The palm oil-based B5 biodiesel programme began as scheduled today – the fuel was officially launched by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok at the Petronas station in Precinct 9D in Putrajaya earlier this evening.
With the introduction, Malaysia becomes the second country to implement the use of B5 (Indonesia has been using it since 2006 in selected cities and provinces), which is of course higher than the mandatory B2 (2%) blend in Thailand started in April 2008 and the B1 mandated in the Philippines, which was introduced in May 2007.
It’s actually been around for a while, B5 has – since February 2009, no less than 3,900 vehicles from various government agencies such as DBKL and the Armed Forces have been conducting test usage of the fuel, with no adverse effects reported to date.
From today, however, it is available at point of retail: B5 biodiesel will be sold at the six petrol stations – five from Petronas and one from Shell – located in Putrajaya, the first location in the Central Region to deploy the fuel. It is priced at the equivalent of petroleum diesel, at RM1.80 per litre.
As it goes along, the fuel will be made available in other locations in the Central Region. The next to launch B5 will be Malacca on July 1, followed by Negeri Sembilan on August 1. Stations in Kuala Lumpur will begin selling B5 on September 1, and then Selangor will follow suit on October 1. The implementation of B5 in other regions in the Peninsular as well as in Sabah and Sarawak as part of the planned nationwide coverage will be announced in due time.
At this initial stage, the deployment of B5 will cover the land transport sector, which encompasses private cars, those in the civil service as well as commercial vehicles. From November 1, B5 will begin to cover the industrial and fisheries sectors as well.
To ensure the success of the programme, the government, through the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, has allocated a sum of RM43.1 million to finance the development of in-line blending facilities at six petroleum depots in the Central Region.
The facilities are owned by five oil companies, namely Petronas Dagangan, Shell Malaysia Trading, Esso Malaysia, Chevron Malaysia and Boustead Petroleum Marketing. Three of these depots are located in Selangor – two in Port Klang and the Klang Valley Distribution Terminal in Dengkil. Two other depots are located in Port Dickson, and the last is at Tangga Batu in Malacca.
The notes provided at the launch had a comparative table of the fuel properties of the MS2008 compliant B5 palm biodiesel and petroleum diesel in the country, as represented in the photo recapture below.
Click to enlarge
As far as performance goes, engine performance aspects of the B5 palm biodiesel (methyl esters) blend compared to petroleum diesel are a decrease in ignition delay (due to a presence of oxygen), lower smoke emission and volatility levels for B5.
It also has a slightly higher brake specific fuel consumption and NOx emission (which is still well below the regulated level) and exhibits a comparable thermal efficiency and the same combustion pressure patterns – with no adverse effect in terms of knocking – as petroleum diesel. It does however offer slightly lower brake power, due to a low calorific value.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
whats with all the ruckus? its the same price as the original diesel? do i wanna take chance by using this biodiesel? hell no!
y no?? Bio-Diesel is a very clean oil. Remember it came from plants. Watch this for more infor..its about BioDiesel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3CBOdgBlk8&w=350
Thank you for the insightful video, dunt understand why ppl thumbed down dow…
Trying this biodiesel is a must, because biodiesels do not have sulphur compared with petrodiesels. At least this biodiesel blend can improve the quality of our diesels a lot, so that we can enjoy driving the latest diesel cars without worries.
I am confused.
In the last picture which has a table in it, it shows max value of 0.05 for sulphur which should translate to 500ppm. But normal diesel and b5 values are 0.2x, well higher than the 0.05 max. Something wrong with the data or what?
i think its 50ppm not 5ppm, that euro4 standard, no 5ppm diesel in market 50ppm is the lowest,
our diesel is euro 2m is less than 500ppm, the value 0.26%means 260ppm
Yes I know, it shows our diesel needs to be 0.05% according to the rules. That’s the first column from the right, correct?
Now look at the other two columns to the left of it where it shows the tested values, it shows 0.28 instead of 0.05.
100% = 1,000,000ppm
10% = 100,000ppm
1% = 10,000ppm
0.1% = 1,000ppm
0.01% = 100ppm
0.05% = 500ppm
0.28% = 2800ppm?!?!?!
