Making Biodiesel

Making Biodiesel

Making biodiesel does not have to be difficult. There are a few challenges you have to overcome, and you may be willing to fail a few times. This is however a very forgiving activity and if you are making your biodisel on basis of waste vegetable oil, you are not going to pay a lot for gaining your experience.

You need the following to get started used or fresh vegetable oil (it has to be filtered so it is free of particulates like  food crumbs, if it is new oil you can probably use it straight away, but I always filter it anyway). Then you need lye, and methanol. You will also need some Isopropyl Alcohol (99% IPA)

Of tools you will need an eyedropper- or other type of 1 milliliter dropper, some PH paper (to test for acidity ), an old blender, soem plastic buckets, plastic, stainless or glass stirrers and spoons. Measuring beakers or cups of plastic or glass and a precise scale (grams)

Making biodiesel using the following method:

First make your NaOH solution. Dissolve 1 gram NaOH (Lye) in 1000 ml. of water.
Take 10 ml Isopropyl Alcohol(IPA) and dissolve 1ml. of vegetable oil in it.
With  the eyedropper add the diluded lye to the oil mixture one milliliter at a time, until it reaches a ph of 8-9.

Now you can calculate the proportions. The number of millilites of lye needed for the oil to reach a ph of 8-9 plus 3.5 g. NaOH to catalyze the oil.

Then go ahead and prepare a larger batch in your blender. Don't forget to clarify, settle and bubble wash this mixture as usual and remember to follow the usual safety precautions for making biodiesel at home.

Making biodiesel is an easy process - click here for more information!including detailed explanations.