Just think of some reasons why you should consider biodiesel in your life and you’ll come up with many reasons why you should also think about learning to make homemade biodiesel. Make a concerted effort to keep this New Year’s resolution for a change! We cannot forget how gasoline prices ran up to a terrible spike a year or so ago. We would all like to take more control over our lives, in any way that we can and not feel that we are slaves to forces, organisations, governments or even countries beyond our reach.
While everyone else around us may appear to be selfish or consumed by their own issues, even if this is not the case, we should ensure that we individually take action to protect our planet. Individuals can make a difference and as our transportation methods account for a sizeable part of greenhouse gas emissions, if (as most people) you need a vehicle to get around, consider fuelling it with biodiesel or at least a blend.
Making biodiesel is not as complicated as you might think. You need to learn about transesterification. Fundamentally, you will need animal or vegetable oils, also known as triglycerides and work to remove the glycerine. By using a catalyst, lye, you would remove fatty acids and be left with biodiesel.
A system allowing you to make bio diesel can be established at relatively low cost. You don’t need to be chemically inclined or to worry about burning the house down as you experiment! It is advised that you start out in a small way and see how you progress. It’s perfectly feasible for you to make biodiesel fuel for your vehicle and those of your family and save good amounts of money from your annual budget.
There are certain basic chemicals required when making biodiesel fuel and these include methanol. You will need virtually pure methanol for this to be effective. You might think the methanol is linked to global warming and it is in a certain way, but it’s used in very much smaller quantities. Should you rely on petroleum or petro diesel, you will definitely be making a difference in emission terms. Don’t forget to protect the catalyst from the atmosphere as it can absorb moisture quickly. Pick up caustic soda or potassium hydroxide and don’t breathe any fumes or get the mixture on your skin.
Start your initial experiments by using regular, over-the-counter canola oil or sunflower oil. In addition to the methanol and the caustic soda you will need a blender, accurate measuring scales and receptacles, a suitably constructed container (look for the #2 designation on the underside of the container), two different funnels, a large bottle for the settling process, a separate bottle for washing and a thermometer.
You’re now ready to go, and can start testing and venturing into your new world of propulsion! With so much to gain, not only ecologically, but also financially and politically, what could be the reason – or reasons, why it’s taking such an incredibly long period of time to make this extraordinary change for the better, for all of us, not just now, but for all of the future generations which will follow as well?
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