Master Farm - Equipment Marketing Specialists

Master Farm - Equipment Marketing Specialists: "There are several ways of making Bio-Diesel fuel but one of the simplest and user-friendly ways is by TRANSESTERIFICATION. This means changing one type of Ester into another. By this process the Glycerine that is in vegetable oil is detached or separated form the vegetable oil to leave what is called Bio-Diesel fuel. The glycerine is what makes vegetable oil thick and sticky and therefore what we are doing is reducing this viscosity of the oil.

In order to make this process happen, we use Methanol (Alcohol) and Sodium Hydroxide. When these two chemicals are mixed together in the correct ratio and added to the vegetable oil, the separation of the Glycerine occurs. What is left is crude Bio-Diesel fuel.

The qualities of the above two chemicals are variable to the oil used. Clean oil may require less chemicals, dirty used oil may require more. The amounts of the chemicals are determined by testing the oil that is to be converted. This testing is called TITRATION and is critical to successful Bio-Diesel production."

BBC NEWS | England | Humber | Port fuel plant to boost economy

BBC NEWS | England | Humber | Port fuel plant to boost economy: "A �10m biodiesel fuel plant, said to be the UK's largest, is to be built on the Humber estuary, it has been revealed.
Greenergy Fuels Ltd said the Immingham plant will be able to produce 100,000 tonnes of the 'green' fuel every year.
The plant will turn rape seed - some of it locally grown - into biodiesel to be sold at Tesco filling stations across the country.
Greenergy chairman Andrew Owens said the development could bring about �75m into the local economy."

BBC NEWS | England | North Yorkshire | Cooking oil fuels vehicle debate

BBC NEWS | England | North Yorkshire | Cooking oil fuels vehicle debate: "Cooking oil fuels vehicle debate

Biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions
Fuel made from the oils of vegetables, seeds or beans could be used to power vehicles in North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire county council will meet on Wednesday to discuss converting its vehicles to run on bio-diesel in a bid to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
They will look at the effectiveness of the green fuel which is made from crops or waste cooking oil and mixed with conventional diesel.
The fuel does not require any changes to vehicle engines.
If the idea is rejected, the use of bio-diesel is likely to become part of a larger package of road fuel research being conducted by the council"

BBC NEWS | England | Kent | Campaigner in row over tax on oil

BBC NEWS | England | Kent | Campaigner in row over tax on oil: "A green campaigner who runs his car on vegetable oil is challenging the government over whether it should be taxed at the same rate as diesel fuel.
Kent businessman Dominic Goodwin from Maidstone runs his modified car on pure vegetable oil, on which Revenue and Customs says 47p a litre tax is due.
Mr Goodwin claims it qualifies for the 20p lower rate payable on biodiesel.
Revenue and Custom said: 'Biodiesel is produced from biomass or waste cooking oil and not vegetable oil itself.'
Mr Goodwin, a member of Headcorn Sustainability Group, said the cooking oil he buys from a cash and carry had been chemically tested to make sure it was suitable for his vehicle"

Biodiesel

Biodiesel: "What is still widely unknown is that it is easy to make biodiesel for diesel engines using vegetable oil or animal fat. Biodiesel is sold commercially in Europe, America and Australia.
On a small scale, vegetable oil is relatively expensive, but used products from the cooking industry is abundant and can easily and cheaply be converted into a biodiesel fuel that will mix in any quantity with conventional diesel. During heating, the amount of polymers in the oil may increase up to 15 wt% and thus may have negative influence on fuel characteristics. Therefore, the amount of polymers in waste oil is a good indicator for biodiesel production (Mittelbach M et al. JAOCS 1999, 76, 545).
The transesterification process involves mixing at room temperature methanol (50% excess) with NaOH (100% excess), then mixing vigorously with vegetable oil and letting the glycerol settle (about 15% of the biodiesel mix). The supernatant is biodiesel and contains a mixture of methylated fatty acids and methanol, the catalyst remaining dissolved in the glycerol fraction. Industrially, the esters are sent to the clean-up or purification process which consists of water washing, vacuum drying, and filtration.
An in situ alkaline transesterification was shown to be efficient in preparing fatty acid esters, the simple and direct process eliminating the expense associated with solvent extraction and oil cleanup (Haas MJ et al., JAOCS 2004, 81, 83).
Transesterification may be processed using methanol, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, or butanol, the catalyst being either sodium or potassium hydroxide. It was shown that the methanol/oil molar ratio influences largely the efficiency of the reaction and has important implications for the optimal size of methyl ester plants (Boocock DGB et al. JAOCS 1998, 75, 1167). Optimization of methanolysis"

