Introduction: Make Your Own Biodiesel!
This video shows how easy it is using items available at nearly any supermarket, and details some facts about biodiesel fuel you may not have known!
PREPARE THE METHANOL/LYE MIXTURE IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA (preferably outside)! FOLLOW ALL PRECAUTIONS LISTED ON THE HEET/ LYE CONTAINERS!
Ingredients: 1 cup (250 ml) Heet brand Fuel Line Additive (Methanol), 1/2 Tsp (4 grams) Lye drain cleaner, 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable oil, protective eyewear, rubber gloves, dry glass jar with airtight lid, Dry 2 litre pop bottle, funnel.
Step 1: Mix the methanol and lye in the glass bottle. Swirl and/or stir/shake until all lye is dissolved.
Step 2: Heat Veggie oil to approximately 60 C or 140 F.
Step 3: Use funnel to add oil to 2 litre pop bottle. Add Methanol/lye (methoxide) mixture with funnel. Cap the bottle and shake vigorously for 20-40 seconds.
Step 4: Watch over the next 20 mins as Glycerin layer forms at bottom of pop bottle. The upper layer (lighter colored) will be cloudy. Over the next 1-2 days, the upper layer will become crystal clear. Congrats! You've just made Bio-Diesel!
77 Comments
10 years ago on Introduction
where the video ???
11 years ago on Introduction
Shaking vigorously for a few seconds won't produce much of a yield. You must let the solution stir for about an hour using a stir plate. The settling process also takes about an hour.
12 years ago on Introduction
Can any of you tell me what the shelf life of Bio diesel is?
15 years ago on Introduction
you might want to mention that different oils have different pH's and different pH's will gererate different amounts of fuel/glycerin, also if you do decide to use waste oil, WVO, then you need to titrate it, doing a 1 liter batch compined with about 2 mL's of phenolphthalein and adding successive drops of a 1 molar sulferic acid solution. this is just a general overview, but you might consider it. other than that very informative
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
Exactly. Another option is to simply use 1 TSP lye, which works with about 99% of used oil, although you have to do some washing of the end product to get rid of any excess NaOH. You can also titrate using a bit of the oil thinned with isopropyl alchohol, and then a known percentage of NaOH suspended in water and use the Phenol for pH change, then calculate from that. But this video was primarily used as an introductory piece. =)
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
What is the shelf life of the BD once it has been washed?
13 years ago on Introduction
can anybody suggest and send me the project on my email- iamabadboy.anirudh@gmail.com project on information and communication technology school level project and green energy
13 years ago on Introduction
so, i read all of the comments but i still need to know if this method of making biodiesel requires me to wash the biodiesel ?? of can the "upper layer" be used right away without being washed after it turns "crystal clear" ??
thanx
15 years ago on Introduction
It is my understanding that Mr. Diesel did not create the diesel engine to run on biodiesel but to run on coal dust. Coal dust was a nuisance at the coal mines and no one had a use for the dust itself so there were piles and piles of it. So Mr. Diesel came up with his engine to use this untapped resource. However, I am not saying you are wrong I am just saying this is what I have learned. have you heard this also?
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
NO he created it originally to run on peanut oil so that is basically biofuel
Reply 14 years ago on Introduction
Yep...Peanut oil is correct!
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
In 1892 Rudy built the Carnot Heat Engine, which is the engine that burned coal dust. In 1897 he built his first prototype Diesel engine (which almost exploded as he was demonstrating it, which just goes to show that our Instructable disasters go a LONG way back ;) Ross
Reply 15 years ago on Introduction
ahh.. good info, that does sound familiar now. Thanks for the info and yes our disaters do go a long way back.
14 years ago on Introduction
great video! i wonder why biofuel isn't used more??? any future instructions on how to titrate the fuel out and actually use it? can i put this fuel in my 2004 toyota highlander? thanks for sharing and looking forward for more of your instructables!
14 years ago on Introduction
can you use make veggie oil out of corn and wud it work?
14 years ago on Introduction
nice
14 years ago on Introduction
I know this sounds stupid, but could you use methelated spirits?
14 years ago on Introduction
i think video won't show player
14 years ago on Introduction
thank u for posting such a wonderful project.... I want to know what is the concentration of methanol... example:10%...20%...50%... i m going to purchase it from lab and they need to know the concentration
14 years ago on Introduction
I plan to do some lower temp metal melting. I saw a used-oil fired blast furnace. It appears that new motor oil will not fire up, B U T, Used, filtered motor oil works great. So you need to use used oil only, even for biofuels. Anybody have an explanation why this so?