making biodiesel at home com-homemade biodiesel

Homemade Biodiesel

Who says chemistry is dull and boring? If you're saving money and having fun, youd be surprised at how exciting it can be.

There is a little bit of mad scientist in all of us that likes to come out and play from time to time. Experimenting with different recipes is part of what makes cooking so much fun, but what if you could cook up something that could end up saving you thousands of dollars on your car, truck, fuel, and home energy bills every single year? As farfetched as it sounds, there is a new fuel alternative that can not only save you money, but you can actually make it in your Own kitchen Still interested? Keep reading...

Biodiesel is as old as the diesel engine itself and it is proving to be a much better alternative than previous vegetable oil based fuels. In the past, the fuels derived from vegetable oils required converted engines to be effective. No one wanted to invest the time, effort or money it would take to modify their car or truck, so alternative fuels didn't meet the everyday needs of fuel consuming public. Biodiesel can be used in the engine of the car you already have, without any modifications. It is biodegradable, clean burning, and made of renewable resources. Biodiesel is also non toxic.

Biodiesel is made using three, easy to find, ingredients,

alcohol

lye, and

vegetable oil.

If you are interested in making a batch of biodiesel, start by mixing the alcohol and the lye creating sodium methoxide. Biodiesel is created when you combine the sodium methoxide with the vegetable oil.

This mixture needs to be mixed for twenty minutes before it is allowed to sit for 8 hours. During this time, it will separate cleanly into two separate sections, biodiesel and glycerin. The glycerin needs to be drained from the container and then you can even use it to make soap.

The biodiesel is ready to be put into your gas tank.

Realistically, you can make biodiesel for about seventy cents to a dollar a gallon, which is a substantial savings anyway you want to look at it. However this doesn't take into account time costs. If you're willing to trade your time instead of your money, then this something that can work well for you.

Biodiesel burns much cleaner than any other fuels or alternative fuels available for your car. It is the only alternative fuel that has completely passed all of the health effects testing requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. It has even passed the requirements set by the environmental protection agency allowing it to be sold as a legal motor fuel.

If you are interested in burning a fuel that is environmentally friendly and inexpensive, biodiesel may be just what you are looking for. If you are looking for an interesting hobby, try whipping up a batch for yourself. There is something extremely satisfying about filling the tank of your car in your garage with a substance you created from scratch while everyone else pays through the nose at the gas pump.