Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

does anyone know a cheap easy way to test the effeciency of biodiesel fuel or regual diesel fuel without the use of a car

i need a way to test the efficiency of deisel fuel without the use of a car

Hi Cmartin,
The uses of diesel fuel are typically limited to transportation vehicles like buses, trains, trucks, etc.
Other uses of diesel include machines like tractors, tugboats, and cranes and forklifts. The only other use for diesel is poor quality diesel fuel with high sulfur content to extract palladium from nitric acid mixtures, however I don't recommend this because it can be hazardous and dangerous. Diesel fuel has also been used as a main ingredient in oil-base mud drilling fluid. But due to safety and environmental concerns, diesel fuel had often been replaced with vegetable or synthetic food-grade oil-base drilling fluids.

So to answer your question, the uses of diesel fuel are pretty limited. Other means of testing diesel fuel could create difficulties.