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According to a customer who came in today, down in the Santa Cruz area, strawberry farmers who have been rotating their crop with mustard anyway are now starting to harvest the mustard seed, which is being turned into biodiesel. This is a great way to "create acreage" for biofuel crops that does not interfere with food crops.
I've actually been hoping something similar could be done around here with grapes (where they rotate in mustard as a general rule as well), although I was told that they really don't want to let the mustard go to seed. Time to investigate that further.
I've actually been hoping something similar could be done around here with grapes (where they rotate in mustard as a general rule as well), although I was told that they really don't want to let the mustard go to seed. Time to investigate that further.
The Department of Energy has a really cool set of up-to-date graphs that chart energy prices in your region. For instance, to look at California diesel prices vs. US diesel prices over a period of time, you can go here.
Below is a graph that I made using one of the DOE graphs. It gives you an idea of how diesel has closed the gap on biodiesel pricing, at least as far as Yokayo is concerned (the red line is our price- forgot to put it in the key).
Below is a graph that I made using one of the DOE graphs. It gives you an idea of how diesel has closed the gap on biodiesel pricing, at least as far as Yokayo is concerned (the red line is our price- forgot to put it in the key).
My lovely momma paid me and Sunny back for the Mother's Day brunch we prepared the other day, by alerting us to this letter to the editor in the Ukiah Daily Journal:
Biofuels an clean energy myth
To the Editor:
I read in a Sunday paper the man on the street interviews concerning bio-fuels. It is obvious to me that both the questioner and those who gave answers have not done their home work on this alleged savior or new answer to fossil fuels. First of all it takes two gallons of regular fuel to get bio fuel to the pumps. Bio fuels put out 25 brand new cancer causing agents into the atmosphere including some that are present in regular fuel. You get less gas mileage and performance out of your vehicle. On top of that it drives the cost of food up as we use food products to make the bio fuel now. You can't use pipelines to transport bio fuels it has to be trucked or shipped. It is a fraud and anyone who says otherwise lives in fantasy land. To put it in a way that most readers who subscribe to the myth of bio fuels its like using a condom with holes in it; it doesn't work. The real answer to our energy problems is nuclear energy. Build more plants and we can lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Nuclear is the only carbon neutral power supply. By building more nuclear power plants we can use them to produce hydrogen that can then be turned around to power fuel cells for cars in a very cheap way. Not the cost preventative way we use now. For those of you who are opposed to nuclear power remember like professional wrestling godzilla was fake. Even Nobel prize winner Al Gore is a proponent of nuclear power. Of course the best way to lessen our dependence on foreign oil is to get out of our cars and walk once in awhile. Ride a bike, this would benefit us two fold we could fight obesity in our country and save the climate. Remember this before you ask a question for which you know nothing about you are going to get the answers that show ignorance on the subject. This last bit is for those who grow large illegal marijuana gardens and have meth labs in their homes who usually have the money to buy the bio fuels you are the biggest frauds of all purporting that you support a healthy environment all the while you pollute our public lands and steal our precious water.
John Pearson
Ukiah
As Sunny said, "It is about the most ill-informed thing I have read in awhile." So here's my own letter to the editor, sent in this morning:
To the Editor:
As a local producer and distributor of one type of biofuel- local recycled fryer oil biodiesel- I'd like to respond to the letter that was printed under the heading, "Biofuels an clean energy myth," by John Pearson.
First of all, I take exception to any generalizations about "biofuel", as if it's all the same thing. There are as many types of biofuels as there are living things on this planet. The most common forms are biomass, biogas, ethanol, and biodiesel. Each of these biofuels can be made from any number of feedstocks (sources), which means that the characteristics of a particular biofuel can vary greatly.
Second, who is claiming that biofuels are the "savior"? Certainly not most biofuels proponents that I know. My company markets our biodiesel as a transition fuel that can ease the transition from less sustainable fueling to more sustainable, renewable fueling.
Mr. Pearson's claim that "it takes two gallons of regular fuel to get bio fuel to the pumps" is completely baseless. According to the Department of Energy, the average lifecycle energy balance on a gallon of soybean oil biodiesel is 3.2 gallons of energy out for every 1 gallon in. That in itself is a very positive energy balance, but what we, and other companies like us, have found when we've audited our own recycled product is that it has a much higher energy balance than soybean oil biodiesel- starting at around 7 gallons to 1, with the potential to go much higher. This is largely because we are giving a 2nd life to a product, but is also because the production process for biodiesel is pretty simple, without many big energy inputs (as opposed to fossil fuel refining, for instance).
