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General: DIY Biodiesel

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1 to 29 of 29

  1.  
    • CommentAuthorPeter A
    • CommentTimeNov 6th 2007
     
    Just wondered if anybody out there knows of a simple way to make your own biodiesel, I have looked at a few articles and it appears to be something best done in almost laboratory conditions, there is always a simple solution somewhere. Was thinking about this more a generator back up, then when diesel hit £1/ltr at the pumps it has got me thinking again about automotive quality biodiesel.
    Before you say it yes I do know this is the green "building" site, but I do need to collect building materials from time to time and it would be nice to keep the carbon foot print down.
    • CommentAuthorhowdytom
    • CommentTimeNov 6th 2007
     
    http://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.org/index.htm try this link, seen on tv, dick strawbridge.
  3.  
    I read a book on it once and was put off by what looked like quite an involved process (probably not that bad when you get into it). I recon it is worth it if you have a regular source of used oil, e.g. you are on good terms with the owner of the local chippy. Otherwise, it doesn't save you that much money, if you pay the duty, and I don't think I really agree with growing food to feed cars. Better off hanging out for an electric vehicle I recon.
    • CommentAuthorPeter A
    • CommentTimeNov 6th 2007
     
    Duty? I was thinking more along the lines of the moonshine era in the good old US of A.
  5.  
    HMRC has very draconian powers, as witness the 'bust' in a Llanelli supermarket car-park some years ago.

    Why not go for straight veg oil and a 2-tank system? I used to have a stationary Lister engine for demo purposes. It started on pump diesel and as soon as it was warm, we switched to SVO.
    • CommentAuthorPeter A
    • CommentTimeNov 6th 2007
     
    Posted By: howdytomhttp://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.org/index.htm try this link, seen on tv, dick strawbridge.


    Unless I missed something, all I could find was a forum and a course that was oversubscribed and sometime ago?
    • CommentAuthorhowdytom
    • CommentTimeNov 6th 2007
     
    Sorry peter cant get the hang of links yet, but you'll find the info on their website....... somewhere!
    tom
  8.  
    LILI (www.lowimpact.org) run some very popular DIY biodiesel courses. I still think SVO is worth a look, too.
    • CommentAuthorRoger
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    HMRC let you use up to 2,500 litres per year for personal use without duty.
    • CommentAuthorhowdytom
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    Roger,
    could you point me to the relevant info, as that revelation has interested me.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    If you have a tank beside your driveway and get it filled with commercial biodiesel, you can specify e.g. half of it is for the car (with duty), half for the boiler (no duty) - no-one checks what (if any) your proportionate use really is.
    • CommentAuthorRoger
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007 edited
     
    Hmm, there might be some digging to do between 'producer' and 'consumer' status but:

    "The changes to the Biofuel and Other Fuel Substitutes (Payment of Excise Duty etc.) Regulations 2004 come into effect on 30th June 2007. They are: A de minimis production level of 2,500 litres per annum below which producers will not need to enter premises, submit returns or pay duty"...

    Also see: http://www.etruk.com/
    and.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/oct/27/motoring.motoring

    Rog.
    • CommentAuthorTuna
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    I went on the Dick Strawbridge course, and have my own bio-diesel reactor, which cost a couple of hundred quid to put together, and takes up a few feet in our sheds. We use it to fuel our pickup, and use diesel hot-air blowers to heat our caravan. The chemistry is fairly straightforward but you need to understand what's going on to make sure you don't end up with a messy sludge that will wreck your engine. It definately doesn't need laboratory conditions - bucket chemistry at it's best.

    The most difficult thing is assessing your oil in the first place - you need to do a titration, which does require some precision. Once done though, the rest of the job is easy.

    If you can find a supplier of methanol and buy in reasonable quantities (ie a 200 litre steel drum, which will make 1000 litres of biodiesel), you should be able to produce biodiesel at around 13-14p a litre.
    • CommentAuthormook
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    Has anyone used biodiesel or a mix in a domestic oil boiler? Do the buners need to be switched out, and can one get biodiesel delivered, like conventional oil/kero?
  15.  
    I've got the LILI book "How to make biodiesel". I would recommend it before going on a course as I think there is enough information in there to get started. I'm interested again now that I know there is no duty to pay. We only do about 6000 miles a year but it might pay me to swap to a diesel and sort out a used veg oil supplier.
    • CommentAuthorPeter A
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    Trawled thru the "It's not easy being Green" site, bounced on by a few links and came up with this;
    http://greenfuels.co.uk/fuelpod.pdf
    At £995+vat I wonder what the pay back would be? A homebrew still type of kit still appeals to me...
  17.  
    I know a few guys who just chuck veg oil straight in there van tanks without any problem so far.

    I buy my biodiesel 85p litre at the moment with VAT reciept


    Jim
  18.  
    ''I know a few guys who just chuck veg oil straight in there van tanks without any problem so far.''