Doesn’t it show that the tested petroleum diesel and B5 diesel do not comply to the set requirements? Did they mean to write 0.028 instead of 0.28?
what is ppm
parts per million
i study in engineering, any figure especially relating to standard must be accurate, so based on my reading,
0.05% = 50ppm – euro4
0.10% = 100ppm
0.28% = 280ppm- within euro2m
1.00% = 1000ppm
i think its not 0.028 instead of 0.28 because its euro2 not euro4, just looks at other value, not all within range, all properties must be within the target range
i dont think by simply add palm oil into euro2m diesel will make it euro4,
only improve emission slightly
its goverment shortcut into better emission because euro2 to euro4 takes times
Are you sure 0.05% is not 500ppm?
http://www.rapidtables.com/convert/number/PPM_to_Percent.htm
Hrmmmmmm… after i try to understand issue that posed by paul..
I have also started feel confused ..
Heheheheh… dizy ler..
1.00% is 1 part in 100 which translate to is 10000 parts in 1000000 (10000ppm). so 0.01% should be 100ppm which means 0.05% is 500ppm. am i not correct? sorry if my ppm calculation is not correct because i am not an engineer, just a pasar malam seller.
Are you sure you study engineering?
Yeah, I knows you engineer. But I thinks Paul is corrects. Me also engineer, but I keeped quiets, bekause I thinks got doctors, lawyers, fish mongers and scientits out there who comments and keep a lows profile.Any comments got makes sense, with fact are goods enough.
If it’s right, it’s a dream come true. Finally more modern diesel cars can be pulled into Msia.
Interesting to add, 260ppm is lower than Euro 3 standard (350ppm). In fact for many specs aside from sulphur it’s already equivalent to Euro 4 standards
Oh ! forgot to add..
Our diesel (Euro 2M) contain up to 5% Palm Methyl Ester (PME) also complying with SIRIM MS 2008 and EN 14214 specification..
Maybe it because value for b5 sulphur is complying with MS 123:1993 requirement – but not MS 123:2005 ..
For example :
B5 VS PETROLEUM DIESEL (MS 123:1993 )
Sulphur Content
Unit – % mass
B5 = 0.26
MS123:1993 – max – 0.5
EN 590:2000 – max – 0.35
http://www.carotino.com/enffue/specifications.html
———-
For other property values, its still comply with MS 123:2005 requirement isn’t it ??
Sorry if my guesswork is deflecting..
The price of biodiesel also want to be the same as the global market price? Is there such a thing?
1.) Higher brake specific fuel consumption.
2.) Higher NOx emission.
3.) Lower Brake Power.
OMG !!!
Oh Turboman, palm tree & azuin where r u ?
Engine performance with biodiesel or its blends depends largely on the combustion, air turbulence, air–fuel mixture quality, injector pressure, actual start of combustion and many other singularities that make test results vary from one engine to another. In addition, it can vary depending on the quality and origin of biodiesel as well as engine operating parameters like speed, load etc.
—————
NOx emissions is dependant on the engine type and its operating environment. Emission in biodiesel fuelled engine can be further minimized by adding additives, methanol or fumigated methanol, by increasing air inlet temperature as well as by using EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation).
NOx emission with biodiesel was largely reduced when EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) was applied.
Because NOx forms primarily when a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen is subjected to high temperature, the lower combustion chamber temperatures caused by EGR reduces the amount of NOx the combustion generates.
———————-
Palm oil biodiesel, also known as palm oil methyl ester (PME)
PME oxidation stability has better performance than soy methyl esters and rapeseed methyl esters. PME also exceeds Europe’s EN 14214 specification. Both are because PME has fewer unsaturated molecules susceptible to oxidation through its double carbon bonds. Oxidative stability is important to engine performance because oxidation byproducts can cause harmful effects such as filter plugging, deposits and corrosion.
In diesel engines, air is highly compressed in order to reach conditions that cause the fuel to self-ignite. Fuel is injected at a point called the start of injection, which is toward the end of the piston’s compression stroke. Before self-igniting, the fuel breaks up into droplets that are heated, vaporized and mixed with air. The period between the start of injection and the start of combustion is aptly named ignition delay. Initially, a phase of pre-mixed combustion takes place, where the fuel/air mixture prepared during the ignition delay ignites, causing a very rapid rise in pressure. Combustion then continues at the rate at which the mixture becomes available for burning.
