Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 hr ago
Used cooking oil may damage modern diesel engines
Some people in France are using used frying oil to fuel diesel cars as diesel prices rise.
Christian Bach, a vehicle systems expert at Switzerland’s Empa research institute, says this may work only in very old diesel engines without electronic controls.
Modern diesel engines carefully regulate fuel injection, and frying oil’s different composition can cause serious damage.
The oil must also be settled and filtered to remove water and food particles, or even old engines could be harmed.
Used cooking oil can instead be chemically processed into biodiesel, which is sold in Switzerland and can be used in approved engines.
It can also be turned into another diesel-like fuel called HVO.
Supplies are too limited for these fuels to decarbonise road transport on a large scale, so electrification remains more important.
Plant oil is too thick to replace petrol in a car.
Some people in France are reportedly using used frying oil to fuel their cars amid high diesel prices.
Christian Bach, an expert on vehicle systems at Empa, says using it in modern diesel engines risks serious damage.
He says it may be suitable only for very old diesel engines without electronic systems, provided the oil is carefully cleaned.
Used cooking oil can instead be processed into biodiesel for engines approved to use it.
Bach says the available amounts are too small to provide a broad solution for decarbonising road transport.
- Who
- Some people in France are reportedly using used frying oil in cars. Christian Bach of Empa comments on its suitability.
- What
- Bach warns that used frying oil may damage modern diesel engines.
- When
- Not stated
- Where
- France; Bach’s comments were published by SRF.
- Why
- High diesel prices have led some people to try used frying oil as fuel.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Bei moderneren Dieseln würde ich das niemandem empfehlen. Die Gefahr von Schäden ist zu gross. (I would not recommend it to anyone with a more modern diesel. The risk of damage is too great.)
Das Wichtigste ist, das Öl sehr sauber von Verunreinigungen zu trennen. (The most important thing is to separate the oil very cleanly from contaminants.)
Da wird die Elektrifizierung sehr viel wesentlicher bleiben. (Electrification will remain much more important.)
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Expert
- Christian Bach, head of vehicle powertrain systems at Empa
- Older engines
- Bach says used frying oil may be suitable only for diesel engines from the 1970s or 1980s without electronics
- Modern engines
- Electronic systems precisely monitor injection timing and the amount of fuel injected
- Processing
- Water and solids from frying must settle and then be filtered out
- Alternative fuel
- Processed used vegetable oil can be sold as biodiesel, also known as FAME
Sources
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