1 Make your own Biodiesel Part 2

Chong Cheesman edited this page 2025-01-12 09:04:35 +00:00

Anybody can make biodiesel. It's easy, you can make it in your kitchen-- and it's BETTER than the petro-diesel fuel the big oil companies sell you. Your diesel motor will run much better and last longer on your home-made fuel, and it's much cleaner-- better for the environment and better for health.

If you make it from utilized cooking oil it's not only inexpensive but you'll be recycling a frustrating waste item. Best of all is the GREAT sensation of freedom, self-reliance and empowerment it will provide you. Here's how to do it-- everything you need to know.

Straight veggie oil fuel (SVO) systems can be a tidy, effective and cost-effective choice. Unlike biodiesel, with SVO you have to customize the engine. The finest way is to fit a professional singletank SVO system with replacement injectors and glowplugs optimised for veg-oil, in addition to fuel heating.

With the German Elsbett single-tank SVO system for example you can use petro-diesel, biodiesel or SVO, in any mix. Just launch and go, stop and switch off, like any other car. Journey to Forever's Toyota TownAce van uses an Elsbett single-tank system. More

There are likewise two-tank SVO systems which pre-heat the oil to make it thinner. You have to start the engine on ordinary petroleum diesel or biodiesel in one tank and then switch to SVO in the other tank when the veg-oil is hot enough, and switch back to petro- or biodiesel before you stop the engine, or you'll coke up the injectors.

More info on straight veggie oil systems in my blog.

3. Biodiesel or SVO?

Biodiesel has some clear advantages over SVO: it operates in any diesel, without any conversion or modifications to the engine or the fuel system-- simply put it in and go. It likewise has better cold-weather residential or commercial properties than SVO (however not as great as petro-diesel-- see Using biodiesel in winter season). Unlike SVO,

it's backed by lots of long-lasting tests in many countries, including millions of miles on the roadway.

Biodiesel is a tidy, safe, ready-to-use, alternative fuel, whereas it's fair to say that many SVO systems are still experimental and need additional advancement.

On the other hand, biodiesel can be more expensive, depending just how much you make, what you make it from and whether you're comparing it with new oil or (and depending on where you live). And unlike SVO, it has to be processed first.

But the big and rapidly growing worldwide band of homebrewers do not mind-- they make a supply each week or when a month and quickly get used to it. Many have actually been doing it for many years.

Anyway you have to process SVO too, specifically WVO (waste veggie oil, utilized, prepared), which many individuals with SVO systems use because it's low-cost or free for the taking. With WVO food particles and impurities and water should be eliminated, and it most likely needs to be deacidified too. Biodieselers state, "If I'm going to have to do all that I may too make biodiesel rather." But SVO types discount that-- it's much less processing than making biodiesel, they say. To each his own.