Diesel combustion byproducts are a major source of urban air pollution. Diesel engines produce significant amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx), gaseous hydrocarbon emissions (HC) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. However, carbon monoxide emissions are much lower than those from gasoline engines.
PME has a short ignition delay, which is represented by its high cetane number . Thus, when compared with fuels with a lower cetane number, less fuel ignites during pre-mixed combustion. This leads to a lower peak of in-cylinder pressure and temperature. NOx is reduced since it’s strongly dependent on the flame temperature. HC emissions also tend to be reduced when high cetane fuels are combusted.
The most serious emission from diesel engines is PM, which consists primarily of soot (i.e., combustion-generated carbonaceous material). These particles are a health concern because they easily reach the deepest parts of the lungs, causing a series of significant health problems. Studies using chemical kinetic modeling of diesel combustion with oxygenated fuels show that oxygen atoms present on the biodiesel molecule prevent the carbon atom to which they are bonded to participate in the formation of soot precursor species, which leads to a reduction in soot emissions.
Reduction in NOx (Oxides of nitrogen), HC (Unburnt Hydrocarbons), and soot emissions that have not completely burnt when the combustion chamber is exhausted from a research diesel engine fueled with PME compared to those emissions from low sulfur diesel fuel, also known as MK1.
Reductions in NOx and HC emissions are explained by the better ignition quality of PME. The reduction in soot emissions is explained by the presence of oxygen atoms in the biodiesel molecule.
In order to reduce NOx and smoke emissions of palm oil methyl ester (PME), the combustion characteristics and exhaust emissions for emulsified PME were investigated using a single cylinder DI diesel engine.
As the results, stable emulsified PME can be obtained without adding any emulsifier like as emulsified rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME). Emulsified PME is able to reduce NOx and smoke emissions as emulsified RME.
The optimum water mass fraction for emulsified PME is 15wt% with regard to the exhaust emissions. The ignition delay of emulsified PME with 15wt% water is almost the same as that of gas oil because of the higher ignitionability of PME.
Due to the higher ignitionability and better combustion characteristics of PME, emulsified PME with 15wt% water has shorter ignition delay and lower NOx, HC, CO and smoke emissions compared with emulsified RME with 15wt% water.
———————-
Combustion Characteristics of Emulsified Palm Oil Methyl Ester for Diesel Fuel
http://papers.sae.org/2005-32-0041/
see! same price! hahahahaha
errr…. Paul,
I a representing 90% of Malaysian which is really blur on this technical thinggy. Although most of us did not using diesel for our ride, we are interested to know what the B5 can do in “easy-to-digest” form.
Appreciate you & ur team can elaborate. Thanks boss!
Er… B5 can power your diesel car? :) According to what we’ve learned there’s really not much difference, as the difference in energy content, NOx emissions etc, are all very minimal. You might notice the difference if you compare petroleum diesel and 100% B100 biodiesel, but since this is just B5, only 5% of the fuel has different properties. We will continue to monitor the market and see if any diesel cars are affected in any way by B5. Best to try it out and report rather than speculate.
Agreed Paul.It’s always better to use the end product (B5) in a diesel car to see it’s actual advancement properties.
Based from the technical breakdown,there isn’t much difference as you said.However,we will only be able to gauge it’s actual effectiveness when it’s been used for a prolonged testing period,that too if it’s feasable to come to an accurate conclusion with regard to this topic.
Cheers.
GREAT, say yes to biofuels.
Say yes to diesel power… so when can I get my BMW diesel… wha? No? Why…
lower brake power at a the same price…., who decided that….?
Not that much difference… If you look at the gross calorific value difference
Can the modern european diesel engines use B5…? for example VW bluemotion range…. efficient dynamics (bmw), bluetech (mercedes) ,…
can always do test on the road with normal diesel and biodiesel.
actually i thought the price should be a little bit lower since they are using 5% less diesel right. in fact, people might be sceptical in this B5 diesel technology so the perfect action to encourage user to change to B5 is by offering a retail price lower than conventional diesel.
What is the prevailing palm-oil price? And how much palm oil is needed to make the B5 diesel?
