Make Biodiesel At Home

The rising prices of fuel are causing many people to start to look at alternatives. People are cutting back on their fuel usage and also giving alternative fuels a try. A good alternative to petroleum based gasoline is biodiesel. Biodiesel fuel is clean burning and renewable. It is a vegetable oil based fuel that costs far less then traditional fuels, plus is much better for the environment.

Biodiesel fuel is produced through a process called transesterification. The process involves removing the fat from the vegetable oil and leaving behind byproducts, like methyl esters and glycerin. Unlike traditional petroleum based fuels, biodiesel is free of sulfur and aromatics, which is why it burns cleaner and is so much better for the environment.

Besides all the environmental benefits, biodiesel excels above traditional petroleum based fuels because you can make it at home. With some simple tools you can produce your own fuel, which is the most cost efficient way to ever get fuel.

To get started and to get a feel for the process you can start by making a small batch of biodiesel fuel. Once you get the hang of the process and see how easy it really is then you can start making biodiesel for your everyday needs.

The things you will need in order to make biodiesel fuel are lye, 200 milliliters of methanol and 1 liter of vegetable oil. To start the process you need to dissolve the lye in the methanol. This creates sodium methoxide. Once the lye is dissolved and the sodium methoxide is created, you need to mix it with the vegetable oil for 20 minutes. The easiest way to do this is to use a blender, set on low speed with the lid securely on tight.

When the blending is complete it should be left to sit for 8 hours. This will separate out the glycerin and it will sink to the bottom of the container. After the 8 hours resting time you will need to separate out the glycerin. You can either throw out the glycerin or you can use it to make soap, since glycerin is the main product found in soaps. Once you have separated the glycerin out you are ready to use your biodiesel fuel.

There are biodiesel kits available that come with large tanks which can make much larger batches then you can make in your blender. These kits can be quite expensive, but it is worth the expense if you are going to making your own biodiesel for use in your vehicle. Besides the money saved on fuel will defiantly more than make up for the cost of the kit.

A biodiesel fuel kit is an investment. It is a way to help yourself save money on fuel and a way to help the environment by using a clean and efficient fuel source.