# Bio Diesel Fuel & Engines?

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [November 23, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921 "2015-11-23T23:18:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ZoneWizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ZoneWizard](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ZoneWizard)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/1 "2015-11-23T23:18:09Z")

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So in short, Bio Diesel is very easy to make out of organic material. Typically waste fats/oils from eateries is a good example as a base material. Cooking oil is another. Body fat however is from animals can be used as well. So really we have enough zombies to get lots of fat. But the tricky part is having the time and safe place to make it. Not to mention having to BUILD a bio-diesel engine to use the fuel with.

In short this would not really un-balance the game as finding a gas station maybe far easier to gas up your ride than a completely custom build car.

So if anyone wants to make this into a mod, feel free to use my idea. But google how to do it first.

Example-  
a few people on youtube even have a How To video on making the fuel.

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/2 "2015-11-23T23:47:56Z")

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Doh. o3o

Since that’s a thing (gasoline can be made too, but it seems to have a very oddball recipe in that the byproducts are logical, but the components are absurd), I’m instead pondering experimenting with an ethanol engine.

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**Author:** ![Noctifer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/noctifer/32/458_2.png) [@Noctifer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Noctifer)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/3 "2015-11-23T23:59:36Z")

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I believe some diesel engine could already take bio-diesel. The problem with ethanol is that it heats up alot so a survivor making one would be hard. Pre-made makes sense but would ethanol engines be widespread in new-england in 204X?

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/4 "2015-11-24T00:16:05Z")

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> [@Noctifer](#):
>
> I believe some diesel engine could already take bio-diesel. The problem with ethanol is that it heats up alot so a survivor making one would be hard. Pre-made makes sense but would ethanol engines be widespread in new-england in 204X?

Not sure. It is a bit odd that we have flex-fuel engines in real life, and ethanol in Cataclysm, but no way to use the ethanol for fueling a vehicle.

Though sadly it seems implememnting it would require source tweaks. At a bare minimum, alternators are hardcoded to only fit on gasoline, diesel, or muscle-powered engines.

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**Author:** ![Noctifer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/noctifer/32/458_2.png) [@Noctifer](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Noctifer)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/5 "2015-11-24T00:40:51Z")

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Is ethanol fuel,charge,ammo? Adding another fuel type to alternators seems trivial (keyword seems). I do believe ethanol engines would be rare unless global warming/climate change “forced” people to adopt alternate energy sources more.

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/6 "2015-11-24T01:22:21Z")

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Might be doable, though I’m unsure how well it’ll work.

It’s count as an ammo with a count of 14, compare to gasoline and diesel that both have a count of 200. That might make it drain fuel alarmingly fast unless I figured out a way to define higher efficiency.

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**Author:** ![Coolthulhu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/coolthulhu/32/2446_2.png) [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/7 "2015-11-24T16:00:05Z")

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No need to have separate diesel/biodiesel. It only adds extra variables to handle, without adding any real depth.  
Recipe to make biodiesel already exists.

Ethanol powered engines could exist, but running them would be prohibitively expensive, as there are no mass sources of ethanol in game.  
This would require source changes (fuels for engines are hardcoded).

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/8 "2015-11-24T17:29:21Z")

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[quote=“Coolthulhu, post:7, topic:10921”]No need to have separate diesel/biodiesel. It only adds extra variables to handle, without adding any real depth.  
Recipe to make biodiesel already exists.

Ethanol powered engines could exist, but running them would be prohibitively expensive, as there are no mass sources of ethanol in game.  
This would require source changes (fuels for engines are hardcoded).[/quote]

As I suspected, yeah. At a bare minimum, I’m guessing adding ethanol pumps for

One larger issue though I can see, independent of the obvious source tweaks (which is something even I could likely manage with less headaches than most source tweaks I’ve tried). One assumes the commercial ethanol fuels would be denatured, right?

Currently there’s no support for engines using ammo TYPE, is there? Right now it only allows fueling off specific item IDs, far as I can tell?

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**Author:** ![jcd](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/jcd/32/338_2.png) [@jcd](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/jcd)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 8:58am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/9 "2015-11-25T08:58:08Z")

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voted no. Coolthulhu explains why:

[quote=“Coolthulhu, post:7, topic:10921”]No need to have separate diesel/biodiesel. It only adds extra variables to handle, without adding any real depth.  
Recipe to make biodiesel already exists.[/quote]

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/10 "2015-11-25T16:47:48Z")

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As I’ve already mentioned as well, yeah. :V

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZoneWizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ZoneWizard](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ZoneWizard)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/11 "2015-11-25T19:12:00Z")

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Haven’t tested much, but A- what is the recipe for Bio? Can we just recycle the zombie fat or something? and B- Will it work for normal diesel engines?

