Making Biodiesel at Home

By Gerrie Van Niekerk

If you want to start making biodiesel at home you will need a steady supply of waste vegetable oil (WVO) or another biodiesel feedstock, some methanol and catalyst. You will also need some hardware - a complete biodiesel processor & a titration kit.

But before you take one step further and start to make your own biodiesel fuel take some time and think long and hard about it.

Is it a good idea to be making biodiesel at home?

- To make your own biodiesel fuel is very simple but it is hard and dirty work. In fact it is so dirty that it featured on the show "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel. You will probably use WVO to make your biodiesel with and you will be up to your elbows in it. It is not glamorous. If you find the idea of smelly used oil with pieces of fries or chicken floating around in it disgusting then making biodiesel might not be for you...

- There are no shortcuts or half measures - you have to give everything. If you are in a hurry when you do it or if you do half a job then you won't be able to make high quality biodiesel. And if you use anything less then perfect in your car you might have dire consequences. Word if mouth is very powerful marketing tool. If someone has a breakdown because of Homemade biofuel that didn't measure up to standards then it gives biodiesel a undeserved bad reputation.

- It is great to make biodiesel at home, but before you do consider the other people that you share your house with as well as your neighbours. You will be working with potentially dangerous and very caustic chemicals. Safety should be your top priority. The whole setup will also take up quite a lot of space. You need to know if you have enough space for everything before you go out and buy that processor. Your neighbours will probably have no complaints if you give them some free biodiesel every now and then.

If you are not scared off by hard and dirty work and if you talked it over with everyone involved then you are ready to start making your own biodiesel fuel.

Making and using homemade biodiesel has many advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages can all be controlled or completely eliminated by taking some easy steps.

You will feel vindicated as you fill up your car or truck with environmentally friendly diesel fuel that you made yourself.

Welcome to the Biodiesel Energy Revolution!!

Gerrie van Niekerk is the Author of www.Biodiesel-Energy-Revolution.com.

Article Source: Making Biodiesel at Home

All About Biodiesel and the Environment

Biodiesel Facts and the Environment
By Joe Hayes

Today, nature cries for desperate help. For the continuously depleting ozone layer, worsening exhaustion of black smoke from our cars, and the exploitation of natural resources. Likewise, we people cry for the soaring price of petroleum gas. Extensive research has been conducted with the objective of comforting the cries of both man and nature. They found out that biodeisel is the answer.

But what is biodiesel? Biodiesel is a renewable fuel oxygenated and made from various agricultural methods and resources. These resources may be vegetable oils, soybeans, grape seeds, or animal fats.

What makes it different to the petroleum fuel? Physically, the biodeisel is similar to the petroleum or diesel fuel, but the difference is in the emission properties since biodeisel is significantly superior in that matter. It has far better lubricating properties compared to the diesel fuels.

What makes it stand out? One of the things that make the biodiesel stand out is its renewability. Since it is a domestic energy supply, the biodiesel can greatly aid reduce the dependence on petroleum imports. The biodiesel is also non-toxic and biodegradable which makes it fit perfectly well in sensitive environments.

How is biodiesel produced? The biodiesel results from the chemical process of separating cold-pressed output into the methyl esters and the glycerin. This process is referred to as transesterification. Producing biodeisel is easy which makes biodiesel production at home very possible with the use of household materials such as lye and methanol. But the process will have to require extensive caution when dealing with the chemicals. Lack of care might lead to injury and danger.

You might think that biodiesel is the same and one with the raw vegetable. But you're definitely wrong on that. Fuel-grade biodiesel must undergo and conform with strict industry specifications during the process of production to assure excellent performance. Biodiesel is the single alternative fuel which has passed the 1190 Clean Air Act Amendments' health effects testing requirements. On the other hand, the raw vegetable oil failed to meet the specifications and testing requirements which does not make it a legal vehicle fuel.

Regarding its availability and prices, the global diesel production aimed to 3.8 million tons of biodiesel in 2005. This great production rate made biodiesel fairly accessible to everyone in the market at a remarkable lower price compared to that of the petroleum fuel.

With the numerous benefits of biodiesel, it rightfully and eventually will ease and comfort the cries in this world. Help soothe our crying world, start using biodiesel now. You can even make it at home at a cost of less than thirty-five cents per gallon.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Hayes
http://EzineArticles.com/?Biodiesel-Facts-and-the-Environment&id=1840773

All About Biodiesel

BioDiesel Conversion - Starting a Biodiesel Business

By Scott Daugherty

BioDiesel conversion can be a very profitable business for young entrepreneurs looking to start a new business or for seasoned entrepreneurs looking to add a new resource to their empire. In the U.S., there are over 30,000,000 gallons of waste vegetable oil that restaurants and fast food joints dispose of annually. Most pay to have their oil disposed of!

A few entrepreneurs that I know have made a lot of profit simply by charging the restaurants to collect their waste oil. They in turn, convert the oil to biodiesel after they charge the business to get the oil. Once they successfully convert the oil, they are able to receive both state and federal tax incentives for producing alternate fuel sources. The federal government pays up to $1.50 per gallon and the state incentives vary from one state to the next.

