Making Biodiesel – From Vegetable Oil

Heating the Vegetable Oil

The first step is to heat the oil to approximately 100 degrees F. We accomplish this by putting the
oil in a steel pot and warming it on a camp stove. That does allow us to do this in the basement,
keeping all processes concentrated in one area. Be sure not to overheat the oil. If it gets too hot,
it will cause secondary ingredients to adversely react. In warmer weather, we skip the stove
heating and set buckets of oil in the sun. In just a few hours, they're ready to process. While the
oil is heating, we move on to the next steps.
For our normal batch we use 15 liters of vegetable oil.

Safe Handling & Dispensing of the Methanol

Methanol is one of the three main ingredients used to make biodiesel. We like to buy our
methanol in 54-gallon drums from a local race shop. It tends to be most economical that way.
Make sure that the barrel pump used for transferring methanol is rated for alcohol. As you can
see, they are usually made of a yellow nylon material. It's non-reactive and non-conductive. Do
not use a normal steel barrel pump. Not only will the alcohol corrode and destroy the pump, the
steel could throw a spark and ignite the alcohol. Methanol is extremely volatile and flammable.
Be sure to wear heavy duty synthetic rubber gloves and use an approved respirator when
working with methanol.

For our normal batch we use 2.6 liters of methanol.

Safe Handling of the Lye

Lye, also known as Sodium Hydroxide, NaOH, and caustic soda, is the third ingredient used to
make biodiesel. Look for it at plumbing supply houses or from chemical suppliers on the internet.
As its common name applies, lye is extremely caustic and can cause SEVERE burns if it comes
in contact with any part of your body. Always wear eye protection and gloves when handling lye.

Measuring the Lye

The most expensive piece of equipment we use for making homemade biodiesel is a good
quality balance. You can also use a high quality electronic scale, but it's important that it is
precise. Accurately measuring the appropriate amount of lye is critical to a successful biodiesel
reaction. Having a measurement that is off as few as a couple grams can make the difference
between success and failure.

For our normal batch we use 53 grams of lye.

Mixing Sodium Methoxide

Sodium methoxide is the true ingredient that reacts with the vegetable oil to make biodiesel
(methyl esters). In this step, the methanol and lye that were measured and dispensed in the
previous steps are brought together to make sodium methoxide. Again, sodium methoxide is an
extremely caustic base. The vapors that the mixing process emits, as well as the liquid itself, are
extremely toxic. Be absolutely certain to wear heavy duty synthetic rubber gloves, eye protection
and an approved respirator.
As you can see, the mixing tools are simple. We use a coffee can and a speed-bore bit with the
tip ground off and chucked in a hand drill. There really is no need to spend a lot of money for
equipment--much of it can be homemade. It takes approximately 5 minutes spinning the blade in
the liquid in the coffee can to dissolve the lye
crystals. Note: The liquid will get warm as the reaction occurs.

Adding Heated Oil to the Bucket

After the oil is heated, pour it into the mixing bucket. The bucket must be completely dry and free
of any residue. The residue of any substance left behind can upset the delicate reaction and ruin
the batch of biodiesel.
We like to use recycled 5 gallon spackle buckets or restaurant supply buckets. If you're going to
use a bucket made out of other materials, you'll need to test it first to make sure it can withstand
the biodiesel reaction.
Adding Sodium Methoxide to the Oil in the Mixing Bucket
At this point, we generally like to add half of the sodium methoxide to the oil in the mixing bucket
and then give the remaining sodium methoxide another one or two minutes of mixing. This extra
mixing will fully dissolve any remaining lye crystals. Note: Any undissolved lye crystals can upset
the reaction. Add the last remaining bit to the oil in the mixing bucket. At this point, you'll begin to
see a very small reaction as the sodium methoxide makes contact with the oil. It bubbles and
swirls!

Before We Start to Mix the Biodiesel

Finally, all of the sodium methoxide has been added to the oil and it is a rich chestnut color.
(That's about to change.)
The beater that you see in this picture was salvaged from a discarded industrial mixer. Cost: our
time to dig through a pile of scrap steel. You could just as easily buy an inexpensive drill operated
paint mixer that would do the same thing.

The First Minute of the Mixing

ProcessWe took this picture to show you what the first minute of the reaction looks like. As you
can see, it's a muddy, cloudy-looking mixture. As the beater spins for the first minute or two, you
may actually hear a load on the motor and it will slow a bit. What's happening is that the mixture
is thickening slightly just before the main chemical reaction starts to take place, as the glycerin
begins to separate out from the vegetable oil. At that point you may hear the motor pick up speed
as the oil thins out and the separation continues.

