You’re only setting yourself up for a massive disappointment if you think you can just fill your gas tank with used oil and be done with it. Certainly, it is possible to fuel a car using used oil, but this oil has to be very pure and your engine needs extensive modifications done before this is possible. A lot of people aren’t aware that engine modification is usually needed before you can run your car on biodiesel; this is a fuel which is lower octane than conventional petroleum based fuels and requires some processing and in many cases, changes to your engine.

However, don’t think that you can’t run your vehicle on biodiesel. This alternative fuel is in use all over the world for many different applications. It’s possible to either run a vehicle solely on biofuel or as a partial replacement for gasoline to reduce emissions. There are many mass transit systems, school bus and taxi fleets which use biodiesel to fuel their vehicles in whole or in part.

Many government vehicles are also fueled with clean, renewable biodiesel; and there are even those who use biodiesel to heat their homes in the cooler months of the year. Farmers (as well as states whose economy is heavily reliant on the agricultural sector) are increasingly looking to biodiesel as a cash crop as well as a renewable source of energy. Interest is also increasing in the use of biodiesel as a fuel for generators, generators and even some aircraft in the interest of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and harmful pollution in many cities.

If you’re interesting in making biodiesel fuel you can easily find detailed instructions in many books and from a number of different websites; what you’ll read here is only the basics. It’s possible to make your own biodiesel, but it’s important to do so with careful attention to the instructions provided - if the ingredients are not in the right proportion, you’ll be left with fuel which is either too thick or thin to use. Typically, the best mixture is around 20% oil to 80% other ingredients.

The first step to making biodiesel is to heat waste oil to a temperature of-0 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and then titrating the oil to determine the content of fatty acids in the waste oil (these are often found in oil from restaurant fryers). The oil is then combined with a tester solution; you can find out more about this procedure from any website which is focused on making biofuels.

A catalyst (typically lye) is usually needed to make biodiesel from used cooking oil since the oil and methanol don’t mix without help. You’ll need to combine the lye with the methanol and then add to the oil and mix well once the oil has been heated. The process creates glycerin and other byproducts which need to be removed from the fuel. After these byproducts have been separated from the biodiesel, the next step is to “wash” the fuel with water to remove any remaining impurities. Following this, the fuel can be stored and any water left behind can evaporate before the biodiesel is finished and ready to use. This procedure is not the only way to make biodiesel, but it is the most common and the ingredients needed are easily available and inexpensive. You can find out more about the details of the procedure and the equipment you’ll need online, as well as about how to modify your engine to use biodiesel, if needed.

One thing you’ll notice once you start using biodiesel to fuel your vehicle is that your filters will become quickly. This is nothing to be alarmed about and is actually a good thing - the cleaner biodiesel fuel actually helps to eliminate deposits left behind from the use of conventional fuels. Once these residues have been eliminated, your engine will actually run more efficiently!

What started out in’12 in Germany by Rudolf Diesel using a simple oil made from peanuts so rancid that even cattle wouldn’t eat them, has become one of today’s most recognized and widely used alternative fuel source. It was at that time still an expensive venture, and with the introduction of cheaper fossil fuels, was pretty much put on the back burner. It wasn’t until the energy crisis of the seventies that people became aware that fossil fuels weren’t limitless, and prices and quantities can be manipulated. It was then that biodiesel began to be reconized as a low cost renewable source of fuel. Because it is made using non petroleum products, it burns better, cleaner and without all the harmful carbons, sulphates and and other toxic waste biproducts. With so many concerns for the Planet, global warming, climate change, etc., it is important that we utilize as many renewable resources that we possibly can. Not only can more people capitalize on it here at home, opening up new jobs and technologies, but it will also greatly reduce our need to rely on fossil fuels.

There are many resources online and offline which contain all of the information you need to get started making your own biodiesel fuel. There are also biodiesel kits which have all of the necessary equipment so you can get started producing your own clean, renewable fuel with ease.

The information here has hopefully piqued your interest in biodiesel, or at the very least made you aware of the viability of this clean, renewable energy source. Biodiesel technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace - the next generation of energy tycoons may be men and women making biodiesel in their own garages rather than the oil companies.

Tags: BioFuel