# Bio Diesel



## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

Is anybody making their own fuel? Is it easy?


----------



## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

If it were easy or cheap we'd all be running it. Yes it can be done at home, minimal setup as far as preparation for final product, if you get a kit $$$ (big disclaimer there)

Checkout http://forums.biodieselnow.com/ I have read alot of info but being under warranty still I don't want the risk yet but believe it's the fuel of the future.

Bill.


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

While my wife claims I make a lot of gas, I have yet to figure out how to make my Suburban run on it...


----------



## Huskytracks (Apr 18, 2005)

Google Johnny Appleseed and biodiesel. There is a group who has put out free plans to turn an old water heater into a reactor. They will give you the plans for free to promote biodiesel.

As to making it: You have to use some pretty nasty chemicals in the process(Lye and methanol). But if you use the right precautions it can be done safely.

The thing that has kept me from trying is that up here it costs about $2.00 for the methanol needed to make a gallon of biodiesel. Since I am not ready to make a reactor that recycles the methanol, I have been holding back.

But if you want to you can try it. You can make a small batch in an old blender to see how the process works. Good luck.


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Oregon_Camper said:


> While my wife claims I make a lot of gas, I have yet to figure out how to make my Suburban run on it...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You see Jim, you take this garden hose...

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Oregon_Camper said:


> While my wife claims I make a lot of gas, I have yet to figure out how to make my Suburban run on it...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LMAO - oh the irony

Thor


----------



## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I have thought about it, but actually, more for supplementing home heating oil then for running the Ex. Ford covers the engine 'til 100,000 miles, so I have a little while before the warranty is up.

To use it in the boiler at home, I believe you need to replace all of the copper lines that might run from your tank to the burner, with something similar to PEX.

As far as emissions, when brewed properly, bio-diesel is supposed to be cleaner burning than dino-diesel, with less green house gases produced, as well as no sulfar, and a higher lubricity rating then dino-diesel. With todays fuel injectors being lubricated by the fuel itself, this is important.

I'm not sure what the Cetane rating is on it, but I'm sure that an additive could be used to boost that if need be.

There is plenty of info on the internet about how to make it. A couple of the guys at work have been talking about it for over a year, but so far, neither has done it. One of them has gone so far as to secure a supply of used cooking oil for FREE!, so even with the high cost of the methanol, with a recovery system set up, he estimated he would be making B100 for between $0.70 and $1.25 a gallon.

Tim


----------



## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Ahhh BioHeat...now we're talking something up my alleyway.....

Until recently, most of the attention on this cleaner, renewable fuel has been focused on biodiesel as a transportation fuel. This is due to the fact that, as a nation, we consume more distillate fuel for transportation than any other use. However, in the Northeast, this relationship is inverted. Maine, for example, uses three times more distillate for heating than for transportation. As a result, some fuel dealers have begun to recognize that there is a huge market that exists beyond biodiesel, and marketing "bioheat" blends can offer many advantages.

Using biodiesel as a heating fuel is not a new, untested idea. Extensive studies have been conducted in the lab, as well as in the field. Tests of bioheat showing positive results began in this country in 1993. Since then, extensive tests have been carried out by Brookhaven National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Lab and the National Biodiesel Board, among others. These tests have all proven that using Biodiesel in a blend with No. 2 fuel results in lower emissions and fewer service calls, in addition to requiring no equipment modifications.

Biodiesel Notes

- Biodiesel can be made from any biological oil, including seed oils (soy, canola, cottonseed, etc.), animal fats and recycled restaurant oils.
- Biodiesel is not "grease." It is manufactured using a process called "transesterification," which results in a fuel that has very similar properties to distillate fuels, but is renewable, non-toxic and biodegradable.
- 100-percent biodiesel is called B-100, a 20-percent blend of biodiesel and heating oil or diesel is referred to as B-20, a 5-percent blend is B-5, etc.
- B-100 will gel at a higher temperature than No. 2 diesel (30(-45(F). Blending with winter spec fuels will lower the gel point accordingly. Adding a conventional cold flow additive to blended biodiesel is another method of solving this problem. In very cold climates, both strategies are recommended.
- Biodiesel can be blended with distillate fuels to any ratio. Once blended, it will not separate or stratify.
- Biodiesel has an ASTM standard (D-6751-02) just like other fuels. All commercially produced Biodiesel must meet this minimum quality standard.

you can also convert your truck to be a vegetable burner...got a few of these here at Cornell Vegetable Burning in Diesel cars-clicky

Let me know if you want more information.

I've been engineering ways to convert our building emergency power generators to biodiesel and also vegetable oil. A work in progress. Did manage to get a design built installing a diesel catalyst to reduce diesel emissions on one huge generator.

Now I just need to get you into burning Bio-Mass fuels









kevin


----------



## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

Thanks for the info hp.. cool web site.


----------



## old_tidefan (Nov 23, 2005)

hurricaneplumber said:


> Ahhh BioHeat...now we're talking something up my alleyway.....
> 
> Until recently, most of the attention on this cleaner, renewable fuel has been focused on biodiesel as a transportation fuel. This is due to the fact that, as a nation, we consume more distillate fuel for transportation than any other use. However, in the Northeast, this relationship is inverted. Maine, for example, uses three times more distillate for heating than for transportation. As a result, some fuel dealers have begun to recognize that there is a huge market that exists beyond biodiesel, and marketing "bioheat" blends can offer many advantages.
> 
> ...


Couldn't have said it better myself


----------



## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I knew somebody here would have more info then I would. Thanks for the post Kevin.

Tim


----------

