Green Happens Now

Haden Freed asked:


With ever increasing gas prices, we get to witness a revolution in the industry - everyone is scrambling for an alternative solution.  Some people are looking into biodiesel conversion, asking if they can run their car on biodiesel instead.  Most drivers want something better than the conventional fuel.  A number of them want a type of fuel that is cleaner and safer, and environmentally friendly.   People also want something that will not cost so much.

Today, there has being a number of new alternative fuels introduced in the market and some have taken off rather well - including biodiesel. Biodiesel offers a glimpse of what fuel will be in the future - only now.

How is Biodiesel Different?

One feature that makes biodiesel so different from the other alternatives out there is that you do not need to get a special car or even make  modifications to your current vehicle in order to use biodiesel. If you have been using diesel as fuel then you can biodiesel.

Another feature of biodiesel that makes it attractive is the fact that you can indeed make  your own biodiesel - at quite a savings from the  price at the pump.  You could be driving on  homemade biodiesel for around $2 a gallon, instead of $4 or $5 a gallon or more.

Biodiesel fuel is very different from the normal diesel that you pump into your car, truck or SUV.  But it works like diesel fuel which is the very reason why you can use it in your car without  modifications. In addition, it is a fact that  biodiesel burns cleaner, so your engine will  experience lesser wear and tear. Also, it creates lesser pollution and so it is more environment- friendly. You may be pleased to know that biodiesel  is also safer with less chance of explosion or  fire.

Different Blends of Biodiesel

It is interesting to note that most commercial biodiesel sold in the marketing today are blended  version. Blended version means that biodiesel and  regular diesel are mixed together at different  levels. The reason why it is done that way is because pure biodiesel does not work well with  traditional rubber parts found in most cars. Hoses  and other rubber parts wear down over time with  consistent use of biodiesel. The solution to  correct this common issue is to mix biodiesel and  regular diesel together.

B100 (ie. 100% Biodiesel) is non-blended biodiesel can still be found. For those who have removed the  rubber parts in their engine will get maximum benefits from using pure biodiesel. However, take  note that a blended biodiesel still wins over the  straight diesel fuel because it can be used in any  diesel car safely and easily.

Clearing the Myths About Biodiesel

There are many myths circulating around concerning biodiesel that cause people to think twice about  using it. The known issue of biodiesel breaking down rubber parts of the engine.  It is not expensive when it comes to replacing the rubber parts compared to the common problems that may arise from using regular diesel. Biodiesel is much cleaner and so it will greatly reduce the effects of wear and tear. That means less service and maintenance to your vehicle.

As biodiesel becomes more and more popular, most  drivers will realize that biodiesel wins hand down.  Biodiesel is a proven alternative fuel for drivers today.

Makebiodieselathome asked:


There are many political reasons why biodiesel making has captured

the attention of both major fuel manufacturers and those who prefer

to make their own homemade biodiesel. Many car manufacturers are

seeing the wisdom of creating vehicles that can accommodate a

biodiesel product by creating a diesel car that is friendly to the

use of vegetable oil blended with diesel fuel. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to biodiesel making is that it helps to reduce the United States dependence on foreign supplies of

oil. Making your own biodiesel is also a way of keeping your costs down in the case of a national emergency such as the devastating hurricanes that recently hit the Gulf coast. Biodiesel making also keeps farmers employed. Biodiesel production is self-sustaining because it is a completely renewable resource. Biodiesel product is made from soya and canola, which is a self-sustaining fuel. Best of all it provides a market for excess soya bean oil production. Unlike the burning of fossil fuels biodiesel making gives back more energy to the environment that it takes. Lifecycle studies show that for every unit of fossil energy it takes to manufacture fossil fuel, 3.2 units of energy are gained during the biodiesel making life cycle. This kind of lifecycle study would take into account the planting and harvesting of the soy or canola as well as its transportation, production and distribution to the end user. In addition to displacing North America’s reliance imported petroleum, the use of biodiesel product has been shown to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. According to the national biodiesel board a 1998 biodiesel lifecycle study, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, concluded biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions

by 78 percent (compared to petroleum diesel.) The total fossil energy efficiency ratio of the production, manufacture, transportation, and distribution) for diesel fuel and biodiesel shows that biodiesel (diesel gas blended with vegetable oil) is four times as efficient as diesel fuel.

