Michael Clarke wrote: > I had a very interesting conversation recently with someone that had > been a senior person in HISWA (Dutch equivalent to BMF) but had now > left and was working as a consultant. > > He commented that in Holland they had a lot of problems a few years > back with the diesel bug when recreational craft had to switch from > red to white diesel. He implied that red had additives added that > prolonged the life of the diesel so that it could be stored in tanks > for long periods of time whereas white was expected to be used > quickly and not stored. > > As a result, when Holland switched from red to white, craft continued > to follow the usual practice of filling the fuel tank to the brim for > the winter period to avoid water contamination through condensation > but the result was there was a large increase in cases of the diesel > bug. The solution seemed to be that if using white diesel then it was > best to drain the fuel tank over the winter period. > > Does anyone have any information on the differences between red and > white diesel that would affect the storage performance of the fuel?
It would not surprise me if the red dyes (Solvent Red 24 &/or quinizarin) actually has some antibacterial properties - dyes often are antibacterial. Hence the old time use of painting grazes with things like Mercurochrome, Methyl Violet, etc. Ron Jones Process Safety & Development Specialist Don't repeat history, unreported chemical lab/plant near misses at http://www.crhf.org.uk Only two things are certain: The universe and human stupidity; and I'm not certain about the universe. ~ Albert Einstein
