Coconut Oil/Diesel Mixture Clogs Engine Filters, Government Won't Subsidize It

Diesel Fuel News, June 11, 2001

Thailand motorists complain a mixture of 70% coconut oil biodiesel and 30% diesel fuel caused fuel filters to clog and engines shut down. The solvent nature of biodiesel may dissolve fuel tank sealants and cause rubber fuel lines to age prematurely, and may have carried rust and algae into the filter, the Bangkok Post reported.

Meantime, the Commerce Ministry recently decided that palm oil biodiesel subsidies aren't economically justified and couldn't produce enough fuel to make much of a dent in diesel demand, the Post reported.