Mr. Pearson claims that "bio fuels put out 25 brand new cancer causing agents", which flies in the face of science. I can only speak to biodiesel, but I can say that every study I've ever seen, done by such institutions as NREL, Harvard, and the DOE, indicates at least a 90% reduction in carcinogens from biodiesel emissions as opposed to diesel emissions, and an even greater reduction when compared to gasoline. Frankly, that's one of the best reasons to use biodiesel, especially in school busses!
Mr. Pearson claims that "you get less gas mileage and performance out of your vehicle." Perhaps he has not been informed that the diesel engine is inherently much more fuel efficient than its gasoline alternative. Many of our customers are happily getting around 50 MPG. Additionally, biodiesel fuel has a higher lubricity and cetane than petro diesel, making it a better fuel in key ways.
In response to another erroneous claim, I must stress that biodiesel production does not need to compete with food production- that is a myth! Used fryer oil, for instance, is not a food item (hence its official designation, "inedible kitchen grease"). Neither are a number of other sources. The biodiesel and ethanol industries, unfortunately, have aligned themselves with soy and corn interests, but that is not the fault of the fuels themselves, which can be made from much higher-yielding, more appropriate feedstocks. Incidentally, it is the high price of energy in general that is contributing to the global high cost of food right now, mostly driven by our society's addiction to petroleum, a highly limited resource.
Finally, you can indeed use pipelines to transport biofuels. In fact, that's one of the great benefits of biofuel alternatives to fossil fuels- they take the same form, and can utilize existing infrastructure.
In closing, I'd just like to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Pearson about conservation, which truly is the best and most immediate way to fight climate change and lessen our dependency on foreign oil. Walk, ride a bike, use public transportation- these are all important steps. Try not to use a car, but when you need one, fuel it with the most local, sustainable fuel you can find.
Kumar Plocher
Hopland
Diesel fuel is $4.75/gal right now in several stations in Ukiah.
Meanwhile, our biodiesel is $4.19/gal. That's over .50 cheaper. We've never been in this situation before. We determine our price based on a whole lot of needs and criteria. We've been refining our methods on that, and we now have an equation that spits out what our price should be, keeping in mind current infrastructure improvement projects, and things like the immediate need for employee health care, which we've never had, but will soon.
I have to admit- the spat-out price is actually a little higher than our current price, so we will be raising our price a little bit soon, but it's not going to get anywhere near diesel's current price.
What's so weird about this situation is that, historically, we've always been around .50 higher per gallon than diesel. Until now, I kind of took that for granted. It regulated who walked in our door, and who called us up. In retrospect, it was kind of a nice thing.
Now, we have unprecedented demand, and while there is a temptation to find that sweet spot in pricing that gets us the maximum net income- a price that is probably a little higher than that of petroleum diesel- I don't really want to test those waters right now. We'll gradually get to know this situation, and respond as well as we can.
For now, we've stopped accepting new delivery customers, we've significantly cut back on wholesale sales, and we're thinking of other steps we can take. We're going threadbare on marketing, because we really don't want to waste money on demand when that is not a problem at all.
Unbelievably, we're still getting complaints regarding our price, from people who are upset that our price has gone up just as petroleum has gone up. Personally, I find it insulting that people would make that argument in a time in which we are clearly making an effort to be affordable (showcased by the $1.00 swing downward in our price as compared to petroleum diesel), but somehow, it appears that more people are bothered by our price than ever before.
Hmmm.
Well, I just wanted to wax on about that for a moment. Thanks for reading.
Meanwhile, our biodiesel is $4.19/gal. That's over .50 cheaper. We've never been in this situation before. We determine our price based on a whole lot of needs and criteria. We've been refining our methods on that, and we now have an equation that spits out what our price should be, keeping in mind current infrastructure improvement projects, and things like the immediate need for employee health care, which we've never had, but will soon.
I have to admit- the spat-out price is actually a little higher than our current price, so we will be raising our price a little bit soon, but it's not going to get anywhere near diesel's current price.
What's so weird about this situation is that, historically, we've always been around .50 higher per gallon than diesel. Until now, I kind of took that for granted. It regulated who walked in our door, and who called us up. In retrospect, it was kind of a nice thing.
