How Can I Benefit from BioDiesel?

With gas prices getting more expensive, greenhouse gasses on the rise, you should start looking at alternatives. Biodiesel has been getting a lot of publicity but is it the answer? Can you use it? If so how?

Biodiesel Fuel

If you have an interest in being environmentally friendly, then no doubt you’re aware of the damage fossil fuels are doing to our environment. Not only that, but at some point they will run out. Add in the recent jump in gas prices, and it’s hardly surprising that more people are talking about making their own biodiesel fuel. Although it sounds like a great idea, you need to consider a few points before going ahead and making your own biodiesel fuel.

What Is Biodiesel?

To start with, let’s take a look at what biodiesel fuel actually is. At its most simple, biodiesel fuel is made from either vegetable oil, animal fat, or mixture of the two. It’s a clean burning fuel that is made from renewable resources hence the name biodiesel.

Generally, biodiesel fuel is made from straight vegetable oil, sometimes referred to as SVO. So if you want to make your own biodiesel fuel, you’ll need to have an adequate supply of the basic ingredients. Unfortunately, most households don’t produce enough waste animal fat or vegetable fat to come anywhere close to making enough biodiesel fuel to keep the family car running.

Using Recycled oil

This has led to a whole new industry, with the basic aim of sourcing much larger quantities of raw product. They get together with restaurants, bakeries, and any other business that uses a deep fryer, so that they can collect the used oil for recycling. The oils are then blended and used as the basis for biodiesel fuel. The processes are the same as you’d use to make biodiesel fuel at home, but by having access to a much larger supply of raw products, these companies can produce biodiesel in quantities that are more viable.

Can I make it at Home?

One thing to remember is that it’s not quite this simple! Used vegetable oil needs to be mixed and stored, which can be quite a problem if you have large amounts of it. You also need to dewater, filter and deacidify the waste oil before it can be used for making biodiesel. This makes the production of biodiesel fuel at home a lot more complicated.

Having said that, it’s certainly still quite possible to make biodiesel fuel at home, simply by buying straight vegetable oil, rather than using waste products. Even though it will cost you a lot more, when you compare it to the cost of buying the necessary amount of gas to run your car for a year, you can still save an enormous amount - somewhere around 75 percent. Even better, you’re saving the environment too.

Can I mix it with Petroleum?

The short answer is yes! It can be blended with petroleum in any percentages and used as fuel. There is a fuel called B20 which is 20 percent biodiesel that has shown significant environmental benefits. It can be used in an existing diesel engine with either little or no modifications. The only thing to be aware of is that biodiesel acts as a solvent and can remove old deposits on on your fuel tank walls and your fuel lines. This may lead to a clogging of your filters so care should be taken. But hey - then you have a clean system!!

So if you’re interested in saving money and helping out the environment, look at the option of making biodiesel fuel at home. It takes a little bit of effort, but the rewards are definitely worthwhile.

Steve Dolan is an environmentalist concerned about global warming and non-renewable resources. Biodiesel may form part of the answer. Find out more by clicking BioDiesel and Alternative Fuels

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How to Make Biodiesel - Making Biodiesel at Home

Biodiesel fuel is the answer to the polluting effects and rising prices of fossil fuels. Making biodiesel at home is an easy process… Learn how to make biodiesel at home in the easy step-by-step procedure given here.

Switch on the news on TV, open the newspapers, or browse the net - and one of the hottest topics being discussed is the adverse effects of pollution on the environment, people and animals. From smog to acid rain to global warming to cancer, fossil fuels are the main culprit. However, there is a clean, viable alternative fuel - biodiesel. If people learn how to make biodiesel fuel, not only can they have all the energy they need, but also not harm their health and the environment. Apart from being safer for the environment, biodiesel is also the much cheaper alternative. Plus, it is one of the best ways to lessen our being dependent on foreign oil.

What Exactly is Biodiesel Fuel?

Biodiesel is a fuel that is vegetable oil based, which can be used to run an unmodified engine - whether a truck, boat, bus or car. While it is usually derived from canola oil, recycled fryer oil can also be used to make it. It can be used in its pure form, or even be mixed with regular diesel. According to many environmentalists, biodiesel is the fuel of the future.

Biodiesel fuel is also one of the alternative fuels that have been tested the most thoroughly. And these tests have shown that while biodiesel performs just as well as petroleum diesel, it is a far more environment-friendly fuel.

While some claim that the United States does not have the capability of mass-production of biodiesel, however, it is a fact that at present there is the capacity of producing 200 million gallons, which is no mean amount.

