Biodiesel
 

Ok Ben, since you keep crying about it, and because I'm cheap, I'm going to try it out. Going to start with fresh store bought vegetable oil and try to make a gallon in my kitchen.

I was reading up on it, and it seems that the process is roughly this:

Weigh out lye on a gram scale, dissolve lye (amount is determined by percentage of actual lye) in methanol (methyl alcohol, which I think I can pick up at Home Depot). Heat cooking oil to 130 degrees farenheight, mix & blend for 20-30 mins, and allow to separate for 24 hours.

Drain out glycerine, boom... diesel. I haven't however, seen anything about an additive that I remember you talking about. Were you referring to the methanol?


Another thing that is interesting is something called black diesel. It's basically the same thing made from used engine/ trans/ gear oil. Won't run in a Duramax because of a sensor, I wonder if it would run in my Mercedes diesel.

Two things:

Lye is wickedly dangerous. It is a genuinely nasty casutic chemical. Use the appropriate precautions. It will eat your skin off and if you breath much of it in it will melt you lungs and you will die a horrific death. It is however, a very useful chemical that cleans many things better than anything else and you used to be able to by it right off the shelf.

As I recall, methanol is one of the resulting components of making biodiesel (in some processes at least). If the methanol content goes too high in your biodeisel, it will eat up your seals.

Neither of these are particularly complex problems to overcome I'm sure, just be aware of them.

Obviously, the savings in making biodiesel is from locating cheap/free greases and oils from restaruants, etc.

You'll likely need to go with teflon everything. We have B99 at the shop and it will dissolve just about everything, viton, rubber, powder coat, garlock, etc
You'll need to make sure that the fuel system is up to it, you're almost better off doing a vegi conversion, you'll need a separate tank though and some way to heat the vegi oil.

Ok deleted my post for bad info. Shaolin was basically correct I think.

Method 1, common: Transesterification
What enkei did (I think)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transesterification

Results in fuel with glycerols which presents some "challenges."

Method 2, Hydrocracking
This is an actual refining process, but vegetable oils, etc. can be used for input. Not sure you can build an, errm, micro-refinery at home.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocr...#Hydrocracking

I've walked on lye before with bare wet feet. It burned worse than any other chemical I've been exposed to, but I'm alive.

Thanks for the heads up Shaolin, theres always a catch, every time I get an idea to try something clever.

I filled up with B20 today. I read that B99 can set loose petrol deposits which can clog your fuel filter, so I thought I should start with the B20 and wash it out slowly. It was 4.09 as opposed to the 4.25 everywhere else.

You can always do a propane conversion as well

Not common enough for me. I don't want to have to worry about that on the way to Havasu.

Just stop by a Home Depot and fill up. The 76 by my house even fills propane bottles. Propane can be acquired quite easily.

There is no Home Depot on the way to Havasu that's open past 10pm. Plus, that's a lot of work to convert. Plus I have no desire to do it. Plus I don't know that a diesel engine can even be converted to propane. Plus diesel Jeeps are rare enough and will have a much higher demand than a propane Jeep for resale. Plus if I can make biodiesel on my own that will be cheaper than propane.