Now, we have unprecedented demand, and while there is a temptation to find that sweet spot in pricing that gets us the maximum net income- a price that is probably a little higher than that of petroleum diesel- I don't really want to test those waters right now. We'll gradually get to know this situation, and respond as well as we can.
For now, we've stopped accepting new delivery customers, we've significantly cut back on wholesale sales, and we're thinking of other steps we can take. We're going threadbare on marketing, because we really don't want to waste money on demand when that is not a problem at all.
Unbelievably, we're still getting complaints regarding our price, from people who are upset that our price has gone up just as petroleum has gone up. Personally, I find it insulting that people would make that argument in a time in which we are clearly making an effort to be affordable (showcased by the $1.00 swing downward in our price as compared to petroleum diesel), but somehow, it appears that more people are bothered by our price than ever before.
Hmmm.
Well, I just wanted to wax on about that for a moment. Thanks for reading.
For the time being, we are not accepting new delivery customers. We will be maintaining a waiting list.
We're working very hard at increasing supply while staying true to our sustainability vision.
We're working very hard at increasing supply while staying true to our sustainability vision.
(click pic to be magically transported)
There's a collection of good info there, that will only get better. For instance, under feedstocks, there's actually a pretty good write-up on the Chinese Tallow Tree.
There's a collection of good info there, that will only get better. For instance, under feedstocks, there's actually a pretty good write-up on the Chinese Tallow Tree.
Jan Sluizer at Voice of America just did a nice article and audio piece on Yokayo and Biofuel Oasis.
(click picture to go to the website)
This movie keeps coming up in conversations with people, kind of the way that the book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, did a while back.
I strongly recommend you see it. If your internet connection is fast, you can watch the whole thing as streaming video at the website linked to behind the picture (above). If your internet connection is slow, you can download it at that site and watch it later.
You may know a lot of the "stuff" in this movie already, but it's a good educational tool all the same, and I for one found it quite inspiring.
I love foraging for mushrooms. And obviously, I love biodiesel. Among mushroom-hunters, the Morel is a variety that everyone loves, but few forage, because they are very hard to find. The general rule is that, unless you happen to stumble upon them somewhere, you should be looking in the Sierras in the rainy season following a wildfire. As far as cultivation goes, they've been impossible.
Until now? It seems that biodieselers are starting to see a pattern of Morels growing in the places where they do their homebrewing. KOH and NaOH, the two catalysts that people use to make biodiesel, are chemically very similar to white wood ash. There could be something here...
Click on the pic to see the thread about this over at infopop...
(tip of the cap to wv matt at Infopop)
UPDATE: In the words of my friend Ben, "Best. Waste product. Ever."
Until now? It seems that biodieselers are starting to see a pattern of Morels growing in the places where they do their homebrewing. KOH and NaOH, the two catalysts that people use to make biodiesel, are chemically very similar to white wood ash. There could be something here...
Click on the pic to see the thread about this over at infopop...
(tip of the cap to wv matt at Infopop)
UPDATE: In the words of my friend Ben, "Best. Waste product. Ever."
Seems like every time I turn on the radio or look at news sites, I'm getting bombarded with the idea that biofuels are responsible for historic high food prices and corresponding world food shortages.
Somehow, all these journalists always conveniently forget that the #1 driver in all of this (pun intended) is petroleum, and high fossil fuel energy prices. THAT is what is driving up the value of biofuels. THAT is what is driving up the cost of fertilizer, the value of ag land, and the price of food.
Don't you forget it!
Somehow, all these journalists always conveniently forget that the #1 driver in all of this (pun intended) is petroleum, and high fossil fuel energy prices. THAT is what is driving up the value of biofuels. THAT is what is driving up the cost of fertilizer, the value of ag land, and the price of food.
Don't you forget it!
I try not to get political here, but this is something I know a decent amount about, and felt I had to comment on. Heard on NPR this morning:
Obama is right on this. There's no two ways about it.
I have some experience with this type of issue in my own industry. When the whiz kids at the NBB decided that they could lower the price of biodiesel by creating a tax incentive, they were falling for the same flawed logic. Time proved them wrong, as biodiesel prices never went anywhere but up, and the windfall that came with the incentives created a "dot-palm bubble" (thank Lyle for that excellent phrase) in which our industry became focused on dividing and plundering. We are still trying to recover from the fallout from that.
Supply and demand are what dictate prices (i.e. what the market will pay), and incentives are not going to change that ultimate price. Therefore, companies just end up charging the same thing and pocketing the portion that would have (one could argue should have) gone to Uncle Sam. In the case of the gas tax, we're talking about the money that maintains highways, among other services that people would generally agree are essential. Would you rather that money go to Exxon, Chevron, Shell, etc.?
