Fuel

If your fuel has become contaminated we can “polish” it to remove particulates, water contamination, and diesel bug.

Diesel Bug

Diesel bug has become an especially troublesome form of fuel contamination since the advent of biodiesel. It is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts and holds water. Unchecked, diesel bug can lead to the formation of of gums and resins in the fuel tank and the engine’ injectors.

Diesel bug is not one thing; the term includes thousands of of different types of bacteria, moulds, and yeasts.

Bacteria – Single cell organisms, typically 0.3 to 60µm in size. A colony can double in size in 20-30 minutes. One cell can multiply into 2 million in 7 hours. Bacteria will degrade fuel quality over time.

Mould – A type of fungi with long multi-cellular filaments. There is little indication that mould degrades fuel but, due to the long strands, it blocks filters.

Yeast – A type of relatively slow-growing fungi. It is typically 3-4µm in size.

Biofilm – A complex structure of microbes which adhere to the walls of the fuel tank and to each other. It begins to form when free floating microbes land on a surface and attach themselves to it. Given time, biofilms can grow many millimetres thick and produce a protective slime. Biofilms can excrete acid which can erode a metal fuel tank. Chunks of biofilm can slough off periodically, giving microbes the opportunity to infect other areas of the fuel system and block filters.