Biodiesel

[Matt]

Anyone making thier own? What is the process and on what scale?

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html#biod
http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=how+to+make+biodiesel&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

Matt

[weasel]

Not the same idea, but I have a friend who mixes used motor oil 50/50 with diesel and seems to do well, in the winter he runs 30/70. Where I work we have to pay someone to haul off our used oil.

[efremtags]

I do not make fuel first hand but have done some research when fuel was 4.50/gal.

Northern tool sells the fuelmeister II which is a semi-automated machine that will make 50 gal at a a clip in a day.

The complications are you need a free source of waste oil (local restaurtants), but more importantly the means to get the fuel which means pumps, storage, filtration and a means of disposeing the glycerine by-products. This is not trivial as if you make a hundred gallons a month of fuel, you will quickly accumulate a lot of waste.

The process is pretty easy, a simple test of PH and oil composition, add some lyme, heat, agitate, and in 12 hours you have fuel.

You can build your own machine, but it's pretty time consuming and requires a lot of hands on to maintain the process control.

[ottawa rogue]

good stuff, but don't let it get cold.
 pure Bio will gel at around 45'.
we ran it for a couple of years in our fleet and even at a B-10 concentration (10% bio), we'd be replaceing filters when it got below 40'
something to consider

[billy_56081]

good stuff, but don't let it get cold.
 pure Bio will gel at around 45'.
we ran it for a couple of years in our fleet and even at a B-10 concentration (10% bio), we'd be replaceing filters when it got below 40'
something to consider

Same thing happened here, it started clogging filters when the weather turned cold. Also do not advertise that you are using nontaxed fuel in your vehicle, we had one gentleman here that MNDOT pretty much bankrupted with fines and penalties. I had warned him not to brag with signs on his vehicle, but he did not head and was nailed to the wall.

As an old Indian once told me "never steal from the government, they hate competition" ya know what, he has never been wrong on that account.

[efremtags]

There's no law saying you can't use bio in a fuel because it is not taxed. I would fight that tooth an nail.

[Badnews Bob]

You'd loose to, the Tax isn't for using the fuel the tax is for using the roads. You can use bio fuel all you want to offroad like on the farm. But if you drive a vehicle on the road system you have to pay road use tax, same with diesel or kerosene, Tax for over the raod nontax for offroad.

[billy_56081]

There's no law saying you can't use bio in a fuel because it is not taxed. I would fight that tooth an nail.

So are you a Lawyer? I think you better brush up om your laws. I know here in MN it is law. And I'm prett sure federally fuel tax evasion is a crime also. Now I aint wanting to pay taxes any more than anyone else, but all I'm saying is if you are doing this don't advertise it.

[efremtags]

I'm not a lawayer, so I did a little research

"Biodiesel, if used as an on-road fuel in a vehicle, may be subject to road taxes. The taxation laws are changing all the time so check with your local tax consultant to identify which taxes biodiesel may be subject to. Currently (April 2005), the first 400 gallons of homemade biodiesel is exempt from Federal excise taxes. Anything over 400 gallons is subject to the normal tax rate. You will need to check your State Tax Code for exemptions on State Excise Taxes."

No need to get stupid about things guys.