Leaving aside the nice dream of windfall profits taxes (no- today's politicians will never let something like that happen in a meaningful way), Clinton should understand this. Supply and demand is pretty simple, and Clinton has enough business experience to know how it works. Which is why I believe this is a sad example of desperate pandering.
Unfortunately, people will probably get all excited about someone who wants to "immediately lower gas prices". It's a crock of shit, but people will buy it.
The worst part about this, which I've commented on before, is that it encourages consumption, in a time when we really need to be, have to be, must be encouraging conservation.
If high fuel prices are to be the #1 issue in America, as the media is blaring loudly at the moment, then how long before we drill ANWR, the California coast, and everywhere else, for the piddly amounts of atmosphere destroyer that can be found there?
I had an interesting experience yesterday. I gave a production plant tour to two gentlemen from Nigeria, one of whom works for Chevron. It was part of Rotary International's Group Study Exchange program, which sends 25-35 year-old business people around the world to gain insights on foreign business.
Both men kept asking me why people would use biodiesel? I tried to explain all the reasons. Whenever I got to anything that we would call an "environmental" reason, they were at a loss. One of them suggested that people in the West have gotten lazy and want to just enjoy the world around them, without working. Why not just drill the California coast, and ANWR, they asked.
I'm fond of telling people how biodiesel cuts across party lines, because it makes sense on economic, security, and environmental grounds. I generally expect Republicans to be on board, just as much as Democrats. It was weird to be talking to folks who didn't conform with my expectations. It was also humbling.
I did give them a lot of info, and to be fair, they enjoyed the tour, and asked a lot of good questions. Perhaps they were more impressed with the concept of biodiesel than I realize.
I can't help imagining that if I gave the same tour to Hillary Clinton, she would, as she's done before, extol the virtues of biodiesel right along with me, and then go back on the campaign trail spouting the garbage I've referred to. These things are all connected, but people like her profit on never making those connections.
I can forgive the Nigerians, because it was clear that I was up against a different worldview, and I respect that. An ongoing conversation with them would educate me and them both.
But I can't forgive Senator Clinton.
---
UPDATE: Much, much more conversation on this over at this Daily Kos thread. Looks like the pundits agree with me. There's also this great Obama quote:
Hillary Clinton: "I would immediately lower gas prices by temporarily suspending the gas tax for consumers and businesses. We will pay for it by imposing a windfall profits tax on the big oil companies."
NPR Commentary: "Barack Obama opposes the gas tax holiday saying it would be ineffective and that it would ultimately raise demand and gas prices."
Obama is right on this. There's no two ways about it.
I have some experience with this type of issue in my own industry. When the whiz kids at the NBB decided that they could lower the price of biodiesel by creating a tax incentive, they were falling for the same flawed logic. Time proved them wrong, as biodiesel prices never went anywhere but up, and the windfall that came with the incentives created a "dot-palm bubble" (thank Lyle for that excellent phrase) in which our industry became focused on dividing and plundering. We are still trying to recover from the fallout from that.
Supply and demand are what dictate prices (i.e. what the market will pay), and incentives are not going to change that ultimate price. Therefore, companies just end up charging the same thing and pocketing the portion that would have (one could argue should have) gone to Uncle Sam. In the case of the gas tax, we're talking about the money that maintains highways, among other services that people would generally agree are essential. Would you rather that money go to Exxon, Chevron, Shell, etc.?
Leaving aside the nice dream of windfall profits taxes (no- today's politicians will never let something like that happen in a meaningful way), Clinton should understand this. Supply and demand is pretty simple, and Clinton has enough business experience to know how it works. Which is why I believe this is a sad example of desperate pandering.
Unfortunately, people will probably get all excited about someone who wants to "immediately lower gas prices". It's a crock of shit, but people will buy it.
The worst part about this, which I've commented on before, is that it encourages consumption, in a time when we really need to be, have to be, must be encouraging conservation.
If high fuel prices are to be the #1 issue in America, as the media is blaring loudly at the moment, then how long before we drill ANWR, the California coast, and everywhere else, for the piddly amounts of atmosphere destroyer that can be found there?
I had an interesting experience yesterday. I gave a production plant tour to two gentlemen from Nigeria, one of whom works for Chevron. It was part of Rotary International's Group Study Exchange program, which sends 25-35 year-old business people around the world to gain insights on foreign business.
