The biofuel visionaries

By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong

Chancellor, Islamic Banking Research Institute

Mr. Rudolph Diesel and his Prototype diesel engine

There cannot be a complete discussion on biofuels and biodiesel without

mention of Mr. Rudolph Diesel, the inventor of diesel engine and a
biofuel visionary. And when we speak of blending one form of engine
fuel like gasoline with another kind like ethanol, or fossil diesel with
biodiesel, we have to learn from another inventor and pioneer of
blending fuels, Mr. Fairbanks and his associate Mr. Morse. Speaking of
engine and diesel, we can not overlook Ford, Cummins and Benz.
Looking back at these pioneering scientists and their remarkable
inventions in our search for alternative renewable energy, we realize
that we are actually going back to the 19th century. We are not moving
forward. History is just repeating itself after more than a century.

Mr. Rudolph Diesel (1858-1913)

The development of the diesel engine by Mr. Rudolph Diesel runs

concurrent with the use of biofuels. The diesel engine actually began
using biofuels until it was replaced by fossil fuels. Now, therefore, we
should not find it hard to get back to biofuels as used by the inventor
himself. As we look back to history, we find that it was global politics
that relegated biofuels to the background. The story of Diesel and his
diesel engine is the technical aspect of the history of biofuels.

Mr. Rudolph Diesel (1858-1813) was born to the era of the steam engine.
As a scientist, Rudolph Diesel developed a theory that revolutionized the
engines of his day. Diesel envisioned an engine in which air is
compressed to such a degree that there is an extreme rise in
temperature. When fuel is injected into the piston chamber with this air,
the fuel is ignited by the high temperature of the air, exploding it,
forcing the piston down. Diesel designed his engine in response to the
heavy resource consumption and inefficiency of the steam engine of his
time, which was rated at only 12% efficiency.

On February 27, 1892, Diesel filed for a patent at the Imperial Patent
Office in Germany. His application was granted for a Working Method
and Design for Combustion Engine. With contracts from machine
manufacturers, Diesel began building working models of his engine. In
1893, the first model ran under its own power and it was rated with
26% efficiency. This was remarkable because the rating was more than
double the efficiency of the steam engines that were in use. Finally, in
February of 1897, he ran the first diesel engine suitable for practical
use, which operated at 75% efficiency.

In 1898, Rudolph Diesel demonstrated his engine at the Exhibition Fair

in Paris. This engine stood as an example of Diesel's vision because it
was fueled by peanut oil - the original pure vegetable oil (PVO) which
we now call biodiesel. He thought that the utilization of PVO was the
real future of his engine. That is why when we start to use PVO again,
we are actually following the visions of Mr. Diesel. He hoped that it
would provide a way for the smaller industries and the farmers a means
of competing with the monopolizing industries. Just like what we strive
for today, Mr. Diesel look at his diesel invention as an alternative for the
then existing fuel consumption. Our version of today’s alternative is to
replace an existing fossil fuel with a renewable pure vegetable oil (PVO).

As a result of Diesel's vision, compression ignited engines were powered

by vegetable oil until the 1920's. Today, as we try to get back to
biodiesel, we are actually driving ourselves back to that era of discovery.
We now wish to power our engines with biodiesel again. I should think
we should call it rediscovery.

The early diesel engines were so heavy for many technical reasons. First,
the cylinder of a diesel engine was naturally longer because piston
displacement requires it in order to have more compression. Second, the
diesel engine was heavy because of the size of the fuel injection pump.
They were not really suitable for motor vehicles. Their market was for
stationary use such as power for industrial and shipping in the early
1900's. Ships and submarines benefited greatly from the efficiency of
this new engine, which was slowly beginning to gain popularity.

Rudolph Diesel disappeared in 1913. There were controversies and some

questions about his death. Some think it might have been accidental or
even a suicide. That’s what I believed in. However, others considered a
possible political motivation. Whether by accident, suicide or murder,
the world had lost a brilliant scientist and biofuel visionary.

Thaddeus Fairbanks

The idea of blending gasoline with a certain percentage of another kind

of fuel such as ethanol had actually been considered by the Thaddeus
Fairbanks. Yet it now appears to be an innovation, some kind of a new
technology.

Fairbanks, Morse & Company had its beginning in 1823 when inventor
Thaddeus Fairbanks began his business in ironworks. Fairbanks was
the leading manufacturer in the United States during his time. He was
the best known in the whole world until he was overshadowed by the
rise to popularity of Henry Ford.

Fairbanks and Morse began producing oil engines in the 1890s. We can
say that Fairbanks was a contemporary of Mr. Diesel. While Diesel was
working on diesel engines, Fairbanks was also working on kerosene
engines. The Fairbanks and Morse gas engine was widely accepted by
farmers. It was used mainly for irrigation and electricity generation. It
was also used for oilfield work.

