roosterbob asked:
The rising cost of fuel around the world gives way to exploration of alternative fuels which are more cost effective and environment friendly. Re-usable wastes are a great source of fuel to help us power our vehicles that bring us to everyday places. Biodiesel is a popular option in place of commercial petroleum.
Biodiesel was specifically designed to counter rising costs of oil products. It is especially formulated for use in Biodiesel cars and trucks with diesel engines. There are also available kits to convert engines that run on gasoline. Another good thing about this alternative fuel is that you can make it in your own garage or backyard by assembling your own Biodiesel processors oryou canproduce it in big quantities given a larger space.
When preparing your biodiesel at your own home, always wear protective eye glasses, don clothes which can cover much of your skin, and used gloves when handling the chemicals.
How Biodiesel is Produced There are several stages in the production of Biodiesel:
1. For the first few batches of Biodiesel that you will make, try to use clean vegetable oil. As you become more familiar with the process, you can collect the cooking oil from your kitchen or collect from restaurants, food stalls, etc.
2. If you are using used oil, filter the solid components like burnt meat, fish, or any food parts
3. Cautious steps must be taken to ensure that the amount of water and fatty acids in the vegetable oil are in their right levels.
4. Prepare a mixture of lye and methanol in a tightly sealed container. Roll the container several times (Note: Roll. Do not shake). In commercial production, the mixture is placed in an agitator
5. Pre-heat the vegetable oil to around 55 degrees Celsius
6. At this stage the animal or vegetable oil can then be poured onto the Biodiesel processors. The evaporation of alcohol is not permitted by making the vessels of Biodiesel processors completely sealed.
7. The mix of oil and alcohol is boiled around seventy degrees Celsius to hasten the reaction which normally takes 1-8 hours. The Biodiesel will come to its glycerin phase after this stage.
8. At this stage, glycerin is separated from the raw Biodiesel. The design of the Biodiesel processors allows gravity to take control of the separation by drawing off the glycerin at the bottom of the vessel. This stage is often called the Setting Phase
9. After Setting the mix for around 12 hours to a day, transfer the mix to the washer vessel
10. Next step is tomist or bubble wash the raw Biodiesel to rid of excess alcohol, glycerin, and other impurities.
11. The Biodiesel is then allowed to dry and is then filtered by the Biodiesel processor before it can be used as fuel.
The steps to make Biodiesel may sound complicated at the start. There are a lot of websites and books to help you understand the process more clearly. Biodiesel processors can be assembled or bought to produce Biodiesel in your backyard or for commercial use.
Biodiesel is in the horizon right now, timely for all the economic turmoil that’s happening around the world.
