Biodiesel is supposed to be available at the pumps in stages from mid next year, but Sime Darby plantation has already started using its own blend of biodiesel called Bio-N (pronounced Beyond) in its upstream operation vehicles nearly two years ago, since March 2008. The initiative started at the East and West Estates and Mills on Carey Island and later expanded to other estates and oil mills in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
The initial biodiesel blend was B5 (5% palm oil biodiesel mixed with 95% petroleum-based diesel) but some estates gradually started using B10 which increased the palm oil percentage up to 10%. For this initiative, upstream operations use about 100 metric tons of pure biodiesel a year. The biodiesel comes from Sime Darby’s biodiesel plants in Teluk Panglima Garang and Pulau Carey, with annual production capacity of 30,000 metric tons and 60,000 metric tons respectively. The smaller plant was designed in-house while the other employed the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s (MPOB) technology. Both plants were designed to use palm oil as the feedstock. They also have a third plant in The Netherlands which uses rapeseed oil, soybean oil and palm oil as feedstock.
Sime Darby President and Group Chief Executive Dato’ Sri Ahmad Zubir Murshid even filled up his diesel-powered BMW 730Ld (along with some other Sime Darby-owned passenger cars) with Bio-N two days ago in Carey Island in the presence of Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok. Sime Darby says the car has no issue running the biodiesel.
However, it seems car companies are Malaysia have not really been kept in the loop, which is really scary since “mid next year” is just over a year away! BMW Malaysia clarified yesterday that they have not participated in the research and development of Bio-Diesel fuel alternatives in Malaysia as they do not possess the appropriate research facilities and human capital to do so. According to BMW Malaysia, the development of Bio-N is an initiative undertaken by Sime Darby without any involvement from BMW Group Malaysia (despite a 730Ld used as a “demo”) and none of their vehicle models have undergone any authorised internal testing with palm-based bio-diesel fuel here in Malaysia.
BMW also stressed that until Bio-N or any other form of bio-fuel is approved by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Department of Environment and SIRIM Bhd, they cannot comment on the effectiveness or the safety of such use of Bio-N in any of their models and any warranties provided by BMW Group Malaysia via their authorised dealership network to BMW owners who utilize bio-fuels are deemed to be automatically void and are made at the owner’s risk.
What BMW will say is that at the current moment, their diesel models will function efficiently and effectively with the current Euro 2M quality diesel which is currently available in Malaysia. They are also expecting the imminent introduction of Euro 4M standard diesel in 2011, as per the revised NAP announced recently. Hopefully that will still be on schedule.
We also contacted Sime Darby AutoConneXion as they have a few diesel models on sale in Malaysia, including various Land Rover models and the affordable Ford Focus TDCi. SDAC says their cars should have NO problems running B5 biodiesel blends as long as the blend complies with the international standards of EN14214, which describes the minimum requirements for biodiesel.
We tried getting in contact with some retail petroleum companies here in Malaysia to get more details on how the biodiesel will be sold but we didn’t manage to get any useful information. Biodiesel could be offered as a supplement to regular diesel, but then there will be the issue of underground storage tanks!
GALLERY: BMW 730Ld
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GALLERY: Ford Focus TDCi
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It's good to have more replacement fuel such as biofuel or liquid hydrogen as the oil source available to mankind current technology is getting lesser and lesser.
And if one day the CO2 emission of this biofuel is capable of euro 5 or higher, then why not invest more on it?
B20 is equivalent E5
B100…………….
well…. at least they try to make the dream come true…. however I worried that the price of cooking oil will increase in future since our car also can used it as fuel…. Hope in future we not hear the story that some car having heart attack coz of high colestrol…. hehehe
The source is renewable, unlike fossil fuel. They could plant more trees, but that wont guarantee the prices will go down. In the end, business is business.
You sure about that?
Replacing 5% diesel already take up a considerable amount of our palm oil production. Remember that we have already turned half of our country into oil palm estate.
And we have not even started using diesel yet, it is only for lorries and some pickups.
So, the question is:
Is land a renewable resource?
Agree with rexis..
this will recreate an unbalance/conflict between crop for food and crop for fuel.
if demand for palm oil is getting higher, that's mean food getting more expensive. better they go for electric vehicle by using solar cell as docking charger during car park. so u can get 2 benefits.. 1 shelter for your car 2 less pollutant..
1litre of diesel only 50ml palm oil
100 litres of diesel only 5 litres
1000 litres of diesel only 50 litres
InitialR, palm oil is cholesterol free wei….
But back to the issue, at the press conference at Carey Island, I was told that the minister said that costs related to the blending (5%biodiesel & 95% diesel) would be borne by the petroleum companies. He quoted a figure of about 3.5 sen per litre.
That is the crux of the issue… eroding the margins of the petroleum companies. But I reliably learnt that the government may by June 2011 announce they will bear 50% of the cost. I think by then economy will be better so they can manage the 1.75sen.
The debate on food versul fuel rages on. It is likely that some impact on cooking oil prices may be felt as demand for the commodity creeps north due to biodiesel, but in the end, the challenge is supply.
Ironically it is also SIme Darby that is leading the charge to increase supply. Last year I think they announced the successful decoding of the oil palm genome, which will unlock yield secrets of the plant. They were the first in the world to do so with the latest technology, but others are also at it like Genting Plantations as well as MPOB. So things may in the end come to a stability.
But yeah, I would like to be able to pour my cooking oil into my diesel car and drive off. I remember in my younger days several E Class Mercedes Benz (W124 I think) were seen on the roads with the PORIM logo and were running on cooking oil….
That would be great!
how much is cost per litre?
in current price, they worth RM2.80/liter
that price subs or real price…B5 or B10 should be same or cheaper than current price rm1.70 if not just use E2M diesel…cheaper
the rest is subsidize by oil company….huhuh…
So none of the car makers were consulted. Better stay off this biofuel until the major manufacturers are given the opportunity to conduct long term test with their engines.
Introducing biofuel does not solve the environmental issues since the bio part of it comes from palm oil which is better used for food production than running cars
maybe the fosil fuel finish , only ppl will consider it … but also a good start for bio diesel , future proton car all using bio diesel engine lol … maybe 20 year ago …
The thing is that I hope Sime Darby has actually developed a bio-diesel that IS comparable to say Euro IV or Euro V standard fuel… in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. But honestly I get the feeling this is purely a measure to find an alternative stream to sell of palm oil stock, and this being Malaysia I really have to question the quality of research and development that was put into Bio-N.. especially since it does seem that none of the major automotive players were even consulted on it.
Fyi, Euro VI-V is all about sulfur content, the lower it is, the better and cleaner it is. Lowering sulfur content required extra process in refinery, aka extra cost. You see, we here always having trouble finding someone to bear that little cost, and hence the hoohaa and delay of moving upward of Euro.
Also, very agree on the quality of research and development, you know at first they were planning to mix direct vegetable oil into diesel but not biodiesel. It seem like they can't get automakers to agree on that and warrant their injectors as well, so its delaaaaaay until some point, they decided to use true biodiesel, but price dunno who bear pulak, so delaaaaay again….
But then, if we talk about the most advanced palm oil research in the World, it gotta be Malaysia, after all, palm oil is all we got.
info ULSD (max 10ppm) is identical to B20 n is equivalent Euro V (max 10ppm)….palm oil already low to non sulfur content…vegetable oil if use for engine consider biodiesel la bro..bout price who else we la tggung xkan nak subs or free je kot
For sometime now, people in the UK have been mixing cooking oil (new or filtered used) into their diesel cars to negate the increase in fuel prices. It's been working for them.
In the future, our restaurants could have a side income – selling their used oil. :-)
wonder what's happen to planet earth is fossil fuel exhausted eh ??
It won't happen fo rthe next 20 yrs or so
however manufacturers are now designing and producing electric or hybrid cars
in preparation for this shortage
you're wrong…peak oil maybe happen this year 2010…maybe oil worth around US$300 per barrell…maybe US$5/gallon….so be prepared for the worse!
its the end of the world…not only fuel is from petroleum…..go google there r a lot of things that r produce from petroleum…
almost anything from petroleum…so be prepared for next crisis!
As a matter of facts, we will never see the day where all petroleum is exhausted.
Mankind will nuke themselves up in the process of attempting to acquire more dwindling oil.
finally XD
I think biodiesel + hybird engine is the way to go… EMAS should use it…
What a joker DS Ahamd Zubir is.
Even w/o Sirim approval he is filling his 7 series with this untested fuel.
But who cares, if rosak just get another car cos he's the boss.
Makes me wonder what kinda leadership qualities he has esp
when you're leading a huge conglomerate.
He's not a joker. That is leadership by example. After all Sime Darby's motto is to create sustainable environment for the future. Its a good start. Sooner or later, maybe mid-level managers are encouraged to use diesel SUVs or Fords.
If he wont start it, then who else? IOI? Felda?
Hello my fren,
This fuel has not been tested nor approved by Sirim
and the people from BMW technical are fuming
b'cos no test / info was given to them.
Read the posting carefully.
Yes it needs someone to initiate the use of Bio diesel
but it should have been done professionally and not BLINDLY.
I think i will bid for Dato Sri's 7 series for RM$10,000
since warranty already void.:)
hahahhaha…now,we lack supplies of minyak masak..everyone should think..lol..Xp