A Farmington, B.C., producer who crossed Canada in his combine to raise awareness about the farm income crisis of 2000 has a new raison d’etre.
Nick Parsons is promoting the use of biodiesel around Dawson Creek, B.C., telling fellow farmers about his experiment of pouring unrefined canola oil into his diesel tank and using the resulting concoction in his tractor.
For Parsons it is an uplifting tale about how farmers can take an active role in boosting the price of the second biggest crop grown in Canada.
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“If one in 10 farmers across Canada were willing to give it a shot and give it a try, they would remove a lot of canola oil from the system,” he said.
For Kory Teneycke, executive director of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, it is a horror story that only a “foolish, foolish man” would pay attention to.
Parsons got the idea for making his own biodiesel brew from a book his brother gave him for Christmas. Discouraged by the lack of interest in biodiesel at the local co-op, he took matters into his own hands.
“I thought I’d have a go at it meself,” he said.
So this spring he bought 33, 16-litre jugs of canola oil from the Costco store in Grande Prairie, Alta., for the bulk price of 99 cents per litre.
When he got home, Parsons dumped 454 litres of the cooking oil into his 4,540 litre diesel storage tank, applied some of his favourite conditioner and filled the remainder of the tank with regular diesel.
He calculated that the canola oil added four cents per litre to the overall cost of his fuel.
Last week he finished seeding 1,000 acres of oats, barley and canola using what he calls his B10 blend.
“The tractor pulls nicely, starts nicely. I can see no difference at all,” said Parsons.
That may be the case in the short term but Parsons has likely caused irreparable damage to an expensive piece of equipment, said Teneycke.
Scientific studies have proven that mixing unrefined canola or soybean oil with diesel fuel is a recipe for disaster, he said.
“Your vehicle may run on a small enough blend for a while, but you will do permanent and serious damage to your vehicle in doing that,” he said.
“It is something we would strongly advise people not to do.”
Teneycke said the damage caused by the grocery store fuel would void the manufacturer warranty.
According to a John Deere fact sheet, only biodiesel fuels that meet the provisional ASTM specifications may be used in the company’s tractors.
Martin Reaney, biodiesel researcher with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said Parsons’ potion “wouldn’t even come close” to meeting those standards. For one thing it contains four times the allowable limit of glycerin.
“Glycerin is a sugar. He is putting sugar in his fuel tank,” said Reaney.
“His fuel is only one percent sugar, but would you put one percent sugar in your fuel tank?”
John Deere said even properly prepared biodiesel that meets all ASTM specifications could have adverse effects on its engines if used at concentrations above five percent.
Those effects include power loss, fuel leakage through seals and hoses, corrosion of fuel injection equipment, blocked injector nozzles, plugged filters, seizure of internal injection system components, sludge and sediments and reduced service life.
Other farm equipment manufacturers have adopted less stringent standards on biodiesel. Last week New Holland announced that it approves the use of biodiesel blends up to B20 (20 percent blend). It is the first company to do so.
Parsons doesn’t care what the equipment manufacturers, biodiesel associations or scientists say, in casting doubt on the assertion that his B10 concoction is any different than true biodiesel.
And he is convinced his homemade fuel will have no lasting negative impact on his tractor.
“I’m going to use it harvest time and all. I think it will be something I shall use now all the time until I can get the blend when it does come this way.”
Teneycke admires Parsons’ enthusiasm about using alternative fuels but said it is misplaced.
“His enthusiasm will wane quickly when he gets the bill for fixing his engine.”
