Biodiesel

Biodiesel can lead to:

Thickening: Biodiesel is a unsaturated fuel and can cause the engine oil to thicken over time. This thickening can reduce the oil's ability to flow smoothly through the engine, leading to increased friction and wear on engine components.

Fuel Dilution: Biodiesel has different properties than conventional diesel fuel, and if it leaks into the engine oil, it can dilute the oil and reduce its effectiveness in lubricating and protecting engine components.

Degradation: Biodiesel can accelerate the degradation of engine oil by promoting oxidation and the formation of sludge and deposits. This can reduce the oil's ability to lubricate and protect the engine, leading to increased engine wear and potential damage.

Compatibility Issues: Biodiesel may not be compatible with certain engine oil formulations or additives, leading to chemical reactions that can degrade the oil and compromise engine performance.

Filter Clogging: Biodiesel can increase the likelihood of filter clogging in the engine oil system due to its different chemical composition and potential for forming deposits.

To address the issues that could arise from the usage of biodiesel, the additional tests have been introduces by many organizations e.g ACEA and equipment manufacturer e.g Mercedes. One of the most known test is CEC L-109-12*.

The CEC L-109 test is a lab-scale oxidation method that ages oil dosed with biodiesel fuel under carefully controlled conditions in laboratory glassware. Fresh diesel engine oil is treated with biodiesel in the presence of an iron catalyst used to accelerate the rate of reaction. The sample is heated to 150°C and aerated under controlled conditions for 216 hours. The samples are taken at 72, 144, 168, and 216 hours. The test duration could be 168 and 216 hours depends on the requirements, and it will indicate the end of test (EOT) duration.

The viscosity increases are measured by comparing Kinematic Viscosity at 100°C for the intermediate and EOT samples to the starting oil/ fuel start of test (SOT) mixture. Oxidation is measured with help of infrared spectroscopy technique for the same sample pairs. On the diagrams the limits for the viscosity increase and oxidation for different Mercedes specification are shown.

Das Bild kann nicht angezeigt werden. Here we see the supreme oxidation performance and cleanness of our product in presence of biodiesel. The oxidation and thickening at 168h check point are 2,8 times and 2,9 times respectively away from the limit. More severe check at the 216h shown similar picture. The oxidation and thickening at 216h (EOT) check point are 2,3 times and 3,8 times respectively away from the limit. The products that was developed to deal with malicious effect of the biodiesel are listed below with corresponding approvals by Mercedes.

RAVENOL SMP SAE 5W-30

MB-Freigabe 229.51

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