Getting Started

Do you have enough time to devote to the process?

Some folks on the internet would have you believe that their system is a "touchless" system and you won't have much time at all involved in creating biodiesel.  Yeah Right... I'll sell you the Brooklyn bridge for $2,000.00 if your interested..

Plan on spending a lot of your free time after work with all the washing, drying and transferring between vessels.  I've given up my television time after work and do Biodiesel instead....  I save 40.00 a month because I don't have the dish network bill, and probably 50.00 a week savings of what would have been diesel fuel costs.

Do you have the willingness to handle hazardous chemicals?

Making Biodiesel is semi-dangerous Methoxide can cause nerve damage, blindness or death. Need I say any more?

Does your neighborhood have any restrictions on you doing this?

If you have "onry" neighbors they may call the authorities on you and report your activities - making life real difficult for you.  It is best such that fewer people that know what your doing the better... You don't want environmentalists hassling you.

Do you have enough space to dedicate to about (4) 55 Gallon Drums? 

Look at your garage or shop, do you have enough space that 4 55 Gallon Barrels could occupy, and have a way to ventilate your processor's fumes to the outside.

Do you have a work bench/ table in the same vicinity?  You'll need to perform chemical tests on the oil you're processing and also will need to possibly deal with "emulsions" in smaller batches.

Lye Source

Can you find a steady supplier for Sodium Hydroxide (NAOH) or preferrably - Potassium Hydroxide (KOH)

Source for Methanol

Find out if you have a source for obtaining Methanol fuel. 

If you can't find this fuel in a cheap quantity, you might as well throw in the towel.  With a little effort, you may have success.  Local race car  tracks are your best bet - albeit you'll have to masquerade yourself as a race car driver that needs fuel.  Another possiblity for a methanol source is some "garage fellows" may be able to "hook you up" with information on people that run dragsters or funny cars that can get you a barrel when they get their own.

Other:

• Electricity (preferably a GFI 20 amp 110 volt circuit/outlet)
• Water for mist washing - you'll need a faucet near the wash tank
• Tools / supplies
  • Pipe Wrenches
  • Screw drivers
  • Breaker Bar and Socket to fit old water heater elements and/ or anode removal
  • Pipe cutting equipment (hopefully Lowes can help you there)
  • Hammer / nails, screws
  • Buckets ( about 3 or 4 of the plastic PVC kind)
  • Funnels (2 or 3)
  • Gas Mask (or respirator - but Army surplus stores normally carry Gas Masks)
  • Non latex gloves - resistent to biodiesel 
  • Rags
  • Accurate Digital scale capable of reading in Grams and Kilograms
  • Glass Beakers
  • Titration laboratory equipment - Pipettes / Bruettes and graduated columns
  • Glass Jars for sampling your finished product

   

• Skill - You'll need some basic carpentry/ electrical and plumbing skills to build your reactor

Warning / TIP - Biodiesel Eats Plastics - I thought I'd experiment with a Wal-Mart cheapy aquarium airstone - housed in its cheapo plastic.  I was warned on forums that it dissolves plastics and BOY does it ever - See these photos of it's disentigration:

Photo of Dissolved Walmart Airstone

Photo 2 of Dissolved Walmart Airstone

On to the Getting Started Movies: