Biodiesel FAQ's
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Biodiesel FAQ's
What is biodiesel?
Can I make biodiesel myself?
Is making biodiesel difficult to do?
What other chemicals or ingredients do I need?
Where do I find these chemicals?
How much oil does it take to make a gallon of biodiesel?
What are the benefits of the heating unit?
Do I need a license or a special permit to purchase these items?
Do I have to make any changes to my vehicle to run biodiesel?
Can I mix biodiesel with petro diesel?
What about cold temperatures and biodiesel?
What is the by-product of making biodiesel?
Where do I get the oil?
Do I need to wash my fuel?
How do I wash my fuel?
Can biodiesel be used as a home heating oil?
Will I need to assemble my processor when it arrives?
How much room does it require?
What are the power requirements?
How much fuel does it produce?
What is biodiesel? back to top
Biodiesel is an eco-friendly alternative fuel made from vegetable oil. Biodiesel is much cleaner than fossil-fuel diesel. It can be used in any diesel engine with no need for modifications -- in fact diesel engines run better and last longer with biodiesel. And it can easily be made from a common waste product -- used cooking oil. All our biodiesel processors will make quality biodiesel with any vegetable oil, animal fat or algae oil using methanol and lye or potassium hydroxide.
Can I make biodiesel myself? back to top
YES! Our biodiesel kits make it easy. One of the most attractive things about biodiesel is that with the right biodiesel processor you can easily make it yourself. Anyone using one of our biodiesel processors can do it with ingredients you can find locally, like waste cooking oil, methanol and lye. All of our biodiesel equipment will make the process very simple and with very little hands on time. (Usually no more than an hour.) The best part of it is that what you make is better than the fossil fuels the big guys make: it's cleaner, more eco-friendly, it's inexpensive, and it's better for diesel engines -- they run smoother and last longer on biodiesel.
Is making biodiesel difficult to do? back to top
Not at all, making biodiesel in our processors only requires about 30 to 45 minutes of actual hands on time, and we provide an extensive owners manual, as well as a handy instructional DVD. Our biodiesel kits come with a starter kit that allows you to learn all about the basics of the process and make small amounts of biodiesel with the starter kit. The biodiesel starter kit also comes with an oil test kit, so that you can test the oil before processing.
What other chemicals or ingredients do I need? back to top
You only need 2 more ingredients for making biodiesel, Lye, or sodium hydroxide, and methanol. You can also use potassium hydroxide in place of lye and may find it easier to work with.
Where do I find these chemicals?
You can purchase methanol from chemical or fuel suppliers, also when looking in the yellow pages look for dealers of lubricants or racing fuel distributors. When looking for lye or potassium hydroxide, look for chemical dealers.
How much oil does it take to make a gallon of biodiesel? back to top
One gallon of oil will make one gallon of biodiesel.
What are the benefits of the heating unit? back to top
By heating the oil before processing, the oil molecules are thinned which prepares them to better mix with the sodium methoxide. Heating the oil helps achieve a better reaction which yields more biodiesel. Also, heating helps to speed the reaction time by 20%. Finally, the heater can also be used to help break an emulsion problem if one occurs after processing.
Do I need a license or a special permit to purchase these items? back to top
Most of the time you do not, the businesses that you contact will let you know for sure.
Do I have to make any changes to my vehicle to run biodiesel? back to top
No, biodiesel will power anything that runs on regular diesel, in fact it will remove fuel deposits and buildup that is already in your fuel lines, tank, and engine from using petro diesel. That is why when making the transition from petro diesel to biodiesel, care for the fuel filters should be taken.
Can I mix biodiesel with petro diesel? back to top
Yes, it can be blended in any ratio, and yes you can run your vehicle on 100% biodiesel!
What about cold temperatures and biodiesel? back to top
Like petroleum diesel fuel, biodiesel clouds when the weather gets cold, filling with little crystals of wax that can clog the fuel filter. When it gets colder still the biodiesel gels -- sets solid and won't flow or pour. We recommend using.
Technol B100 Cold Flow Improver
What is the by-product of making biodiesel? back to top
The by-product of making biodiesel is Glycerin; it is typically a dark substance that will solidify over time. You can compost excess glycerin by-product -- it is non-toxic and biodegrades quickly. It will need to be mixed thoroughly with other materials so that the air and bacteria can get at it, or it will just make a sticky mass -- mix thoroughly with dry, "brown" materials, use in conjunction with other composting materials as only a part of the overall mix. We also offer compost tumblers on our web-site to help you turn your glycerin into potting soil.
Where do I get the oil? back to top
Start with local restaurants, anywhere that fries a lot of food. Chinese restaurants are a great source of oil, be professional and courteous, sometimes it may even be profitable for you to offer to pay them a small amount for their waste oil. Insider tip: Look for restaurants that are located in strip malls or in places that don’t allow a place for a grease dumpster,(They are forced into putting the oil back into the containers that it comes in) this makes it easy to get because they are usually throwing it away and you don’t have to pump it.
Do I need to wash my fuel? back to top
Yes, while you can run on unwashed fuel it could still contain contaminates that could possibly damage engine components.
How do I wash my fuel? back to top
We offer 2 ways to wash your fuel, the water method involves the use of water misting on top of the fuel, and then draining off the wash water. If using the water wash method the fuel must be thouroughly dried to remove excess water. The dry wash method uses our BioKleen 350 Filtration System which cleans and polishes your fuel without the use of water.
Can biodiesel be used as a home heating oil? back to top
Yes you can, but it depends on the furnace. Some need some adaptation, others don't. Whichever, it must be washed biodiesel -- the methanol in unwashed biodiesel will deform any natural rubber parts.
Will I need to assemble my processor when it arrives? back to top
No, the processor comes fully assembled and ready to go to work.
How much room does it require? back to top
The Freedom Fueler comes on a pallet that measures 30 inches deep by 48 inches wide and 66 inches tall. You will only need additional room for your container of oil, and methanol. Our larger processors require additional space.
What are the power requirements? back to top
Your processor is equipped to run on 110v power, but can be equipped to run on 220v power if needed.
How much fuel does it produce? back to top
The Freedom Fueler can produce 40 gallons of fuel in about 24 hour’s time;(Time can be reduced to 14 hours if using the BioKleen 350 drywash system) capacity can be increased with the addition of expansion tanks.