How Biodiesel is Made

December 26th, 2008 by Discuss this article »
biodiesel
Gloria Smith asked:


With the high cost of oil and gas, biodiesel has increasingly become a popular alternative to the fuel that is sold in gasoline stations that are available for consumption as rich energy sources. It is a non-petroleum-made diesel fuel, which incorporates a dumpy chain alkyl containing ethyl or methyl esters. They are made by trans-esterification of the vegetable oils like groundnut oil, mustard oil, and ghee.

Consider these great benefits—more savings for you and a cleaner and greener planet for every person alive on earth. This is the reason why a lot of people have become curious as to the content of biodiesel and how it is made. The good news is that we can in fact create biodiesel right in our very own homes.

The main ingredient in making biodiesel is vegetable oil—the very same kind of oil that we use in the kitchen for the food that we eat. This can be done with the use of a biodiesel processor. It converts vegetable oil into the fuel that will power a typical diesel engine.

Determine first if the diesel-powered engine that you have will be able to run on biodiesel. You can do this by checking out with the manufacturer of your engine. If your engine is compatible, that will be the time that you can buy your biodiesel processor. Do not worry if the manufacturer says that your engine is not compatible, as there may be other available options. There are some kits that are able to convert engines that show problems when biodiesel is burned. Seek the help of professionals in finding the kit that is fit for your engine. Another option to the right way in making biodiesel is to learn and ask advice from a person who has already has experience with the use of biodiesel.

The raw materials that are used in producing biodiesel are methanol and a certain vegetable product. Corn is actually one of the best vegetable oils commonly in producing biodiesel. Other vegetable products are soybeans and flaxseed.  Mix vegetable oil with just a little bit of methanol. Place the mixture in an alkaline catalyst, say sodium hydroxide, which should just be 1% of the total mixture. Vegetable oils actually comprise triglycerides—compounds of glycerin that has three fatty acids. This whole process separates the glycerin molecule from its three fatty acids, which would eventually be replaced with three methanol molecules. The final product is 10% glycerin byproduct and 90% biodiesel. The process is called ester interchange.

The biodiesel processor that will be used for the above process is very small in size, and may either be purchased as a complete pre-made unit or one that you need to still set up. If you are setting up one of your own, take time out to understand all of the instructions and be aware of the precautionary measures in using the biodiesel processor so that untoward accidents when making your own biodiesel fuel.



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