Biofuel bacteria wrecks engines

Biofuel is wreaking havoc with car engines. Due to Government rules, all diesel sold in the UK must be blended with the eco-friendly fuel.

But what the authorities didn’t bank on was the filth inside filling station tanks. With no rules forcing forecourt owners to clean them, the reservoirs are rife with bacteria. And when they come into contact with the vegetable or wheat-based fuel, the result is oil clots, which clog up engines.

The AA has already blamed a spate of mechanical breakdowns nation­wide on the jelly-like lumps. It says they make their way into fuel tanks, and block the filters that provide clean diesel to the injectors. This leads to the motor cutting out and, ultimately, a big repair bill for the owner.

And the problem is set to get worse. The diesel-to-biofuel ratio set out in the Renewal Transport Fuel Obligation is currently 2.5 per cent. In 2010, however, it will double.

An AA spokesman warned: “Fore­court owners need to be prepared for managing the biodiesel properly, not simply flushing out the fuel reservoirs whenever they think it’s necessary.”

Ray Holloway, head of the Petrol Retailers Association, said that action is already being taken to rectify the situation. “We’ve issued a set of guidelines to fuel stations to help them tackle the problem,” he said. “These include testing tanks for excess water – which helps the bacteria to breed – and taking advice from their supplier about the exact biofuel content of the diesel going into the tanks.”

The AA added motorists should be particularly vigilant at small filling stations. Its representative said: “The situation isn’t as serious at large sites, where all the pumps have a high flow rate from the constant usage. It’s more prominent at less busy rural outlets, where the pumps might not be used so often.”

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