Would make my point moot I guess but in a good way =D

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/12 "2015-11-25T19:14:52Z")

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[quote=“ZoneWizard, post:11, topic:10921”]Haven’t tested much, but A- what is the recipe for Bio? Can we just recycle the zombie fat or something? and B- Will it work for normal diesel engines?

Would make my point moot I guess but in a good way =D[/quote]

Derp? I mentioned the recipe details in full in the other thread you suggested this in. ;w;

It’s also just standard diesel, so it can be used in normal diesel engines.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZoneWizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ZoneWizard](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ZoneWizard)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/13 "2015-11-25T19:30:11Z")

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Oh, Uh sorry. I’m on public PC and I can’t get enough time to read everything =(

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/14 "2015-11-25T19:39:54Z")

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> [@ZoneWizard](#):
>
> Oh, Uh sorry. I’m on public PC and I can’t get enough time to read everything =(

Lemme grab the recipe again. :V

> [@Vehicle Additions Pack (Updated December 8)](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/vehicle-additions-pack-updated-december-8/7616/500):
>
> [quote=“ZoneWizard, post:499, topic:7616”]Oh for real, I just just a few hours ago picked up the latest build. I have not had a chance to play with it. So we can use zombie fat etc for fuel? We need a bio-D engine?

Lemme look up the recipe for it…

[spoiler]

- Requires a cooking skill of 6.
- Result\_mult of 2, so one batch is 400 units of diesel.
- Learned from Biodiesel: Renewable Fuel Resource, can’t be autolearned.
- Tools: 10 charges of a chemistry set.
- Components: 1 unit of water (or 1 clean water), 14 units of ethanol, 2 units of cooking oil (or 2 lard, or 2 tallow, or 4 tainted tallow, or 4 fat, or 8 tainted fat), and 1 unit of lye powder.  
[/spoiler][/quote]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZoneWizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c6cbf5/32.png) [@ZoneWizard](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/ZoneWizard)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/15 "2015-11-25T20:44:26Z")

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(literally had to go across town to write this, arg!)

But cool thanks bro 🙂

Now for ethanol…is that made or found or…something else to get it?

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**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/16 "2015-11-25T20:45:55Z")

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It’s fine.

As for ethanol, you can make your own, but finding it in labs or other locations is overall easier.

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**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/17 "2015-11-30T04:59:41Z")

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I would like to point out that ethanol ≠ diesel. It may burn “similar” at least for the point of this game, but it also spoils much faster than standard fuels… makes sense when you think of the bio- part of bio-fuels. All gas/diesel CAN go bad, but if I am not mistaken ethanol “separates out” much faster than other fuels, though gasoline is fairly bad about it too.

This is why ever since the push for bio-fuels and the flex-fuel and such more gas tends to go bad… potentially wasting more gas in the name of green energy than just leaving it alone… potentially. I am sure that all said and done it does save more gas, at a cost of increased $ for ethanol mixed fuels. Plus, worse for motors IIRC.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Random\_dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4da419/32.png) [@Random\_dragon](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Random_dragon)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 5:06am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/18 "2015-11-30T05:06:11Z")

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So basically, same reason jerky will never rot, why gasoline currently doesn’t degrade, and why canned food will be delicious for eternity.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Litppunk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/litppunk/32/409_2.png) [@Litppunk](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Litppunk)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/19 "2015-11-30T05:16:08Z")

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true. The scale is measured in a few months+ (pending storage conditions)  
and thus further than anything the game bothers to calculate. Although IRL coming across any remaining unlooted gas stations would result only in bad fuel to be found after some years… well maybe not too soon. The tanks are built to increase the longevity of the fuel by keeping it in ideal conditions (cool and away from UV light)

I guess this shouldn’t be bothered to be implemented, though how it would be over come would be interesting…

Refining of fuel from oil isn’t difficult, there are gravity and pressure seperators, and refining is done in a similar method with some added heat. Would be kinda neat if there were oil wells in game or something that you could get and refine fuel from. Would be alot of code and such to implement though and ultimately not worth it ☹

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**Author:** ![Iosyn](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/iosyn/32/35_2.png) [@Iosyn](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Iosyn)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 5:56am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921/20 "2015-11-30T05:56:24Z")

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Wood gasifiers could be fun. Lots of off-grid types and mountain men like to convert their cars to run a gasifier.

> No need to have separate diesel/biodiesel. It only adds extra variables to handle, without adding any real depth. Recipe to make biodiesel already exists.

It does? Nice. Knew you can make gas/diesel/oil from triffids, but I haven’t noticed the other recipes yet.

Bear in mind the world is currently heading for an energy crisis in the next few decades.  
We’ll likely see a large increase in solar, electric, hybrid and hydrogen cars in the near future (2040-2100).  
Honestly I can’t see the world producing enough biodiesel to completely convert from Gasoline \> biodiesel, at least at our current usage rates unless we start up some serious GM algae farms or something.

[Next page](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/bio-diesel-fuel-engines/10921.md?page=2)