After this is done, they sell their biodiesel to both individuals and businesses generating another $1-$1.85 per gallon profit. They are producing 2.3 million gallons annually so after all of the overhead involved, they are successfully making $4-5 million in profit every year!

How does one get started in the business? The first step is to find a good commercial biodiesel processor. There are many of these on the market, however, you would want one that includes warranties and instructions to make your first batch of biodiesel.

Business startup costs and facts:

You can get a great commercial biodiesel processor that has an annual capacity of 2.3 million gallons for less than $50,000!

If you intend to collect your own oil, you will need a good truck to haul the oil in. You can get one of these for very little as well if you go to an auction or even check ebay.

Your raw materials needed for the conversion can be purchased cheap as well, however, you will need to buy the chemicals in bulk. This is also rather easy, simply contact the manufacturer and if they won't sell the products to you direct, they will refer you to a distributor who will. You will need both methanol and NaOH or KOH.

You will need a building or structure of sorts to setup the equipment in. Keep in mind that the methanol and NaOH mixture (methoxide) releases a very harmful vapor. It is best to have the area well ventilated. A lot of entrepreneurs set their equipment up in a container trailer to start with. This provides a stable shelter without costing a lot of money and gives the owner a lot of flexibility for moving the business in the future. Is this method recommended? For just a little more, you can purchase a metal building that provides more room and durability for your business. It also provides you the extra room if you decide to expand.

What about the tax incentives that biofuel producers get? Though it is commonly known that the government gives large tax incentives to alternative fuel manufacturers, the process to get approved can be strenuous. You must file paperwork with EPA to get approved as a clean producer. It isn't hard to be approved by the EPA if you dry wash the biodiesel. This essentially means that you have no waste water! Whenever you dry wash a batch of biodiesel, you are using a chemical (purolite) to wash the impurities out. This also allows for production of ASTM standard biodiesel.

It is recommended to purchase additional storage tanks. You can purchase a good tank with a 15,000 gallon capacity for your biodiesel for about $15,000. It is probably a good idea to get a storage tank for your fuel.

Who can you sell the biodiesel to? Check with local gas stations to start with. I recently read about this gentleman who started his business in September 2008. He has already exceeded $1,000,000 in sales in less than 4 months, not including the tax incentives! He talked with a few local trucking businesses and was able to offer the fuel to the trucking companies that save the truckers thousands of dollars weekly. The trucking companies were able to offer more competitive rates to their customers which in turn got them more business. The more business they picked up, the more fuel my client was able to sell. He actually just purchased his second commercial processing kit to keep up with his customer's needs!

BioDiesel is the way of the future. It is a natural resource, burns much cleaner than petroleum based fuel, can be produced for much less, and breaks our dependency of the very pricey crude oil.

If you are looking for a commercial biodiesel processor or just home biodiesel conversion kit, visit http://www.greenfuelconversion.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Daugherty http://EzineArticles.com/?BioDiesel-Conversion---Starting-a-Biodiesel-Business&id=1902675

All About Biodiesel

All About Biodiesel - Homemade Biodiesel

All About: How to Make Homemade Biodiesel
By Chris John Wright

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, created from domestic, renewable resources.It contains no petroleum, but can be mixed at any level with petroleum diesel to produce a Biodiesel blend. This alternative fuel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and basically free of sulphur and aromatics.

Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters and glycerin.

But why Biodiesel I here you cry?

Well, it has numerous advantages that make it the number one choice for the majority of people seeking alternative fuels

Biodiesel comes ready to go with no expensive adjustments to be made to your engine you just pour it straight into your existing diesel engine.

It's completely bio-degradable and non-toxic which makes it more environment friendly it also has far less noxious emissions than regular petrol or diesel engine about 60% less net carbon dioxide emissions than petroleum-based diesel

Your engine will last longer with Biodiesel because as well as being a good lubricant Biodiesel acts as a solvent and cleans out the contaminants and dirt left by fossil diesel in your engine which also provides a lot less engine noise pollution than a regular diesel engine.

Production costs at domestic level work out at approximately 24 cents per litre plus the cost of your oil. If you collect your own from local burger joint, cafes or restaurants (currently they have to pay people to take it away) you could get it for free. If you buy in recycled oil, there are good reputable waste oil dealers throughout the country and your total production costs per litre should not exceed about 70 cents, substantially cheaper than fossil diesel!

Just to sum it up, Biodiesel is cleaner, cheaper and more importantly environment friendly so if you would like to read more info on how to make homemade Biodiesel click on the link below.

Chris Wright is the webmaster of http://www.solar-kits.net a website that specialises in Solar Kits and also gives alternate energy advice to the public.

Did you find those tips on Biodiesel useful? You can learn a lot more about how making homemade biodiesel can help you here. http://www.solar-kits.net/alternative-energy/how-to-make-homemade-biodiesel

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_John_Wright http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-Homemade-Biodiesel&id=1843232

All About Biodiesel