ABSTRACT
Introduction In spite of biodiesel’s many advantages, performance during cold weather may affect its year-round commercial viability in moderate temperature climates. Although field studies for biodiesel performance in cooler weather are scarce, there is evidence that using the soybean oil methyl ester (SME) form of biodiesel (made by transesterification of soybean oil and methanol) raises performance issues when ambient temperatures approach 0-2°C. As overnight temperatures fall into this range, saturated methyl esters within SME nucleate and form solid crystals. These crystals plug or restrict flow through fuel lines and filters during startup the next morning and can lead to fuel starvation and engine failure.
