Find what you need to know for Biodiesel on this page
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Making Biodiesel Fuel It seems like an environmentally friendly gift from above - making your own biodiesel fuel. With recent fuel price hikes, and the growing awareness that we need to do something about the amount of fossil fuels being used, it seems like a great idea to replace them with biodiesel. But while it's becoming more common to see promotions for making your own biodiesel fuel, there are a few things you need to think about before you go ahead. Firstly, what is biodiesel fuel? Basically, it's fuel made from either animal fats, vegetable oils, or a combination of both. The most common choice is usually straight vegetable oil, often referred to as SVO. While making your own biodiesel at home sounds like a great idea, the reality is that very few households use enough vegetable oil or animal fat to supply a big enough quantity of raw product. It's almost impossible for you to use enough raw product at home to keep up with your motor vehicle fuel needs. That's why some companies have decided to search for bigger quantities of raw product. As a result, they're working with bakeries, restaurants and other businesses that use deep fryers, collecting their used oil and recycling it. Once the oils are blended they can be made into biodiesel fuel. It's still the same process you would use if you wanted to make biodiesel fuel at home, but because these companies have access to a much larger amount of raw product, they can produce biodiesel on a scale that makes it more viable. Of course, it's not as simple as just taking the vegetable oil, waving a magic wand over it and you have biodiesel. It needs to be mixed and stored, and that can be a logistical nightmare once you have a larger amount of raw product. Plus, to make biodiesel from waste vegetable oil, you have to de-water it, filter it and then de-acidify it. Still, if you're only interested in producing small quantities of biodiesel, it certainly can be done at home. Most households use around 600 gallons of gas a year. Prices vary, but you could expect to pay at least $1700. If you could produce the equivalent amount of biodiesel, you would pay about one quarter of that. Plus you'd know you were helping the environment. Starting with clean raw products, rather than using waste oils, makes it easier, because there's no need to store or "clean" the raw product. Even though the clean raw product costs more, you can still save a substantial amount over buying gas. Plus you're doing the environment a favor, which is always good. So if you're interested in making your own biodiesel fuel, give it a go. Your pocketbook and the environment will thank you.
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