Quote:
Originally Posted by enkeivette
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.
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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.