted by Southwest Research Institute on a Cummins N14 engine indicates that the biodiesel exhaust has a less harmful impact on human health than petroleum diesel. Biodiesel emissions have decreased the levels of all largest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH compounds were reduced by 75-85%.
Products and ServicesWe specialise in the following areas:
Contact Us We welcome your thoughts, comments and questions about carbon reduction and biodiesel. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance. Green Star Energy Ltd info@greenstarenergy.co.uk
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