    Yes, but watch out for gloopiness on cold days. Even our local (Sheffield) bio-diesel maker (BioUK fuels) fights a bit shy of using undiluted bio d in the winter, and that's with (as I understood) some sorting of its viscosity compared with SVO.
  19.  
    A simple setup I've heard of is a bit of 28mm+copper pipe inserted into the radiator waterpipe somewhere
    with some 8mm mircobore coiled/rapped round it , then the fuel line connected through it to prewarm the oil
    ,but this wouldnt work at start up, and you'd end up with the problems Nick mentioned
    A guy who sells filtered recycled oil was running his van like that, I'll ask him what he does in the winter.
    the other one to stick 20% kerosene in it but I'm not sure thats legal.

    Jim
    •  
      CommentAuthorrichy
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2007
     
    lapparently, putting those things used to keep urinals smelling fresh, produced by izal, placed in the fuel tank keep the bio fuel flowing in sub zero temps!

    Thing is, will we ever see really cold conditions again?
  21.  
    I suppose there is always to option of buying a "bummer" for £200 or less and trying the SVO option. If it doesn't work out, and you have to tow it to the the scrappers, you haven't lost a lot. If its done you for a year or more then just get another.
    • CommentAuthorTuna
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007
     
    Gelling in winter is a real problem, and a good reason to steer clear of SVO. That's not to say it doesn't occur with biodiesel - but bio will carry on going at much colder temperatures than SVO. At 'normal' temperatures, bio has almost identical physical characteristics (such as viscosity) to 'dino diesel', so it can be treated as a straight replacement with one exception. Biodiesel attacks certain types of seal. Depending on which material your engine (and most importantly, your fuel pump) uses as seals, you can either use biodiesel or not. Most manufacturers can tell you whether their cars are ok, and there are online databases where people have compiled lists of which cars will work with biodiesel without going wrong.

    The biggest problem is that diesel engines are incredibly forgiving for what they'll run on. I've heard loads of stories of weird stuff that people throw into their fuel tanks and - hey, the car still runs! The trouble comes a few hundred miles down the road when your engine needs to be replaced. Unless you really know what you're doing, why risk an expensive repair bill? The fact that your car will turn over, start and even run smoothly on a fuel doesn't mean that damage isn't occuring. Particular problem areas for all replacement fuels are the fuel pump, injectors and on modern cars, the sensors and ECU. Because diesels have high pressure fuel systems, if one of those breaks it costs a fortune to replace.
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007
     
    Posted By: mookcan one get biodiesel delivered, like conventional oil/kero
    Yes - as I said above, 'f you have a tank beside your driveway and get it filled with commercial biodiesel, you can specify e.g. half of it is for the car (with duty), half for the boiler (no duty) - no-one checks what (if any) your proportionate use really is.'
    •  
      CommentAuthorfostertom
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007
     
    It shd be important to know what was the original source of the veg oil - for example, if palm oil, highly suspect, because it's increasingly grown on cleared rainforest land and has generally devastating eco profile.
  25.  
    I use SVO (straight veggie oil) in my old landy and it works just fine. I have a preheater for the fuel that is partly powered by glow plugs which is taken over by hot water when the engine is up to temp.

    All the veggie oil is from chip shops etc and I filter it using the most basic drum filter (available on ebay!). Best bit is that it requires no energy to process, just time.

    I've some pictures here for those interested http://www.adrianhollister.com/index.php?/archives/21-Landrover-Discovery-300TDI-running-on-100%-SVO-straight-veggie-oil.html
  26.  
    Hi,

    There was a special feature on DIY Bio in the August issue of Car Mechanics, plus adverts for various fluids and bits of kit to do it, as well as whole set ups for about a grand being advertised.
    Cheers
  27.  
    Sounds like a twin tank system - it starts and stops of diesel and when warm runs on veggie oil. Most cars can run like this and it gets around any 'waxing' problems with veggie oil when cold.

    I spent a whole 60 quid on my approach - which is to heat the veggie oil fuel before and after the fuel filter. At this time of year I also run Veggie Oil blended with Petrol at a 95% veggie 5% petrol mix. I've done a few thousand miles on veggie oil without a hitch so far.

    Wouldn't it be nice if all those big diggers, JCB's etc on a building site used old veggie oil.
  28.  
    I was once told you could run the site plant , big diggers etc, on milk as they have such high compression

    I wouldn't try it though

    Adrian great blog, I emailed it to couple of landrover nuts I know , they loved it
    • CommentAuthorBluemoon
    • CommentTimeNov 13th 2007
     
    Run an injection engine on kerosene? With a lowered compression ratio, would it be possible to run a petrol injection engine on kerosene without preheating, as was needed in the olden days with carburettors? Object is to reduce the cost of running a large genset.

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