| How Do You Make Biodiesel? |
| Written by Razel Kilmer | |
| Thursday, 27 May 2010 | |
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If you think that making a vehicle work just by pouring some used cooking oil into your gas tank, you are going to be wrong. While in some cases cooking oil has been used by itself, it has been of the purest quality. One of the things that many people don't understand when working with this alternative fuel source is that is for compression, combustion engines, not regular gasoline models, unless it has been modified. It doesn't have the same high octane levels that we see in regular cars.
If you think that making a vehicle work just by pouring some used cooking oil into your gas tank, you are going to be wrong. While in some cases cooking oil has been used by itself, it has been of the purest quality. One of the things that many people don't understand when working with this alternative fuel source is that is for compression, combustion engines, not regular gasoline models, unless it has been modified. It doesn't have the same high octane levels that we see in regular cars. However, don't think that you can't run your vehicle on biodiesel. This alternative fuel is in use all over the world for many different applications. It's possible to either run a vehicle solely on biofuel or as a partial replacement for gasoline to reduce emissions. There are many mass transit systems, school bus and taxi fleets which use biodiesel to fuel their vehicles in whole or in part. Many government fleets are using biodiesel fuel, and many homes are heated with this fuel. It is highly regarded in the farming community as both a fuel source, and a cash income domestically, as well as abroad. Many who regularly implement biodiesel usage for there vehicles, are rewarded for helping the environment, by tax credits, or other compensations. There are also interests in using boidiesel for aircraft, trains, and generators that may have to stop running due to exhaust restrictions in major metropolitan areas. If you're interesting in making biodiesel fuel you can easily find detailed instructions in many books and from a number of different websites; what you'll read here is only the basics. It's possible to make your own biodiesel, but it's important to do so with careful attention to the instructions provided - if the ingredients are not in the right proportion, you'll be left with fuel which is either too thick or thin to use. Typically, the best mixture is around 20% oil to 80% other ingredients. To put it in as simple terms as possible, the first thing you do would be to pour the waste oil into a processor, and heat it to a temperature of at least 130 degrees. Then you would titrate the oil, which is a test for free fatty acids, found in restaurant fryer oil. You combine a small amount of this with a premade tester solution. Exact information on this solution can be found online from any site dealing with making bio fuel. Since the oil and methanol won't mix on their own, the use of a catalyst (usually lye) is necessary. The lye and methanol are combined together before being added to the heat-treated oil. The process of mixing these ingredients together produces glycerin and other byproducts which have to be eliminated from the biodiesel before it can be used. Once these have been removed, the biodiesel fuel goes through a water treatment to wash out impurities and is then transferred to storage containers where any remaining water can evaporate. The biodiesel is then ready to use - this is only one of several possible methods for making biodiesel fuel, though this is the most common. You can learn the details of how this procedure is done and the equipment and tools which are needed from many websites about making biodiesels. You'll also be able to find out what modifications if any are needed to run your vehicle with this fuel. One thing you'll notice once you start using biodiesel to fuel your vehicle is that your filters will become quickly. This is nothing to be alarmed about and is actually a good thing - the cleaner biodiesel fuel actually helps to eliminate deposits left behind from the use of conventional fuels. Once these residues have been eliminated, your engine will actually run more efficiently! What started out in 1912 in Germany by Rudolf Diesel using a simple oil made from peanuts so rancid that even cattle wouldn't eat them, has become one of today's most recognized and widely used alternative fuel source. It was at that time still an expensive venture, and with the introduction of cheaper fossil fuels, was pretty much put on the back burner. It wasn't until the energy crisis of the seventies that people became aware that fossil fuels weren't limitless, and prices and quantities can be manipulated. It was then that biodiesel began to be reconized as a low cost renewable source of fuel. Because it is made using non petroleum products, it burns better, cleaner and without all the harmful carbons, sulphates and and other toxic waste biproducts. With so many concerns for the Planet, global warming, climate change, etc., it is important that we utilize as many renewable resources that we possibly can. Not only can more people capitalize on it here at home, opening up new jobs and technologies, but it will also greatly reduce our need to rely on fossil fuels. There are many resources online and offline which contain all of the information you need to get started making your own biodiesel fuel. There are also biodiesel kits which have all of the necessary equipment so you can get started producing your own clean, renewable fuel with ease. The information here has hopefully piqued your interest in biodiesel, or at the very least made you aware of the viability of this clean, renewable energy source. Biodiesel technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace - the next generation of energy tycoons may be men and women making biodiesel in their own garages rather than the oil companies. The Article Author: WVO Designs was created for Biofuel enthusiasts. Free information is available as well as products for WVO Conversion, WVO Filtering, WVO Centrifuge. WVOdesigns.com is also a supplier of Pureflow Technologies Raptor Pump and AirDog Fuel Systems. |
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