Making Biodiesel at Home

Basics for Making Biodiesel at Home

The Recipe

There are a few basic steps for making biodiesel. First, you will need a recipe, which may vary slightly in amounts used depending on the source of your recipe. However, the basic ingredients will remain the same. The ingredients for your recipe will include:

• Oil
• Lye (sodium hydroxide) or potassium hydroxide
• Methanol

A great source for recipes is Grassroots Biodiesel.

The Process

Once again, depending on your recipe, the process may vary slightly. Generally, this is how the process works:

1. Filter your waste vegetable oil to remove any food particles and debris.
2. Remove any contaminating water by heating the oil.
3. Perform a titration to determine how much lye you will need to use.
4. Measure out the correct amount of methanol and mix carefully into the measured lye.
5. Heat vegetable oil and carefully mix methanol/lye mixture into the oil.
6. After this mixture settles, remove your by-product—glycerine.
7. Wash and dry you finished product.

While this may be overly simplified, it gives you a general idea of how the process works. For specific details there are numerous great resources on the Internet, including:

• Mike Pelly’s method at Journey to Forever.

Cautions

• Remember to always use caution when using chemicals such as lye and methanol. These are caustic and can be dangerous if you are careless with them.
• Wear protective equipment such as gloves, an apron and safety glasses to protect yourself from chemical burns.

What is Titration?

That is a good question. Titration is essential in determining the exact amount of lye that you will need in your recipe. An excellent step-by-step guide can be found at Journey to Forever. Do this process a few times to be sure that you are accurate.

If you use too much lye, you will end up with a gloppy mess; too little will cause your finished product to not mix properly. It is an important step to understand if you want success in your final product.

Glycerine

Making biodiesel at home creates a by-product called glycerine. Glycerine is biodegradable and can be mixed right into dry grass or other brown material in your compost heap. First you will need to allow it to sit for a few weeks to allow the excess methanol to evaporate. Then it is ready to compost. Be sure to mix it in well though, or you will have a sticky mess.

Benefits of Biodiesel

The first diesel engines were actually designed by Dr. Rudolf Diesel to run on vegetable oil as an alternative fuel for farmers. There are also places that you can purchase biodiesel, but these can sometimes be difficult to locate. So making biodiesel at home to use in your car or truck is not such a crazy idea as some would have you think.

Biodiesel will clean deposits and build-up from traditional fuels right out of your engine, so be sure to keep an eye on your filters and change them as needed.

You will find that your diesel engine will run smoother and last longer with biodiesel for fuel. Not only will you be using a fuel that is earth-friendly, you will be saving money as well.

Biodiesel Kits

If you want to make your own biodiesel, it is a good idea to purchase a kit. Kits will have all the equipment you need as well as detailed directions on how to proceed. Many companies that sell biodiesel kits also offer books that provide very detailed information on the entire process of manufacturing your own biodiesel. Here are two to consider:

• Home Biodiesel Kits offers kits and accessories as well as a workshop to teach you how to make biodiesel.

• Evolution Biodiesel offers small home processors to large farm-sized units.

Don’t be afraid to try this at home. Do some research and read all that you can about the process. Many companies that offer kits and accessories also offer support to answer any questions that you may have. It may seem a bit complicated, but once you start it will seem simple. Soon you’ll be on your way to a more earth-friendly way of living.