Once upon a time in the long ago a man named Rudolph Diesel thought he could change the world with a revolutionary engine that ran on peanut oil. Pity he tried to sell it to both the French and English naval fleets for their submarines got mixed up in political intrigue.
Despite all this his name is carried on with the diesel engine. The only difference is that the fuel companies capitalized on his name. BIODIESEL is a clean burning alternate fuel. It is the name for a multiplicity of ester-based fuels (fatty esters) commonly defined as the monoalkyl esters made from vegetable oils. Such as soybean oil, canola or hemp oil, or sometimes from animal fats through a simple process termed as transesterified. This renewable source is as capable as petroleum diesel in powering diesel engine without requirement of any modification. Thus biodiesel an alternate for diesel is now present and making biodiesel from cooking oil is the simplest process available that can be easily done at home also.
One can go through very simple steps to make biodiesel from cooking oil. One would need the following –
Cooking Oil (WVO)
Lye (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) to act as the catalyst.
Alcohol (Methanol or Ethanol) 15% by volume of the cooking oil.
Heat (any type of burner)
Reaction vessels (perhaps oil drums)
Thermometer
Blender
Isopropyl Alcohol (use 99% IPA)
Eyedropper
pH paper (litmus paper) to check for alkaline percentage
The make up of the free fatty acids present in cooking oil changes when it been heated which is why one should use cold pressurized oil. Oil, which has been used in cooking, will require more of the reactive agents than fresh oil. It is necessary to determine the exact amount of lye needed to neutralize the acids otherwise more amounts of glycerin and less biodiesel as a result which would be an ultimate loss for you. Making biodiesel from cooking oil though looks like a compicated process, but is not.
A step by step guide to make biodiesel from cooking oil is as follows -
Measure a quantity of oil into a suitable container and heat to 120 which would be the optimal temperature.
In separate container mix Methanol with lye. The lye must be added slowly as it will become extremely hot. The resulting mixture is Sodium Methoxide.
Add the mixture to the heated oil mix vigorously for about an hour. You may want to set up some kind of mechanical aid to do this, perhaps using cycle power or any motor, which would help, and you will not have to strain yourself.
Stop mixing when it appears that the separation has stopped. Leave the mixture to cool and settle over night. Patience is a must in this process.
The free fatty acids (glycerin), will sink to the bottom forming a cloudy layer. On top will be your biodiesel (methyl esters)
Separate the methyl ester or biodiesel into a separate clean container and add water.
Now finally separate the methyl ester into a separate clean container and add water. When the water has separated from the methyl esters, drain the water out from the bottom of the container.
Finally after some time of back breaking labour, biodiesel from cooking oil is now ready for use.
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