Go Green! Homemade Diesel

In fact, we're beginning to see a few gas stations here and there in the U.S. that sell blended bio-petrol diesel. They list it as 20/80 -80/20, the first number being the amount of bio and the second the amount of petro-based diesel. I forgot to mention that one of the coolest things about Biodiesel is the fact that it's very safe if spilled: no more hazerdous than table salt, and breaks down as rapidly as sugar, meaning that it's biodegradeable and non-polluting if spilled.

We have a 100% biodiesel pump at the gas station.

The Methanol is a byproduct of Methane gas production, and is used in a lot of stuff, like fuel injector cleaner additives and the like. The cost is pretty cheap actually, and I've recently read about a new method for creating biodeisel with Algae of all things... =)

I'm actually starting to look at buying a used diesel car and using it with biodiesel only... =)

The gas mileage is identical to petro diesel, but the engine runs quieter and more smoothly because of its better lubrication.

the popular science show, Mythbusters proved that a diesel engine could be run off nothing but used vegetable oil from a fast food restuarant with no modifications. The was actually a slight MPG increase as well. Since not many people are utilizing this yet, restaurants give it away for free. So, according to them, you can run your car for free with a MPG increase with no modifications. What is your opinion?

It absolutely can be done. In fact, the process of creating BD is primarily to thin the oil. The reason for this is to give the oil the ability to NOT gel as easily when the temperature drops. Petro diesel has that advantage over BD. One of Diesel's first public demonstrations showed his engine running off of straight peanut oil.

You could run a non-modified Diesel engine off of used cooking oil. You would most likely have to modify the fuel lines and add a pre-heater to raise the temperature of the oil however. I'm also not sure what the long-term effects would be, as used oil contains a much higher level of acids as well.

This is a straightforward conversion, simple on some cars and with some kits, but possible on all diesel engined vehicles.
There are numerous outfits that will do it for you, or sell a kit for your specific car or truck.
My diesel motorhome was converted to run WVO, and am in the process of converting my VW Vanagon. I run these on bioDiesel to warm up, then switch over to the used oil for nearly 0 cents per mile.

What kind of MPG do you get on straight oil? Comparable to diesel?

My experience is that there is a minute improvement. But that could also be attributed to driver behaviour, weather variation, vehicle load, etc. So, it is no worse, possibly 5% better.

Is that biodiesel can be use for any diesel car...cool... another 5 stars

Not marijuana, but Hemp, the oil from hemp seeds makes top-grade BD fuel. The stuff will grow in the trashiest soil without using pesticides or fertilizer, and Henry Ford actually built a prototype car that ran on hemp oil, as it was considered patriotic to grow hemp for rope making in WW1. The demise of hemp came when synthetic fibers (ironically made from petro chemicals) became cheap enough for mass production.

if we all piched in and grew hemp for fuel then we could all just get a bunch of VW micro buses that run on diesel and paint peace signs and flowers on them

getting of topic, some, but hemp as the fiber for paper produces better paper at much less processing and energy compared to wood based paper. Another instance of a better alternative being suppressed by vested interests.

We, as a society, are too concerned about our short-term comforts versus long term benefits. It's all a story - about how we would suffer if we had to do with less. And we've been conditioned by the media to think that we should minimize suffering now, at all costs, even if it causes future suffering.

Hemp is the answer to many of our fuel and other economic problems. The problem is you've got to run the Dems and Repubs out of office(they take $ from Archer Daniels Midland and other big ag producers to benefit their corporate farms) to ever get hemp reintroduced in the U.S. They call it 'weed' because it will grow anywhere, with minimal maintenance!

Besides the waste oil generated from restaurants, You can make BD from any type of vegatable oil, which is usually a by-product of many types of vegetable processing. You can even squeeze oil out of the existing plant stalks. No new land for mass production is needed.

With diesel engines as well? I'll have to research that!

this ONLY works in diesel engins, you CANNOT use this in a car that uses regular petrol/gasoline.
Hence the term "BioDIESEL".

Knowledge Publications shows you can run anything in your gas tank that is flammable so long as you supplement it with hydrogen.

Bah, Acetone only cleans the injectors so its not meant to run through all the time. Just a waste of money otherwise.

but making your own biodiesel is so much more expensive than just finding a place that sells it, or going to a fast food joint and asking them for used oil, and just filter that. adding acetone impoves mpg, 2oz per 10 gal of gas. acetone does not work with ethonal. 3/5 as its a good video, but global warming is not real, geothermic vents emmit more co2 than humans have since the start of the industrial revolution.

I actually have been looking for a used Jetta for this very reason. And you hit the nail on the head as far as to why petro diesel gained popularity and displaced BD...

will this fuel work succsefully in a Turbo diesel 4x4 without gumming up the turbo

I'm really amazed that the U.S. government hasn't done more to promote this as an alternative fuel, especially when diesel engines get 10-15 more MPG than the same car with a gosoline engine, and yet congress is debating raising the minimum MPG for new cars to 24 MPG when they could get 40 if they encouraged diesel production and bio-diesel subsidies...

Ok could you give a list of what we'll need if we get the ingredients from say a grocery store or wal-mart?

did you watch the clip? he tells you what the ingredients are. vegitable oil, methenol such as a gas line antifreeze and lye

US the the petrol stil cheap
and may they dont care much for the enviroment

available if you buy biofuels.

While Europe and the rest of the world are ahead of the US in using and promoting alternatives to fossil fuels, there is a tax credit for US Taxpayers who use biofuels.

It's a start. However, growing biofuel as an attempt to replace dependence on fossil fuels doesn't work as the US consumption for fuel is greater than can be met, even if *all* US agriculture were dedicated to growing such fuels.
The best solution is to reduce our demand. That means me and you - it is not somebody else's problem.

And you got that straight, unfortunately =)

Is that as we're in the process of cutting back and using alternative means of transportation, developing countries are headed in the opposite direction. I guess we just keep chipping away at it little by little...

Indeed, developing countries are making the same mistakes we did, at an increased rate. All because we've sold them on the fallacy that they are 'behind' and need to catch up to our way of doing things.

It is heartening to read that sometimes they have learned from our mistakes and are leapfrogging us - eg MPG standards in China are much stricter than even California dared propose.