In summary, Fairbanks and Morse power plants evolved by burning

kerosene in 1893, then to semi-diesel engines in 1913 and to full diesel
engines in 1924.

Fairbanks and Morse Model Z engine

(Blending gasoline with kerosene)
In 1916 the company began production of the Model Z single cylinder
engine in one, three and six horsepower sizes.

From 1916 to 1946, Fairbanks and Morse produced over half a million
units of Model Z. That was a period of 30 years. In our estimate, about
fifty thousand of these units found their way to the Philippine Islands.
Most of the units were probably brought into the country by the United
States army during World War II. More than a dozen of these units
found their way in 1960 to our shed in Lanao Del Norte, Mindanao. My
father collected them as a matter of hobby. We excavated most of them
from where they were abandoned. Some of them were bought by my
father “por kilo” a way of buying steel based on its weight. As I will
explain later, this is the first engine that uses a blend of fuels.

After the expiration of Rudolph Diesel’s of license in America in 1912,

Fairbanks entered the large engine business. As noted earlier, Mr. Diesel
died in 1913. Fairbanks and Morse took over the development of the
diesel engine. The company's larger Model Y semi-diesel became a
standard engine of its time. The model Y was available in sizes from one
through six cylinders.

The Y-VA Fairbanks engine was the first high compression using full
diesel. This machine was developed in Beloit and introduced in 1924.

Fairbanks and Morse continued to build diesel and gas engines. Export
offices were established in Rio de Janero and Buenos Aires. The model Z
engines were built into the 1970s in Mexico. An Australian branch
factory, similar to the Canadian Branch operation, was also opened.
Many Fairbanks engines dutifully served into the late twentieth century,

Henry Ford into diesel

As noted earlier, Fairbanks was the best known in the whole world until
the rise of Henry Ford in the car industry. But this popularity had to do
with the idea of the assembly line of production. And it had to do with
the popularly known Ford Model T. Early American Ford automobiles
were not diesel driven, but they were powered by ethanol. Yes, this is the
ethanol that we are now considering for rediscovery. This is the ethanol
that is provided for in the Philippines Biofuel of 2000.
Henry Ford shared a similar vision with Rudolph Diesel. He believed
that pure vegetable oil should the fuel of the transportation industry. In
a partnership with Standard Oil, he helped developed the biofuel
industry. But ethanol disappeared from the scene as a result of the
development of the petroleum industry.

Cummins, a diesel engine mechanic inventor

It was Clessie L Cummins, a mechanic-inventor who actually worked on

the design problems of the diesel engine. The problems of diesel engine
at that time had to do with the size and weight. There was also the issue
on the instability created by its fuel system. In 1919, Cummins
developed a single disk system that measured the fuel injected. Like the
other early engines, Cummins' products were stationary engines and his
main market was the marine industry.

It was also during the 1920's that diesel engine manufacturers created a
major challenge for the biofuel industry. Diesel engines were altered to
utilize the lower viscosity of the fossil fuel residue rather than a biomass
based fuel. The petroleum industries were growing and establishing
themselves during this period. Their business tactics and the wealth that
many of these oil tycoons already possessed greatly influenced the
development of all engines and machinery.

It was in the 1920s that the alteration to the original engines was first
introduced as a step in the elimination of the production structure for
purely vegetable oils. It was also a step in forcing the concept of biomass
as a potential fuel base into obscurity, erasing the possibilities from the
public awareness.

In 1929, the Stock Market crashed. This brought the threat of

bankruptcy to Cummins. In an innovative move, however, he installed a
diesel engine in a limousine and took his backer, Irwin, for a ride,
assuring further investment. Cummins continued to experiment with
the diesel motor vehicles.

In 1931, Cummins set a speed record and distance record by driving a

truck with a Cummins diesel engine coast to coast in the United States.
With this distance, Cummins established an endurance record of 13,535
miles at Indianapolis Speedway. Cummins' diesel engines were then
established and trucks as well as other fleets began using them. Over the
years, Cummins has continued to improve the efficiency of the diesel
engine, providing technological innovations. Their engines have set a
high standard for the industry.

The Mercedes Benz diesel engines.

The 1920's brought a new injection pump design, allowing the metering
of fuel as it entered the engine without the need of pressurized air and
its accompanying tank. The engine was now small enough to be mobile
and utilized in vehicles. In 1936, Mercedes Benz built the first
automobile with a diesel engine. These were dependable, enduring
automobiles that lasted well into the second half of the 20th century.

The oil crisis

The 1970's arrived and the riding public, who were firmly dependent on
foreign oil, yet, unaware of the depth of their dependence, were
suddenly faced with a crisis.

