How to Beat the High Price of Gasoline with Homemade Biodiesel
Due to certain global factors, mainly the recurring economic crisis, the fluctuating strength of the US Dollar ($), the effects of supply and demand, and theArab Spring, the world has seen a major price hike incrude oil. Consequently, the price of gasoline skyrocketed in a matter of months. The past few weeks have seen a decrease in crude oil’s price but the same cannot be said for gasoline. The influences of distribution, taxes and commodity traders prevented gasoline from seeing a similar price decline.
As the prices of gasoline keep drilling holes in people’s financially-challenged pockets, alternatives are being sought – the most popular of which is homemade biodiesel. With the possibility of producing biodiesel for less than $1 per gallon, beating the high price of gasoline becomes feasible. As an added bonus, your diesel engine will run in a smoother, more efficient way while causing less harm to the environment.
The idea of producing your own homemade biodiesel may be enticing, but there are a few caveats you have to watch out for prior to embarking on such a venture.
- First: Running a diesel engine on homemade biodiesel has the potential of voiding your vehicle’s or machinery’s warranty.
- Second: Producing biodiesel of fuel grade quality, especially in large quantities, can take some time. It also requires a safe, well ventilated location in which to produce and careful handling of ingredients due to the dangers associated with them.
- Third: The environment plays an important role in the quality of biodiesel produced; high humidity, for example, is liable to producing low-quality biodiesel.
- Fourth: Chances are you are not a chemist, requiring you to create a number of sample batches before getting the hang of the procedure and moving on to full production.
- Fifth: Due to the dangers associated with lye and methanol, the latter of which is highly toxic, a safe and well ventilated location is needed in which to produce the biodiesel. Equally important is the utilization of safety equipment – namely rubber gloves, dust masks and goggles. Moreover, children and pets must be kept away from the work-area.
Once all these factors are taken into consideration, production on your homemade biodiesel can start, marking the beginning of your venture to beat the high price of gasoline.
The procedure listed in this article is mostly aimed at amateurs who are intent on trying their hand at producing their own homemade biodiesel. As experience and confidence grow, a slightly more complex procedure producing a better fuel grade biodiesel can be followed. Additionally, quantities listed below are able to produce only 1 litre batches, which are ideal for amateurs but insufficient for running a diesel engine.
The ingredients required for producing homemade biodiesel are basically three:
- 1 litre Vegetable oil: This can be any of the following – rapeseed, canola, corn, soy or sunflower. Do not bother with other types as they are less effective in producing fuel grade biodiesel. Used oil may be utilized, but it is recommended to stick to new oil at first.
- 200 ml methanol: Make sure this is at least 99% pure. Methanol is highly toxic and can prove to be fatal if ingested, debilitating if it comes into contact with your eyes and painful if it touches your skin. Exercise extreme caution when handling it. Obtaining methanol should not be difficult as it can be purchased from any local chemical or lab supply company – even some auto spare shops may have it in stock. Alternatively,Duda Biodieselis a great location from which to purchase methanol, as are race tracks and paint companies.
-Lye: Use 5 g if utilizing the sodium hydroxide (NaOH) variety or 7 g if utilizing the potassium hydroxide (KOH) one. Sodium hydroxide tends to be cheaper, while potassium hydroxide is usually easier to use and more effective. However, it requires 1.4 times the quantities of sodium hydroxide. Obtaining the lye should be easy enough as it can be purchased from a local supermarket’s detergent section. Make sure, however, that the lye is pure and kept in an airtight container.
Once all three ingredients are obtained, you are free to start on the biodiesel’s production.
Step 1
Wash out a 2 litrePET soda bottleand leave to dry.
Step 2
In a safe, well-ventilated area, preferably outside the house, pour the methanol in a glass jar with a screw top.
Step 3
Add the lye to the methanol, close the jar, and allow thecaustic chemicalto dissolve. The methanol will become hot due to heat released by the chemical reaction.
Step 4
Heat the vegetable oil to 131oF (55oC) and pour it into the PET soda bottle using a funnel.
Step 5
Carefully add the methanol and lye mixture to the heated oil, using the funnel once more. Exercise extreme caution while opening the glass jar and pouring its contents. Once the mixture is poured in, the oil should start changing its color due to the chemical reactions taking place.
Step 6
Make sure you close the PET soda bottle well and shake the mixture vigorously for a couple of minutes. Once shaken, place the bottle in a safe place and allow the concoction to settle. While the settling process can take anywhere from 12 – 24 hours, leaving it for longer is recommended.
Step 7
After settling, a layer of biodiesel floating above a layer of glycerine should become evident. The biodiesel will be a pale, yellowish color if the vegetable oil used was still new. Do not worry if it is cloudy rather than clear – the biodiesel will become clearer as time passes.
Step 8
Carefully pour the biodiesel into another PET soda bottle. Do not disturb the glycerine layer. If this layer gets mixed with the biodiesel, you will need to let the mixture re-settle until the layers separate once more.
Step 9
When the biodiesel is safelydecanted, you will need to submit it to awashing process. This step is required as it will remove all impurities. Once the washing process is complete, you will need to let it dry in order to eliminate its water content. This may take a few days, but you can quicken the process by heating the biodiesel to 120oF (48oC) and allow it to ventilate. This will evaporate all water content. The moment the biodiesel turns translucent, you will know it is ready.
Step 10
When producing biodiesel, it is recommended to perform certainquality teststo determine whether your homemade biodiesel can be used as a fuel to run a diesel engine without damaging it. Do not despair if initially your biodiesel starts failing the quality tests; just keep producing small batches until you succeed. After all, practice makes perfect.
As you can see, it is possible to beat the high price of gasoline with homemade biodiesel. However, do not try to turn a profit by selling your product to others as any damage caused to their engines is liable to make you the target of a lawsuit. Besides, it is illegal to sell non-fuel grade quality biodiesel.
