Biodiesel Production - You Can Do It At Home

Have your own biodiesel production plant. Petrol and diesel prices are inevitably on the way up.

And you know that car emissions are a significant contributor to global warming. Biodiesel making is for anyone.

"Mermaid" Daryl Hannah does it! (see video below). And "Bio Willie" Nelson does it!

Ahhh... remember?: "Why d d d don't we do it in the road" (Beatles for younger readers ;-]. And of course: "On the road again..."

Even though it's becoming a choice at the pump, making biodiesel yourself has certain advantages.

Advantages of biodiesel

Biodiesel is renewable Biodiesel is biodegradable It’s non-toxic Biodiesel is cheap Costs you only pennies if you make it yourself Reduced reliance on expensive, dwindling fossil fuel Reduced greenhouse gas emissions Reduced pollutants Engine is better lubricated and lasts longer Biodiesel is more energy efficient No diesel engine modifications required Distribution networks are growing fast Your own biodiesel production is quite possible Biodiesel can be directly used pure or as a blend

Biodiesel making at home is something you may still not be sure about. Yet, this is perfectly well within most people’s reach.

Consider the advantages of running biodiesel in your diesel vehicle.

No! It's not something you can burn in a petrol-driven vehicle!

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel. It can be made from agricultural crops, from vegetable oil, and even from used cooking oil.

It can now be bought at the pump or made at home(scroll to bottom of this page for diy biodiesel making resources).

And some people use straight vegetable oil without any biodiesel making process at all.

But biodiesel production is not difficult and a number of resources to make your own are available.

If you’re in a hurry to start your own biodiesel production, check out these resources now: The Electricity Book Biodiesel Maker Diesel Secret Energy

Biodiesel has various beneficial effects besides saving you a lot of money at the pump. Cars and trucks driving on fossil fuel-derived gasoline and diesel produce around 22% of CO2, one of the prime greenhouse gases.

Yes, biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrocarbons, as well as benzene and air pollutants causing respiratory difficulties.

You don’t see the signature black exhaust smoke from your biodiesel driven vehicle as you do with regular diesel.

Instead your exhaust is clean and smells like French fries. Well… some people may not see THAT as an advantage!

Biodiesel also lubricates your engine better than regular diesel does.

Drive further on biodiesel. As biodiesel is oxygenated, the combustion process is more complete in the diesel engine compared to using regular diesel. Therefore biodiesel is more energy efficient.

You’ll agree…

Biodiesel making sure has some great advantages.

Biodiesel. How is it made?

It’s not new. Rudolf Diesel built the first prototype diesel engine that ran on coaldust, in 1893. He was particularly interested in running an engine on vegetable oil! “Cheap” oil and its readily available by-product from petrol refineries –diesel fuel-was what we got stuck with – until now.

Rudolf Diesel’s dream is alive. And you’re not using some crackpot technology.

Biodiesel production is a rather simple biochemical reaction involving alcohol and “raw materials” like grease, fats or oils.

A refining process removes the glycerin from the materials. This must be done as glycerin can harm your engine. All current diesel engines (built after 1992) can use biodiesel without modification.

Biodiesel can be used pure or as a blend with regular diesel and no modifications to the diesel engine need be made. 20-80% blends will still make significant contributions towards reduction of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

More people are turning to biodiesel every day and the US Department of Energy has acknowledged biodiesel as a legitimate alternative fuel. It is being sold at some Australian pumps too.

In Australia big trucking companies are only now trialling (imported!) biodiesel.

"Bio-Willie" Nelson and "Mermaid" Daryl Hannah have given biodiesel the public profile in the US to give it its momentum.

Listen to Daryl Hannah yourself here.

Of course you may want to burn straight vegetable oil instead of making biodiesel yourself.

Sounds easy…

Just fill up at your local restaurant for waste cooking oil!.

But some sources say you do need to convert your engine to do that, costing you around US $1,500 to $3,000.

Commercially sold biodiesel has to conform to high standards. Biodiesel production at home is still new although thousands of people are now doing this.

Caution in the production process must be taken as biodiesel making involves some hazardous chemicals.

Aim for the highest standard and make up your own mind whether this is right for your vehicle or not.

Biodiesel production resources

After looking at a number of biodiesel production resources here are three that each give you all required knowledge about biodiesel production, your own biodiesel making.

The Electricity Book

When you buy this book about creating your own source of electricity from biomass at home, the author throws inn a free book about biodiesel production. A very popular resource.

Biodiesel Maker

This is a very comprehensive package, including a two-part audio course, video and more.

Diesel Secret Energy

Your cheap, clean fuel from vegetable oil in minutes. Check out DSE’s revolutionary method for producing an inexpensive, high performance fuel that can power any diesel engine. Besides knowing about biodiesel production, you want to explore other ways to save energy? Then go here.