In 1973, OPEC, the Middle Eastern organization controlling the

majority of the world's oil, reduced the supply of oil and raised the
price, sending the United States and other countries into a crisis. Long
lines at pump stations started to appear. I was among them. I remember
the gas ration system. This crisis was recreated in 1978. Long lines
became more longer at the gas pumps. People panicked as they realized
that they depended on the consistent supply of oil - foreign oil.
Conservation and alternatives became important.

Because of the oil crisis, the riding public looked to diesel fuel which was
more efficient and economical and they began buying diesel-powered
automobiles. These automobiles include the Mercedes Benz, Isuzu
Volkswagen, plus a good portion of Audi, Volvo and Datsun during the
1970's. For the first time, American manufacturers began producing
automobiles with diesel engines. General Motors made and sold diesel
automobiles in the late 1970's, accounting for 60% of all diesel sales in
the United States. This surge of diesel only started to decline in the
1980's when the price of oil had been re-stabilized. Along with this, the
automobiles produced by General Motors were basically converted
gasoline engines.

No war for oil

As we entered the 21st Century, we had become conscious of and focus

on our environment, clean air, the greenhouse effect, and pollution. It
has become fashionable to speak of alternative energy, renewable
energy, bioethanol, biodiesel, and many kinds of biofuels. Laws were
passed in many countries. Nations discussed oil supply and the
reduction of dependence on fossil fuel.

Then came the Iraq war. On March 20, 2003, the United States invaded
Iraq. There was debate on the reason why war erupted. Was it because
of the so-called Weapons of Mass Destruction? Was it because of oil? At
any rate, there has been a popular slogan: No war for oil.

Looking forward to our future, our dependency on foreign oil and its
rising prices as well as probable instability due to conflicts that could
lead to war will drive us to explore alternatives with a more open mind.

Rudolph Diesel designed his first engine at a point in time when there
was no Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). There
was no oil phenomenon. Mr. Diesel simply invented the diesel engine
that will use the available local fuel sources such as pure vegetable oil
that is what we call now as biodiesel. It has been in used since 1890!
These fuels were from sustainable renewable sources, easily accessible
by the average person. Diesel’s intention was to empower the small
industries, farmers, craftsmen, and artisans who were struggling to
survive the steam-engines industrial monopolies. This humanitarian
vision is now being revived by us with the resurgence of the biofuel
industry here and abroad. Along with this revival of a vision comes the
possibility of re-empowering ourselves and our communities.

The biodiesel alternative

What is biodiesel? Biodiesel is made from animal fats and vegetable oils.
Scientifically, biodiesel is fatty acid alkyl esters. Biodiesel burns cleaner
than petroleum diesel. It can be used in compression-ignition engines
just like diesel. Biodiesel is being viewed as an alternative to fossil fuel.
The greatest benefit is seen when used in its purest form, 100%
biodiesel, or B100.

Biodiesel can be mixed with regular petroleum diesel. This is usually

referred to as blends.

There is now a great deal of excitement and optimism surrounding

biodiesel as real replacement to petroleum diesel. Since biodiesel is
cleaner burning, emissions are greatly reduced. To put this in
perspective, biodiesel reduces the carbon monoxide emissions by half.
Also, biodiesel is non-toxic and is also biodegradable. Many stations are
offering biodiesel now. Biodiesel shows a great deal of promise to help in
solving some of our most pressing needs.

When I was young, my father taught me how to operate our rice mills
that were powered by Fairbanks and Morse engines. Then he taught me
how to run our saw mill that was powered by a huge diesel engine
known as Deutz.

As noted earlier, Fairbanks and Morse Company has produced a wide

variety of products, including the Fairbanks model Z engine. I had the
occasion to be trained in the operation of Model Z engines which runs
on gasoline, a blend of gasoline with kerosene, and finally full kerosene.
I had experimented on the use of alcohol as a prime fuel for Model Z
engine before it runs on full kerosene. This is actually the idea of fuel
blending.

The Biodix initiative

Biodix was formed early this year out of a desire to provide ecologically
sustainable local alternatives to fossil fuels. Biodix refers to the group of
ERA Petroleum Co. Ltd. and the Amanah Islamic Bank. They regard
biofuels as renewable fuels and this is central to their business
philosophy.
 Ashroff Gaffoor

President ERA Petroleum Company

Biodix is dedicated to expanding the biofuels industry, in particular, the

use of biodiesel in the Philippines. The group also strives to increase
awareness of alternative fuels and their production. Finally, and most
important, Biodix is committed to the empowerment of individuals,
farms, and businesses within the Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao by providing the information, equipment, products, and
services necessary to make the shift in fuel responsibility.

Biodix is a brand of biodiesel that is being developed by ERA Petroleum

Company Limited of Hong Kong and the Amanah Islamic Bank.