Both men kept asking me why people would use biodiesel? I tried to explain all the reasons. Whenever I got to anything that we would call an "environmental" reason, they were at a loss. One of them suggested that people in the West have gotten lazy and want to just enjoy the world around them, without working. Why not just drill the California coast, and ANWR, they asked.
I'm fond of telling people how biodiesel cuts across party lines, because it makes sense on economic, security, and environmental grounds. I generally expect Republicans to be on board, just as much as Democrats. It was weird to be talking to folks who didn't conform with my expectations. It was also humbling.
I did give them a lot of info, and to be fair, they enjoyed the tour, and asked a lot of good questions. Perhaps they were more impressed with the concept of biodiesel than I realize.
I can't help imagining that if I gave the same tour to Hillary Clinton, she would, as she's done before, extol the virtues of biodiesel right along with me, and then go back on the campaign trail spouting the garbage I've referred to. These things are all connected, but people like her profit on never making those connections.
I can forgive the Nigerians, because it was clear that I was up against a different worldview, and I respect that. An ongoing conversation with them would educate me and them both.
But I can't forgive Senator Clinton.
---
UPDATE: Much, much more conversation on this over at this Daily Kos thread. Looks like the pundits agree with me. There's also this great Obama quote:
"This isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's an idea designed to get them through an election."
Over at Daily Kos...
Analysts say that without Iran and Iraq — where nearly 30 years of wars and sanctions have crippled oil production — reaching that level will be impossible.This is why we are not going to leave Iraq. The country that controls the future of Iraq and Iran, controls the world for the next 40 or so years.
The issue is not that Iraq and Iran might not be pumping oil in 2030. One way or another, they will. The issue is: which military power gets to hold the world at gunpoint in this final fossil-fuel thrill-ride to the edge? Unless, that is, anyone thinks that the major military powers are going to let Iraq and Iran themselves hold that petrochemical pistol?
According to the New York Times article, world supply of oil is not increasing as it should, in accordance to standard laws of supply and demand, as prices rise to 118 dollars a barrel. The reason is that supply is simply not available. OPEC is building infrastructure to keep up, but it's not enough. OPEC controls 40% of the world output. The other 60% is not keeping pace, due to both dwindling fields and lack of pumping infrastructure.
An analyst describes non-OPEC supply as "dead in the water."
Anyway, there's more. Compelling stuff.
Men in Black <3 Biofuels
This from Ben, of Pod Chocolates, in L.A.:
This from Ben, of Pod Chocolates, in L.A.:
So I'm filling up this morning at Conserv Fuel ($70.40 to top off the tank at 4.599/gallon for B99—eep!) when this glistening brand new black Chevy Tahoe pulls up to a neighboring pump. These two well-coiffed blond lads hop out, black slacks, creased white business shirts, military-grade haircuts never sagging in the 90 degree heat. They were both wearing bulletproof vests under their shirts, both packing well oiled semi-automatic pistols, and even extra clips of ammo on their belts! No visible ID of any kind. I looked closer at the Tahoe. It had no plates, no numbers, no markings of any kind. It DID have a shotgun mounted up front and a cage in back for locking up, well... who knows? That's the point I guess. There was absolutely no way to determine what agency they worked for, what they were doing or why they were so ammo'd up.
But the moral of the story is your (shadow) government cares. The Tahoe was a flex-fuel, and they were filling it up with E85. But you can't prove it, I didn't send this email, and they were never there.
A friend of mine in Rotary, past-district-governor Charlie Kelly, e-mailed me this picture from his recent trip to Argentina:
Heard this on NPR this morning:
Funny, we had the same problem with our biodiesel pump at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland. Solution? We paid a few hundred bucks to have the "computer" (an intricate assembly of gears) replaced with one that can go a lot higher. Quick, easy, effective. Why gas stations would shut down, or ask for the ability to sell half-gallons, doesn't make any sense to me.
The price gauges on some mechanical fuel pumps don't go higher than $3.99, but the price of diesel has soared way past that, forcing some gas stations to shut down diesel pumps while they figure out what to do. Washington state has a solution: Stations can sell diesel by the half-gallon, as long as they post big signs.
Funny, we had the same problem with our biodiesel pump at the Solar Living Institute in Hopland. Solution? We paid a few hundred bucks to have the "computer" (an intricate assembly of gears) replaced with one that can go a lot higher. Quick, easy, effective. Why gas stations would shut down, or ask for the ability to sell half-gallons, doesn't make any sense to me.