Burning just a 2% biodiesel blend in on-road diesel fuel will curtail all kinds of harmful emissions. Annually it has the potential to reduce poisonous carbon monoxide emissions by more than 35 million pounds, reduce ozone forming hydrocarbon emissions by almost 4 million pounds, reduce hazardous diesel particulate emissions by almost 3 million pounds and reduce acid rain-causing sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 3 million pounds. Given these

statistics about biofuel product it is quite baffling why more politicians don’t endorse biodiesel making as part of their political platform. Biodiesel product is available commercially but it is not available readily to everyone. This is possibly because the major gas companies are all too well aware that biodiesel making cuts into their profits. Until the day arrives when biodiesel fuel is made more readily available for everyone it seems that homemade biodiesel making might be a solution for those who are suffering economic problems due to disasters and unfriendly political decisions about the distribution of gas in general. The distribution of biodiesel is still sporadic but it is less so than it was before the turn of the century. The national biodiesel board contains a comprehensive list of locations where biodiesel

product is readily sold from pumps including an interactive point and click map that lets you find a biodiesel fuel station near you. Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


A biodiesel processor is a combination reaction vessel. It is used for producing biodiesel from vegetable oil.

An industrial processor is very much considered convenient for production volumes, which can’t produce more than10,000 t/year. The reaction and distillation process of the alcohol is a batch processing. The decantation use to happen continuously.

In the industry, a static mixer is being used with the esterification catalyst called sulphuric acid and then methanol and vegetable oil are mixed. The reactor is used for esterfication of free fatty acids. Where as in another static mixer, an alkaline catalyst generally potassium hydroxide is getting used, this is added to the methanol-oil mix for the transesterfication.

Now in the Second reactor, the process is called transesterfication occurs. While in the third mixer, various outcomes from a reaction are biodiesel, glycerol and methanol solvent. It is being nullified by introducing a simple mineral acid. The alcohol being separated in flash vaporizer called as distillation unit. The condensed Vapors of methanol are sent to the reception unit for introducing again in the cycle.

Now the remaining products in the flash vaporizer namely, biodiesel, glycerol, salts and water, are sent to continuous decanter, which separate biodiesel from rest of the by-products. The light phase which is getting created in the decanter is en tot the storage tank and remaining heavy phase is sent to another storage tank for latter purification. After this phase, it contains 80 to 90% pure glycerol, water and salts.

Biodiesel and glycerin purification ca be done in high vacuum evaporators. There is typical design called as wiped film evaporator, where products used to be clearly differentiated from various salts by thermal as well as mechanical methods.

The quantity of raw material which is required to produce 1000kg of biodiesel and 112 kg of glycerol.

It requires 1030kg of refined vegetable oil. It requires 103kg of Methanol. Catalyst of quantity 6.2kg used in process of biodiesel is sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Mineral acid required quantity is 6kg

There are some other services which should be make available like,

Cooling water service 20m

Steam 350kg

Electricity required 50KWh

Nitrogen required 3.2m

If you are making biodiesel at home, you should use any triglyceride fat or animal tallow or vegetable oil. You should have a strong base namely, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, also pure alcohol. You should have longer chain alcohol; it must be longer than isopropyl alcohol. You can use oil for processing which is often obtained in restaurants.

There are different methods for producing biodiesel. It is generally produced in small batch processors in the garage. But now some used to adapted processors to fit at the back of vans. It is transportable. One of the major difficulty being Dealt by various biodiesel homebrewers is just to make a mid scale biodiesel processors sufficiently very simple to cheap, safe and easy to make appropriate.