Waste vegetable oil, commonly referred to among biodiesel enthusiasts as WVO, provides the main ingredient in a fossil-fuel alternative that is safe for car engines. WVO comes in many forms, such as cooking grease and lard, and can be collected in the home or donated by nearby food service businesses. With a few readily available items and an adherence to simple safety procedures, anyone can create a batch of diesel biofuel in his kitchen or garage.
Instructions
1. Put on safety goggles, an apron, a dust mask and safety gloves. Adherence to safety is of the utmost importance, as making biofuels involves dangerous chemicals and chemical reactions. Long sleeves and long well-fitting pants as well as appropriate footwear are preferred.
2. Filter large waste particles from the waste vegetable oil through a kitchen strainer, pouring the oil from its original bottle into a disposable plastic container. Used oil often contains piece of food and other particles that will contaminate the final biofuel product. Repeat this step as often as is necessary to create "clean" oil.
3. Heat 1 liter WVO in a metal pan on the stove to 120 F to remove any water content. Use a kitchen thermometer to ensure the oil reaches the correct temperature. Oil that does not spit and pop indicates that the water has been removed.
4. Allow the cleaned oil to cool to 60 F.
5. Measure 250 ml, or approximately 1 cup, methanol into a lidded glass jar. Before pouring the methanol into the jar, check the jar for leaks by filling it with water, screwing on the lid, and shaking it vigorously. Ensure the jar is free of water before pouring in the methanol.
6. Add 6 g, or 1 tsp., lye to the methanol. Lye is sometimes referred to as caustic soda and is available at pharmacies. It is a highly corrosive chemical and should be handled with the utmost care.
7. Seal the mixture of methanol and lye in the jar, and shake it until all the lye powder has dissolved and the two ingredients are completely mixed. This can take up to 10 minutes, but shaking the jar speeds up the process.
8. Place a funnel inside the neck of a clean 2-liter bottle, and pour the waste oil inside. Leave the funnel in the bottle.
9. Open the glass jar of methanol and lye mix (now called methoxide), and carefully pour the mixture on top of the oil using the funnel. Remove the funnel from the bottle, and screw on the original cap before shaking the bottle up and down for approximately 10 seconds. Make sure the lid is on very tightly before doing this.
10. Allow the mixture to settle for about 1 hour or until defined layers appear. The bottom layer is glycerin, the middle layer is soap, and the top layer is homemade biofuel diesel made from waste vegetable oil.