We plan on using this on filter bags, oil-adsorbent pads, rags, you name it! This thing's great!
Sunny and I were at an Earth Day even on Saturday. Here's a pic of our booth, taken by Chris:
Sandy also came by and helped out. Our friend Adam's band, Venus and Mars, played a set. They are awesome!
The event, which we co-sponsored with a bunch of other really cool local businesses and organizations, was well-attended, but our booth didn't get that much traffic. I think that has to do largely with the "preaching to the choir" aspect of it all. These people were mostly already "our people". Oh well. It was fun.
Sandy also came by and helped out. Our friend Adam's band, Venus and Mars, played a set. They are awesome!
The event, which we co-sponsored with a bunch of other really cool local businesses and organizations, was well-attended, but our booth didn't get that much traffic. I think that has to do largely with the "preaching to the choir" aspect of it all. These people were mostly already "our people". Oh well. It was fun.
Last week, in the span of a couple days, three Yokayo trucks all had performance problems. Our 2002 Ford F450 flatbed was having intermittent power problems and was dying at times, our 1996 Freightliner FL 70 biodiesel delivery rig was having similar issues, and Cesar's 1983 Toyota pickup was acting very strange and getting horrible fuel economy. In light of this, it seemed quite apparent that there must be a problem with our fuel.
Sunny and I were racking our brains on what could be up- no complaints from customers, and all the test results were showing that our fuel was better than ever. We had used the fuel in our own car and my parents' Jetta, with no problems (I even drove both cars like race cars a little bit just to test the power). Also, the fuel sampled from the pump where all these trucks fill up was perfect. But there would have to be something wrong, very wrong, to cause all this...
Amazingly enough, it was just a bunch of coincidences designed by some galactic Puck who wanted to have some fun with us:
• The flatbed had a leaking fuel filter gasket, and was sucking air. No big deal.
• The FL 70 had a problem with a solenoid. I don't know the details, but apparently Art was able to fix a mechanical part with JB Weld.
• The Toyota had a rag in the air filter.
So it goes. As an addendum to this whole thing, when I got to work today, Cesar showed me a sample of fuel taken from our evaporator tank, which is the final processing step before polish filtering and storage prior to fuel delivery. The sample had a tiny amount of what looked exactly like glycerin at the bottom. This seemed absolutely impossible, after our wash process and the fact that we have never, ever, failed an ASTM test on free glycerin. I was getting that feeling again in the pit of my stomach. Then we found the culprit- some rubber gaskets in our supposedly-biodiesel-proof evaporator were melting, and coincidentally, that black rubber becomes a brown liquid the exact color of glycerin. It never got into our fuel supply, as the production guys were draining it off while scratching their heads. I ordered some viton to make new gaskets. Another problem (and weird coincidence) solved.
Sunny and I were racking our brains on what could be up- no complaints from customers, and all the test results were showing that our fuel was better than ever. We had used the fuel in our own car and my parents' Jetta, with no problems (I even drove both cars like race cars a little bit just to test the power). Also, the fuel sampled from the pump where all these trucks fill up was perfect. But there would have to be something wrong, very wrong, to cause all this...
Amazingly enough, it was just a bunch of coincidences designed by some galactic Puck who wanted to have some fun with us:
• The flatbed had a leaking fuel filter gasket, and was sucking air. No big deal.
• The FL 70 had a problem with a solenoid. I don't know the details, but apparently Art was able to fix a mechanical part with JB Weld.
• The Toyota had a rag in the air filter.
So it goes. As an addendum to this whole thing, when I got to work today, Cesar showed me a sample of fuel taken from our evaporator tank, which is the final processing step before polish filtering and storage prior to fuel delivery. The sample had a tiny amount of what looked exactly like glycerin at the bottom. This seemed absolutely impossible, after our wash process and the fact that we have never, ever, failed an ASTM test on free glycerin. I was getting that feeling again in the pit of my stomach. Then we found the culprit- some rubber gaskets in our supposedly-biodiesel-proof evaporator were melting, and coincidentally, that black rubber becomes a brown liquid the exact color of glycerin. It never got into our fuel supply, as the production guys were draining it off while scratching their heads. I ordered some viton to make new gaskets. Another problem (and weird coincidence) solved.
It's worth noting that the typical high-water mark seems to be late summer/fall.