Also, what’s additional cost of manufacturing B5 since there should be some additional steps in the blending process?
Isn’t B100 (and perhaps even the B5) just as harmful to the environment since we need to enroach on more forest to plant oil palm’s?
At time of this posting, it’s RM3360 per mt.
http://www.palmoilhq.com/
not forest but pokok getah estate…most palm oil plantation r from pokok getah estate (now latex oso expensive)…..tebang forest is what indon doing not malaysia
the best thing is the owner of the oil palm plantation in Indonesia is malaysian’s company. hahahaha
In the past, some Malaysian plantation companies with big operations in Indonesia had been accused as culprits to forest burning in the republic.
It is important to note that oil palm plantation companies and even smallholders in Malaysia had been adopting zero-burning policy for quite sometime.
In Malaysia, even though the Government had strictly imposed a ban on open burning in 1998, the practice of land clearing for oil palm sector by clean-burnt method has been largely replaced by no-burn method from 1993.
The idea was initiated in 1989 when large Malaysian plantation companies began developing zero-burning technology because of their own environmental concerns.
Many had come to realise that apart from preserving the environment, no-burn land clearing added benefits through nutrient recycling, soil improvement, faster plantation establishment and cheaper cost.
In addition, the zero-burning method was in response to persistent haze back in1990s that peaked in late 1997. Since 1998, a stricter regulation carrying a hefty maximum fine of RM500,000 were imposed on open-burning offenders.
On the other hand, perhaps one lesson learnt from the recurring forest fire in Indonesia is that local oil palm players should continue to double their efforts in surveillance to avoid similiar mishaps from happening in their estates.
Currently, whether or not faced with constant pressure from the NGOs, more oil palm plantation companies and countries, including Malaysia, have allocated funds to protect the endangered wildlife habitats and preserve the forest for the sake of the environment.
Singapore-based Asia Pulp & Paper and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Ltd (APRIL) – also contributes effort for deforestation in Riau.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/02/27/environment-indonesia-forests-dc-idUSL2683209020080227
Indonesian giant Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) also contributes effort for open burning in Sumatera..
http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0729-app.html
Asia Pulp & Paper’s Hidden Emissions:
Calculating the Real Carbon Footprint of APP’s Paper
http://ran.org/sites/default/files/app_hidden_emissions.pdf
No worries – after implementation of b5 usage is being implemented and marketed throughout country – Diesel price will be increased – mate..
Alternative fuel that enviromentally friendlier compared to diesel..
it is time to grow palm oil tree now… then for those who say cheap can make their own biodiesel.. i am wondering why we need to say expensive since majority of us is not using diesel…. I don’t see people queuing at diesel pump station to fill up…
I think it is a relief for those who are planting palm oil tree, they can have the same quality of life like us.
“ITS NOT EASY TO SATISFY EVERYBODY HUH”
Brake power?? Shouldn’t it read “brake horse power”?
Turboman and me are a little busy with our day jobs to ensure you have fuel at the pump.
Hahaha
Good one mate. Drilling now in Sabah waters.
J profile wells. How u doing there?
When i saw jolo’s post, i wanted to reply.
But well, got a bit sick of trying to reason with that guy.
Perhaps what they say is true, u cant reason with unreasonable ppl.
What a shame we have to wait until now to get the Bio-Diesel when our neighbours had already been using it much earlier !!!!!!!!!!!! And the price is same with normal diesel too that’s ought !!!!!!!!!
better late than never..
So u want to plant palm trees for free? with pleasure. do it. I’ll be ur first customer.
B5 lubricity is lower! What will happen to those direct fuel pump that use diesel fuel as lubricant?
Biodiesel has very good intrinsic lubrication properties. Even blends as low as B1 (1% in ULSD – Ultra-low-sulphur diesel) can improve the lubricity in highly de-sulphurised mineral diesel. In engines approved for operation with B100 Biodiesel, the engine wear is significantly reduced.
nmpak sgt nk korek duit rakyat..kenapa nak sama harga dengan diesel ori ni?
palm oil is not free and not even cheap mate…
This what will happen if someone just emotionally going against anything. Without thinking.
