Make your own biodiesel: Journey to Forever Part 2

Make your own biodiesel: Journey to Forever
Detailed description of methods of creating biodiesel and its related issues.

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Costs and prices: Biodieselers using waste oil feedstock make biodiesel for 50 cents to US$1 per US gallon. Most people in the US use about 600 gallons of fuel a year (about 10 gallons a week) -- say US$1,700 a year (Sept 05). Biodieselers will be paying $300-360 for their fuel, while a good processor can be set up for around $100 up. An SVO system costs from about $500 to $1,200 or more. So with an SVO system you'll be ahead of fossil-fuel prices within a year, not a long time in the life of a diesel motor, but you're probably still behind the biodieselers.

Will the engine last as long with SVO? Yes, if you use a good system. Recommendations, and much more, here.

(Note: Small quantities of methanol can cost the equivalent of US$8 to $10 per US gallon, but experienced biodieselers invariably buy it in bulk for about $2-3 per gallon.)

Biodiesel
Converting the oil to biodiesel is probably the best all-round solution of the three options (or we think so anyway).

You could simply buy your biodiesel. Most major European vehicle manufacturers now provide vehicle warranties covering the use of pure biodiesel -- though that might not be just any biodiesel. Some insist on "RME", rapeseed methyl esters, and won't cover use of soy biodiesel (which isn't covered by the Euro biodiesel standard). Germany has thousands of filling stations supplying biodiesel, and it's cheaper there than ordinary diesel fuel. All fossil diesel fuel sold in France contains between 2% and 5% biodiesel. New EU laws will soon require this Europe-wide. Some states in the US are legislating similar requirements. There's a growing number of US suppliers and sales are rising fast, though biodiesel is more expensive than ordinary diesel in the US. In the UK biodiesel is taxed less than petrodiesel and it's available commercially.

But there's a lot to be said for the GREAT feeling of independence you'll get from making your own fuel!

If you want to make it yourself, there are several good recipes available for making high-quality biodiesel, and they say what we also say: some of these chemicals are dangerous, take full safety precautions, and if you burn/maim/blind/kill yourself or anyone else, that will make us very sad, but not liable -- we don't recommend anything, it's nobody's responsibility but your own.

On the other hand, nobody has yet burned/maimed/blinded/killed themselves or anyone else making homebrewed biodiesel. Large numbers of ordinary people all over the world are making their own biodiesel, it's been going on for years, and so far there have been NO serious accidents. It's safe if you're careful and sensible.

"Sensible" also means not over-reacting, as some people do: "I'd like to make biodiesel but I'm frightened of all those terrible poisons." In fact they're common enough household chemicals. Lye is sold in supermarkets and hardware stores as a drain-cleaner, there's probably a can of it under the sink in most households. Methanol is the main or only ingredient in barbecue fuel or fondue fuel, often sold in supermarkets and chain stores as "stove fuel" and used at the dinner table; it's also the main ingredient in the fuel kids use in their model aero engines. So get it in perspective, there's no need to be frightened. See Safety and More about methanol for further information.

Learn as much as you can first -- lots of information is available. Make small test batches before you try large batches (see also Test-batch mini-processor). Make it with fresh oil before you try waste oil -- see next.

Where do I start?
Start with the process, NOT with the processor. The processor comes later.

Start with the new fresh oil, NOT with waste vegetable oil (WVO), that also comes later.

Start by making a test batch of biodiesel in a blender using 1 litre of fresh new oil. If you don't have a spare blender, either get a cheap second-hand one, or, better, make a simple Test-batch mini-processor.

Keep going, step by step. Study everything on this page and the next page and at the links in the text. There are checks and tests along the way so you won't go wrong.

Go on, do it! Thousands and thousands of others have done it, so can you. Get some methanol, some lye and some new oil at the supermarket and go ahead -- it's a real thrill!

Here's the recipe. Or just keep reading, you'll get to the recipe in a minute anyway.

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