Homemade BioDiesel by Joseph Then

Homemade Biodiesel is easy. You need a few simple supplies and they are readily available at your hardware stores. All you need to do is to gather up 1 liter of vegetable oil, antifreeze, and lye. As for the equipment, you need a blender, scales, a few plastic containers, funnels, empty water bottles, thermometer, and a duct tape.

Make sure that you clean and thoroughly dry all the equipment that you plan to use. They have to be clean and dry and you should make sure that you are careful as you handle the ingredients.

First, start by measuring out 200 ml of antifreeze and placing it in a half liter plastic container through a funnel, then quickly mix in the lye. Note that Lye absorbs water rapidly, so when you mix it with the antifreeze, work fast. If you work too slowly, it will absorb water from the air and that can definitely interfere with the biodiesel reaction. A good way is to mix the two ingredients is to cover the container and shake the contents rapidly until you feel the container getting warm. The lye will rapidly dissolve into the antifreeze, foaming up as sodium methoxide. When the sodium methoxide is clear and there are no particles floating in it, it is ready for the next step.

Using a blender, (make sure that it is strictly for the fuel, don't use it for food!) mix the vegetable oil that has been heated to 130 degrees Fahrenheit with the sodium methoxide. The cover must be tight and blend the mixture on a low speed for about twenty minutes.

As soon as you are done processing the mixture, remove the content from the blender. Take a funnel, pour it into an empty, 2 liter water or soda bottle and cap tightly. Allow the contents to settle for at least eight hours.

Once the product settles, a dark colored layer will form at the bottom of the bottle with a distinct line of separation from the pale liquid at the top of the bottle. The dark layer is glycerin, and the top layer is biodiesel. Remove the biodiesel with care to a glass jar or clean water bottle.

Now prepare two wash bottles by piercing a small hole in the corner of two cleaned water bottles and cover the holes with duct tape. Pour the newly created biodiesel into one of the wash bottles, add a half liter of fresh water and then screw the cap on tightly. Turn the bottle on its side and roll it about with your hands until oil and water are well mixed. Remove the duct tape so that you can drain out the water from the biodiesel. Make sure that when the water has drained out, you block the hole so that the biodiesel remains.

Once the biodiesel is clear, the process is complete and it is ready to use. It can take up a week for the biodiesel to clear and ready to use.
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