B5 is not entirely biodiesel mate..only 5% portion is bio and the rest is petroleum…and adding more on research cost justified the price
Is the tech to process and produce these bio diesel still ‘relatively’ high to offset it’s lower B5 pricing compared to fossil diesel? Will with increase consumption of B5 diesel lower the price down then? If so, please introduce moe diesel powered cars for public at a reasonable price please.
What we need is euro 4 diesel, and not this bio stuff.
The price is subsidised by our government. Biodiesel is basically cooking oil that has been processed further (higher cost). Cooking oil price in Indonesia is RM4 (they produce more palm oil than us), so the actual price (100% biodiesel) should be higher than RM 4 per litre.
Biodiesel may bring less torque efficiency. In other words:
Higher percentage Biodiesel, lesser torque.
We should go for Jatropha which is non food crops derived bio fuel.
Jatropha can growth on marginal land, require less furtilizer less irigation system.
I cannot imagine the palm oil price once B5 Biodisel fully implemented, this mean price increased for every process food item that require palm oil base.
All i see in this is someone going to make a big fat bucks$ .
Algae much better…the biofuel from algae dont reduce CO2 and they do not increase CO2 through burning..interesting rite..algae can be farm almost anywhere eg in sewage, logi kumbahan etc without need to use new land..cultivation of algae can reduce CO2 though n oso biodegradable fuel..only setback is that the operating cost for algae to fuel(biodiesel, biogasoline, ethanol, SVO, jet fuel) is high..but it give more than what jatropha can give
Yup, algae and spirulina are good alternatives too. Same with seaweed/kelp. Only trouble with algae is it could wreak havoc if it gets out into the water system.
I’m buying kebun kelapa sawit for now. Who know this thing would be a hit and be an alternative to diesel altogether. Maybe can be rich like Arab Sheikh and buy FA Premier League football team. Hahahaha…
paul….when will euro4 diesel introduce into our market…
those that commute long distance better go for diesel….
If really wanna sell bio diesel , should keep the F JPJ for emision test … Vigo euro 3 engine with pure diesel also kenal saman ???!!!! black smoke ??
bcoz pnguatkuasa JPJ observe ur smoke using black spectacle. dats why he see ur car smoke as black.
How will I know if this b5 blend will work well on my Rexton?
Hi. Allow me to share what I know about this biodiesel stuff. It can be made out of any cooking oil even used ones. Don’t think you’ll feel the power difference. Pure biodiesel made of palm oil has energy content of 5% lower than petroleum diesel. When you only use 5% biodiesel with 95% petroleum diesel, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference. It’s actually very expensive to produce biodiesel. Crude palm oil is now about RM3400 per tonne or about RM2.90 per litre. That’s before cost to convert to biodiesel. The conversion process changes the chemical structure of palm oil to be more like petroleum diesel. From my understanding, biodiesel helps with lubricity so you can actually cut the usage of additive, which is very expensive. In the US where they have Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel, adding biodiesel helps with smoothness.
While an addition of 5% does not make any significance difference to the calorific value of the diesel blend the added lubricity of biodiesel may actually make the engine run more smoothly. I used to add about 5% filtered used cooking oil to the diersel I use for my IDI diesel engine and the engine actually ran with less clatter. I do not know if this less clatter is a good thing.
Hi Paul,
i used B5 and compared to the normal diesel, i felt that B5 is much smoother and better pickup for my Focus. however, i tried looking for more biodiesel station in klang valley but cant seems to find except at Caltex near Centerpoint, Esso SUbang Jaya (in front of Wisma Sime), all petronas in putrajaya and cyberjaya. if you can help provide list even from readers or those who follows your forum, that will be very much helpful. cannot find it anywhere and even google didnt answer my question! please help if you can.
Thank you.
OK, let me see what I can do.
In the meanwhile, the Shell in Taman Desa has B5 biodiesel as well.
As Paul mentioned earlier, from the Table in the last image, it means that B5 and Malaysia Petroleum diesel do not comply with MS 123: 2005 in terms of sulphur content, simple as that.
Our diesels just don’t meet the requirement. So why bother setting the standard?
Hii All, I m master student working on biodiesel, I need some information about the commercial price of biodiesel in International market or in Malaysia. can any one give the B100 price.