What is biodiesel? Simply put, it is diesel fuel that is made from vegetable oil. It will run in any unmodified diesel engine. It has many advantages over petroleum diesel fuel such as: 1) It burns cleaner 2) It has a higher cetane rating (less knocking) 3) It has better lubricity 4) You can make it yourself from used vegetable oil (a waste product) often for less than the cost of petroleum diesel. How to make your first batch of biodiesel: Note: This recipe is for "new" oil only. For a recipe for used vegetable oil, see Journeytoforever.org You will need the following things to make your first batch: 1) At least 1 Litre (1.1 Quart) vegetable oil. Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, etc will suffice. 2) A variable speed blender with a slow speed option. Use one with a glass pitcher only. The methanol that is used in this process will "eat" a plastic pitcher. Make sure that this blender will never be used for food products again. 3) A scale that will accurately measure 3.5 grams (.12 oz). Search Ebay for "digital scale". A good one should cost about $20. 4) 1 bottle Red Devil Lye Drain Cleaner (Sodium Hydroxide) available from you local hardware store. Make sure the label says "contains sodium hydroxide". Most other drain cleaners are chlorine (Calcium Hypochlorite) based and will NOT work! Notice: Lye is poisonous! Take all necessary safety precautions!! 5) At least 200 milliliters (6.8 fl. oz) of methanol (Methyl Alcohol or "Wood" Alcohol). Methanol is widely available in 12 oz. quantities as "gas tank antifreeze" in auto parts stores, hardware stores and even some grocery stores. Popular brands include "Heet" and "Pyroil". Read the label carefully and make sure it says "contains methanol"! Many gas line antifreeze products contain isopropyl alcohol or "isopropanol" and will NOT work! Methanol is available in larger quantities as racing fuel through some racetracks that cater to drag racers and some "high performance" auto parts stores. Keep in mind that Methanol is both poisonous and flammable. Take all necessary safety precautions!! 6) A glass container that is marked for 200 milliliters (6.8 fl. oz). We like to use a beaker. 7) A glass or plastic container that is marked for 1 liter (1.1 Quart) 8) A wide mouth glass or plastic container that will hold at least 1.5 litres 9) A common spoon (preferably plastic or stainless steel). 10) Safety Glasses and Rubber Gloves! Methanol and Lye are extremely poisonous and must not come into contact with skin or eyes! Methanol is a poison that attacks the eyes (ocular nerves) even if it comes into contact with your hands. Use extreme care when blending the methanol and lye, as the blender can spash the chemicals around. Put on your glasses and gloves BEFORE opening the chemicals! Do your work close to a sink or hose, or have a bucket of water handy to wash any part of your body immediately if it comes in contact with these chemicals.
It is always wise to use a "diesel fuel filter/water separator" with any diesel engine. These are available through some auto parts stores or www.westmarine.com. A good model is the Racor 120AS diesel fuel filter/water separator (West Marine # 411348). Biodiesel has a solvent effect on natural rubber hoses and seals. While newer diesel engines have polymer hoses and seals (such as Dupont's "Viton" brand), older engines may need to be outfitted with new hoses and/or seals made of viton. Since most diesel injector pumps don't have rubber parts directly in contact with the fuel, it is usually easy to replace hoses and seals without any major dissasembly. A fuel mixture of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel (called "B20") will have no effect on older natural rubber hoses. Biodiesel will "cloud" at temperatures below 55 degrees F (13 degrees C). While this "clouding" is easily reversible by raising the temperature of the fuel again to above 55 degrees, it may cause temporary clogging of your fuel system, thus stopping your engine. Petroleum diesel fuel (Diesel #2) can be used down to -10 degrees F (-24 degrees C). It is advisable to use a blend of at least 50% petroleum diesel with your biodiesel if you are going to be operating in cold weather. You can experiment with different blends of biodiesel and petroleum diesel to determine what works best. Simply mix up batches of fuel with different ratios of petroleum diesel and biodiesel in glass jars and put in a freezer. Use a thermometer to determine the temperature of the fuel. Periodically check on the fuel to determine at what temperature it gets cloudy. This temperature is the "cloud point". It is best to determine this point at home before you head out on the road and get stranded in a snowstorm because your mixture is too rich in biodiesel. Of course, if you are going to be operating during the warm months, or in a warm climate, you can use 100% biodiesel with no problems. This excellent E-Book is available at worldpeaceemerging.com More
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