How to make Biodiesel at Home

Essentially, biodiesel is derived by a chemical process known as transesterification. This basically involves the replacement of the glycerol component of the oil being used with an alcohol, which is done in the presence of a catalyst.

Although it may sound complicated, making biodiesel at home is quite a simple process. Farms all over the world have been using biodiesel for several generations; it is only becoming popular in the mainstream now because of the increasing need felt for finding viable alternative fuels to fossil fuels.

By using easily available ingredients, simple tools, and easy techniques anybody can learn to master how to make biodiesel, thus reaping the fuel cost cutting benefits of fuel production at home.

Step-by-Step Method of Making Biodiesel at Home

The first stage of making biodiesel is to collect the things you will require. These are:

• The oil
• A vessel for making the fuel in
• A settling tank
• A filtering system
• 95% pure sulfuric acid
• 99% pure methanol
• Prepared mixture of methoxide
• Measuring beakers and pipettes

1. Filter the oil in order to get rid of all particulate matter, like bits of fried food leftovers. Use a number of filtering screens. If you want to avoid this step of the process, you can just buy unused oil.
2. Heat the oil up to about 60 degrees C for about 15 minutes in order to remove any water that there may be in it. Then, put the oil in a settling tank and let it stand for 24 hours to allow it to separate. Then, either drain out the water from the top or from below.
3. Next, the oil should be measured precisely and heated until all the solids melt. It is important to measure the oil precisely so that the other ingredients that you put in are in correct proportions.
4. Then, using a ratio of 8% to the total amount of oil, add methanol that is at least 99% pure. The higher the purity of the methanol, the better.
5. Keep blending the methanol in the oil for about five minutes. At this stage of the procedure the mixture of oil and methanol will look cloudy.
6. Next, for every 1-liter of oil, add 1 ml of 95% pure sulfuric acid. Remember to be very careful, taking every safety precaution, while handling sulfuric acid, because it can be extremely dangerous.
7. Heating this mixture up to 35 degrees C, keep stirring it. Then, remove it from the source of heat and keep stirring it gently for 2 more hours. Then let it rest for about 8 hours.
8. After that, if you find that any of the mixture has solidified while it had been resting, reheat it lightly. Then, put half of a 12% volume methoxide mixture into it and stir for 5 minutes.

Tips and Precautions

• Try this process out on a small amount at first, say about 1 liter. Once you do that, you will know what to look out for when you handle a larger amount.
• The chemicals used in this process are hazardous; hence, you need to take every precaution before making biodiesel fuel at home.

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Biodiesel Conversion Tips

a. However, many of the vehicles we currently use can not be used with these alternative fuels without some type of conversion. Biodiesel is generally safe to use without a need for conversion. It is best to use a biodiesel blend rather than straight B100 unless your vehicle is made specifically for use with pure biodiesel.

Straight vegetable oil is another option, but there is a need for conversion before it can be used. This is due to the fact that oil burns differently than diesel fuel. You could pour straight vegetable oil in a diesel vehicle and it will get you where you need to go but over time it would not function properly and you would need some repair to the engine and fuel parts. You may need an extra fuel tank and a heating system to avoid problems in the future.

You may wish to convert your vehicle to run through SVO biodiesel so you will not take the risk of possible damage to your vehicle. You need to change the fuel delivery system. You have to keep the vegetable oil in a liquid form so it can spray through the fuel injectors. This usually involves installing a special tank that will keep the vegetable oil heated so it remains liquefied.

You also need to make sure that before combustion the oil will not have time to solidify. This may require an additional heating system to keep the oil heated and stayed liquefied.
The vegetable oil need to stay heated so it can flow through the system and combust as energy without ever having the chance to solidify and gum up your engine or other parts. You also should replace any rubber seals as these will break down when used with vegetable oil. Usually newer diesels do not have the rubber seals so this is only a concern in older diesels.

After you have converted your vehicle you should be able to run it off straight with vegetable oil. In colder weather you may need some diesel fuel to get the car started. This is because the vegetable oil will solidify due to cold weather and will not be liquefied enough to get flowing through the system to start the car. After the car is warmed up then the vegetable oil will be ready to use.

You also need to clean your fuel lines and fuel pump before letting it set in cold climates so there is no risk for vegetable oil solidify in the lines or pump and causing the car not to start. You can use a cleaner to do this or just run diesel through the system before turning it off.

To know more, visit www.wvodesigns.com. The goal of this site is to provide detailed design information relating to the use of Waste Vegetable Oil as fuel. Designs include vehicle conversion, collection systems and processing equipment. They have also developed centrifuge for processing WVO, WMO and Bio-diesel.