Continuing the Mixing Process

As you might guess from this picture, the entire mixing apparatus is homemade. Everything was
made from materials that we had available in our shop, except for the drill. We splurged and
spent $17 on a regular 110-volt hand drill at Harbor Freight (my real tools are too good to use for
this process). The drill will get greasy and slopped up, so we caution you against using your good
tools as well.
We keep a lid on top of the mixing bucket to help contain splashes. To feed the mixing shaft to
the drill, we bored a 1-inch diameter hole and fed the bit through. In spite of how simple this
apparatus looks, it works amazingly well. Set the speed of the drill somewhere around 1,000
RPMs and let it run for 30 minutes continuously. This ensures a complete and thorough reaction.
You don't have to babysit this part of the process. We always set a kitchen timer and take care of
other tasks while the mixer is running.
After the timer beeps, turn off the drill and remove the bucket from the mixer. Set the bucket
aside, place a lid on it and let it stand overnight. It will take at least 12 hours for the glycerin to
settle out.

Making Biodiesel - The Completed Biodiesel (methyl esters) Reaction

Here the biodiesel reaction is complete, but it has not yet been removed from the mixing bucket.

As you can see, the biodiesel still has a rich chestnut color, but if you look closely, you can see
that it is mostly translucent. That means success. The glycerin has separated from the oil
(triglycerides), but it is still laying at the bottom of the bucket. The darkness you see at this stage
is the dark glycerin laying on the bottom.

While the glycerin has settled out of the bidiesel by day 2, you may actually want to let your
mixture settle for several days for clarity.
Before and After: Contrast of the Oil to the Completed Biodiesel Reaction

Here we took a sample of the mixture just after we shut off the mixer and let it settle out
separately in this glass jar. Both jars are from the same batch of used egg roll oil from a local
Chinese restaurant. The jar on the right is a completed biodiesel reaction. It gives a clear
illustration of the separation of the layer of dark glycerin at the bottom of the jar and the more
translucent biodiesel at the top of the jar. Compare that to the unreacted oil on the left, and the
difference is obvious.

Final Biodiesel Filtering

The last processing step before the biodiesel can be added to the vehicle's fuel tank is the final
filtering. We like to use commercial grade restaurant filtering bags in the 5-10 micron range. This
ensures that we capture virtually all debris before pouring the biodiesel into the car. Keeping this
dirt out of the tank obviously lessens the load on your fuel tank strainer and built-in fuel system
filters. Some biodiesel recipes recommend washing the biodiesel before putting it in the tank. We
don't wash our fuel and have driven in excess of 75,000 trouble-free miles in our indirect
injection, non-computer controlled diesel Mercedes Benzes. If you are driving a more modern
diesel vehicle, we do recommend you wash the fuel.

Making Biodiesel - Onboard Diesel Filters

Though the completed biodiesel looks clean to the naked eye, and you may be tempted to skip
the final filtering through the filter bag, avoid the temptation. The cleaner you have the fuel
entering the engine, the longer these two filters will last. However, if you are running biodiesel for
the very first time--especially in older, high-mileage engines--keep in mind that you'll probably
change your onboard diesel filters a few times initially. The reason: Biodiesel is an excellent
cleansing agent which ultimately is very good for your engine, but it will probably loosen years'
worth of built-up crud inside your fuel system.

Making Biodiesel - Filling the Vehicle

You can buy an expensive electric-operated pump if you want, but we're kind of partial to a
bucket and a funnel. It costs hardly anything and you get one final look at the fuel before it goes
sloshin' down the filler neck. If you put at least 25 percent biodiesel in your tank (on top of diesel
fuel), you should be able to smell the french-fry aroma within just a mile or two.

The Many Blends of Biodiesel

We're experimenters and fiddlers by nature. In the winter especially, we like to mix up various
blends and test their cold weather characteristics. Here you can see a visual difference from pure
biodiesel (B100) on the left to B50 and B20 to B10 on the extreme right.

If you live in a climate where it gets colder than 40 degrees, you'll need to do your own
experimenting to see what ratio will run best without any gelling. We've learned through
experience that it's better to stay on the lower concentrations. In rural Pennsyvania, it's not
uncommon for cold weather days in the 20s and lower--and we use B20 and anti-gelling agents.