NEDO to Study Using B100 Biodiesel to Power Common Rail

The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) will conduct research to survey technology for adapting B100, or 100% pure biodiesel, as fuel for the common rail system for diesel engines. A common rail system is an electronically controlled fuel injection system with one high-pressure fuel rail feeding fuel to individual cylinders. The melting point of B100 depends on its feedstock. Since it hardens at low temperatures, it is impossible to use it on its own in the latest diesel engines. Evidence that an equal-part mixture of biodiesel and dimethyl ether results in a lower melting point requires further study. (January 25, 2007)