By: Biofuel

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Save Money with a Biodiesel Kit

If you’ve never heard of biodiesel fuel you may be missing out on saving a lot of money. Most of us are very familiar with gasoline and oil. In fact our wallets and pocketbooks have been doling out money for years to make certain that our cars are able to get us where we need to go.

With the rising gas prices of today many people have begun to look for an alternative way to put fuel in their cars. A biodiesel kit fits the bill for many people who have started making this oil saving fuel in their own backyards. And why not make your own fuel, the hit to wallets and bank accounts with high gasoline prices makes finding alternative fuel sources imperative these days, particularly with the price of gas and oil in the news on a daily basis.

A biodiesel kit is a great way to save a substantial amount of money on your fuel costs. The basic function of such a kit is to convert vegetable oil into biodiesel, a fuel source that can be used in vehicles that currently run on diesel fuel. It is important to note that not all car companies endorse the use of biodiesel fuel in their vehicles and will void the warranty if an engine is damaged by its use. Be sure to research this before buying a new vehicle with a diesel engine. For older diesel cars and truck there are engine conversion kits that will make the change to cleaner burning biodiesel much easier.

There is a minimal amount of supplies needed to use a biodiesel kit. You will need basic tap water, methanol and access to a good amount of vegetable oil, which can usually be obtained from restaurants and such. You can set the kit up just about anywhere, although most people do put them outside in a shed or under an overhang. You will be making a fuel oil so setting up in the house may not be a real good idea.

When it comes to pricing a kit the more features to be found the more expensive the kit. The most expensive models are built to prevent fumes and odors from escaping during the refining process. Having an odorless refining process may be important for those wishing to refine their fuel near their home. If you live on a farm or a large acreage this may not be as important as the kit can be located farther from the house. Of course if you can afford it go ahead and get the more expensive closed system just because they are very easy to use.

If for some reason you already have a large amount of cooking oil that you need to dispose of then a biodiesel kit would work perfectly. It does take more time to process used oil but the results are the same, a more environmentally friendly fuel that can be put into a diesel powered vehicle.

Considering that the price of gasoline is on an ever rising trend making biodiesel for personal use can be seen as a smart move. Having your own biodiesel kit producing a constant supply of a low cost environmentally friendly fuel right in your own backyard would remove the sting of high pump prices.

Do you want to know more about biodiesel kits and the fuel they make? Click here and find out all about biodiesel.

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Use Lpg Kit And Make Your Vehicle Environment Friendly

We are daily facing the problem of increased fuel bill because of increased price of petrol and diesel that is going on increasing at a regular interval. Only very rich people are able to absorb this increased cost. Most people are looking for ways to reduce their monthly fuel bill. If the fuel price goes on increasing in this way, then it might become impossible for many people and business to use their vehicle. Therefore, continuous search is going on to find out cheaper fuel for running our vehicles. At the moment, LPG is slowly turning out to be one such alternative fuel for our serious consideration.

LPG is the short name of Liquid Petroleum Gas and is also known by another name of Autogas. The raw material used to manufacture Liquid Petroleum Gas is both crude oil as well as natural gas. This gas is a by-product while extracting oil and gas from wells. This gas is also produced during the process of refining of crude oil as well as during the processing of natural gas. Mostly this gas is produced during natural gas processing. But, quite a significant amount of this gas is produced during the refining of crude oil. Liquid Petroleum Gas is a mixture of two chemical compounds of propane and butane. LPG is produced by mixing these two chemicals in desired proportions. Normally, they are mixed in 50:50 ratio but when the climate becomes colder, more propane is used while in warmer weather this proportion is reversed.

The greatest benefit of using LPG as the fuel for your automobile is that it reduces your fuel bill substantially, which could be as high as 50% of your present expenditure on this account. The other biggest advantage of using this fuel is that vehicles using Liquid Petroleum Gas produce much less pollution than those using petrol or diesel. Using of LPG as automobile fuel helps in reducing the release of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur to the atmosphere.

It is quite simple to convert any vehicle that is presently running on petrol or diesel to run on LPG. This process does not require removal of the existing fuel system of the vehicle. Only an additional tank for storing the gas and a LPG kit is required to run the vehicle on LPG. This makes it possible to run the vehicle on either fuel. In case LPG gets exhausted, the vehicle could be still run on petrol or diesel. This provides great flexibility in running the vehicle. Because of increased popularity of LPG as auto fuel, some of the newer models of cars are coming now with LPG kits factory fitted.

Therefore, to reduce our fuel bill as well as to save our environment, LPG kits should be made more popular.

By: JessicaThomson

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For more insights and further information about lpg conversionvisit our site www.comparelpg.com/

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