Renew Article Issue 100 A Brief History of Renewable Fuels

The ATA - Alternative Technology Association approached Vegiecars Founder Marcus Deuchar to write an article for their 25th aniversery edition 100 of Renew Magazine on the recent history of Alternative Fuels in Australia.

Marcus submitted the following article which was printed:

The major commercialisation of alternative fuels in Australia only began in the last 10 years or so, with a recent dramatic shift towards renewable fuels and the introduction of hybrid vehicles.

During the late 90's, Ethanol stole the limelight as being the savior of our woes, riding on the back of a declining sugar industry. It was quickly overtaken by Biodiesel which moved out of the backyard to emerge as the front runner of the alternative fuels race, and we are yet to see Hydrogen hit the market or see it being produced commercially in a sustainable way.

Ethanol had been quietly added to unleaded petroleum fuel across the country for years until the media scared the population away based on a few dubious reports, and suddenly we had signs out the front of fuel stations saying that there is no ethanol in their fuel. Sadly some of these signs remain.

This was a great step backwards in comparison to countries like Brazil where Ethanol conversions are common and fuel is available at service stations. It is taking the local industry a long time to recover from the negative publicity, and there are very few vehicles operating on even 85% ethanol fuel today.

When I started making Biodiesel it was known as Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME), and information about the best methods of making it weren't easy to find. With the emergence of the internet people like me were able to make contact with other backyard enthusiasts offering more information as we pooled experiences.

With the recent growth in environmental awareness and the rapid escalation of petroleum prices, it was not hard to demonstrate to investors the great commercial opportunities in the production of this backyard concoction. There are now several large Commercial Biodiesel companies in Australia and in recent years we have seen the emergence of fuel stations selling Biodiesel to the commercial and domestic user.

Biodiesel had the greatest market acceptance because it can be used in most existing unmodified diesel vehicles, and unlike ethanol, it has been consistently offered positive spin in the media. It has been readily taken up by politicians, local councils and companies looking for a positive green image. Even The Federal Government saw the potential of Biodiesel, so in 2002 they placed a fuel excise on its production, sending the backyarders to ground.

The internet has grown to be a great tool for the alternative minded, and allowed me and others to investigate the best ways of moving from the now excised production of Biodiesel to operating vehicles on non-excised Straight Vegetable Oil or Chip Oil, which requires some modifications to the vehicles fuel system.

Since I have been doing the circuit with my modified vehicles, I have met many people that have been quietly making Biodiesel or using Chip Oil for many years and others that had been experimenting with hydrogen but sadly very few using ethanol.

I see vegetable oil and ethanol based fuels being a short term help not a long term saviour, a great stepping stone to a more sustainable future, with commercial algae oil production being their main supply.

The future for alternative fuels is bright, much brighter than the future of petroleum. It's a path that our politicians on all sides are starting to come to a consensus about, and in this election year it is important for us to put some pressure on them to help alternative fuels become the Mainstream fuels. I hope that new vehicles will move away from petroleum and biological fuels, becoming more reliant on sustainability produced electricity either stored in batteries or produced into hydrogen. I believe that our children will be traveling in commercially produced zero emission vehicles within the next 25 years.

For more information about Vegiecars please click here.

The easiest way to get started is to purchase the booklet "How to operate your diesel vehicle on Straight Waste Vegetable Oil"

This practical guide by Marcus Deuchar explains the basic processes and pitfalls, how to get the best fuel, and parts that you might need. There are many parts that you can make yourself or purchase from your local auto store. The booklet will put you well on the way to designing a system that is specific to your vehicle and your needs, giving you a full understanding of what can go wrong, and how to resolve issues.