Record high oil prices, climate changes and the dependency on a small number of non-friendly oil producing countries have made alternative and clean energy a desirable trend.
Clean and cheap energy is not just a game for big energy corporations and governments. At the end of the day, its money out of the pocket of almost everyone driving a car or using electricity.
Making your own bio diesel requires some work. But it does make you feel good when your car accelerates on diesel you made from your very own extra cooking oil. You can just smell those French fries when you hit the gas.
What is Biodiesel
"Biodiesel is most commonly made by chemically altering an organic oil through the use of a catalyst and an alcohol, typically Methanol. The chemical reaction that occurs through this process breaks down the oil molecules and replaces the glycerine portion of the molecule with an alcohol molecule. The glycerine falls to the bottom and is drained off resulting in Biodiesel.
The Biodiesel is then typically washed, to remove any extra impurities and is then used as a fuel in a diesel engine without making any modifications to the engine.
Biodiesel is known chemically as a 'fatty acid methyl ester'. Which is just a fancy way of saying it's a product made from Methanol and an organic oil with fatty acid chains in it. It is easily made and has many benefits, including environmentally friendlier tailpipe emissions and improved engine performance."
variety of oils can be used to produce biodiesel. These include:
• Virgin oil feedstock; rapeseed and soybean oils are most commonly used, though other crops such as mustard, palm oil, hemp, jatropha, and even algae show promise (see List of vegetable oils for a more complete list);
• Waste vegetable oil (WVO);
• Animal fats including tallow, lard, yellow grease and as a byproduct from the production of Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil.
Equipment
Biodiesel can be made in anything from a small 2 liter pop bottle to an elaborate processor complete with separate tanks for processing, washing, methoxide mixing, settling, and filtering.
Obtaining equipment is relatively easy. Complete processing equipment can be custom made using plans off of the web or by buying pre-made kits ready to assemble.
Most people get started by making small batches with minimal equipment and then gradually move up to making large batches using large processors built specifically for making biodiesel.
Many homebrewers either buy a variety of premade processors designed for processing biodiesel or custom make their own processors either from kits or from plans on the web.
Professionally built processors can cost as little as $500 to several thousands of dollars. Kits can be purchased for making your own from several online retailers for as little as $200 on up to elaborate systems complete with methanol recovery condensors.
Most commonly, homebrewers build their own processors using plans from the web. Building a processor can be done in an afternoon in a garage. In fact, most folks have their processors built and ready to process biodiesel within a few hours of starting. Parts are relatively cheap to obtain and help is readily available through forums, workshops, and local cooperatives.
Additionally, most homebrewers obtain equipment, such as pumps (either manual or electric) for transferring oil, methanol, and glycerine with as well as several containers for holding oil and completed biodiesel in.
For full instructions: http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/
For more information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel
Source: http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/ www.wikipedia.org
