Biodiesel Power...
an Increase or a Decrease?

Biodiesel power varies due to the stock it is made from… The power of petrodiesel varies as well due to different processing techniques. The information below is inconclusive, but I hope it is useful anyway.


A Case of Decreased Power…

According to a report done by the EPA, biodiesel has a lower energy content than petrodiesel.

Plant-based biodiesel averages 4.6% less energy per gallon, animal-based 10.6% less per gallon.

Photograph taken by Spoungeworthy (License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)

A case of Increased Power…

Jason Sands wrote an article describing his test comparing biodiesel power vs. petrodiesel power. He took a 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty to a chassis dyno to take power measurements. The truck had a switchable programmer, and tests were done on the ‘stock,’ ‘tow,’ and ‘race’ settings. The results showed that the two diesel fuels achieved basically the same horsepower. Biodiesel measured slightly higher for torque.


The Reason for Differing Results?

The energy content of petrodiesel varies up to 15% due to different refining and blending methods. The lack of a control variable may be the cause of discrepancies.


Energy Booster:

There is a new product called DieseLIFT™, which increases the power of biodiesel by more than 3.5%, and decreases boost pressure 4% on a B20 blend. Another test showed that the fuel economy was increased by 5%.


An Inconclusive Conclusion:

With biodiesel being a relatively ‘new’ idea, there does not yet appear to be a standard for taking measurements of the power of biodiesel and such. I expect, that as more and more vehicle manufacturers approve the use of biodiesel, tests will become more standardized.

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