CAMBRIDGE BIODIESEL - HOME

CAMBRIDGE BIODIESEL - HOME: "CAMBRIDGE BIODIESEL (CBd) was formed to bring 100% biodiesel to the Cambridge area. Currently CBd is a distributor for biodiesel fuel produced by Global Commodities of Shipdham, Norfolk.In the longer term, subject to financial and legal requirements being met, a small community based biodiesel manufacturing plant will be constructed at a industrial location yet to be acquired.CBd are already manufacturing biodiesel on a small scale using a domestic biodiesel processor and a second, much larger processor, is currently under construction (scheduled to go into production in Spring 2006). These processors are serving as test beds for the commercial scale plant."

Slash Fuel Costs: Make Your Own Biodiesel � Transport News Network

Slash Fuel Costs: Make Your Own Biodiesel � Transport News Network: "Bioprocessor units that produce diesel fuel from vegetable oil have been introduced by MB Industrial, a UK company based in Cheltenham. They are available from small scale processors able to produce 45 000 litres per year through to computer controlled systems capable of delivering 5 - 15 million litres per year.Produced from new or used vegetable oil, the clean-burning biodiesel can be made for a cost of only about 50p per litre including duty, a huge saving on forecourt prices.'Diesel engines do not need any modification to use the fuel,' said Matthew Barnes, who heads MB Industrial. 'In fact, they run better on it and produce less pollution.'Whilst some fleet operators will want to use a 10 per cent mixture of biodiesel and conventional mineral diesel, most diesel engines will happily run on 100 per cent biodiesel. In fact, many drivers using fuel from biodiesel processors don't set foot in a service station from one month to the next!Biodiesel also helps to decrease maintenance costs and reduce engine "

:: SchNEWS :: DIY Guide - How to make Biodiesel

:: SchNEWS :: DIY Guide - How to make Biodiesel: "Theres nothing more we like at SchNEWS towers than a spot of DIY, be it a pint of homebrew or a free party. But one piece of DIY that we reckon is up there with free parties is home made diesel.
Yep, forget about handing your hard-earned coffers over to the corrupt, greedy and killing corporations like Shell and BP, take a squeezy bottle, a piece of sticky backed plastic and make your own biodiesel. No seriously, biodiesel is a fuel made from waste vegetable oil, of which there is literally tons of the stuff being dumped in landfill sites up and down the country! This otherwise waste is easily collected from chip shops and restaurants and without too much hassle processed to make biodiesel that can be used to run any diesel engine. Biodiesel, far from being an inferior homemade product, is better for your engine than the usual crappy fossil-based fuel that is helping to screw up the environment and people�s health. Biodiesel can be made in your own backyard with little start up cost involved and works out at about 30 pence per litre. Wanna know more? Then read on."

Saab's biodiesel alternative - Autoblog

Saab's biodiesel alternative - Autoblog: "While the Toyota Prius (and hybrids in general) have dominated the news as alternatives to gasoline-powered vehicles, Saab has quietly been developing and manufacturing its �biopowered� 9-5 in Europe.

Well, that anonymity may soon be dashed. The General Motors-owned company has confirmed it exceeded its 2006 sales target this year and anticipates to sell three times that number next year.

A concept version of the 9-5 with a 310-horsepower flex-fuel biodiesel will be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, in January. No reports when such a vehicle will be manufactured or if any biodiesel model will be coming to the American market."

On hybrids vs. veggie-oil cars | By Umbra Fisk | Grist Magazine | Ask Umbra

On hybrids vs. veggie-oil cars | By Umbra Fisk | Grist Magazine | Ask Umbra | 14 Mar 2005: "You have stung me to the quick. I did not side with gasoline. I asserted that gasoline is better than diesel, but not better than biodiesel.



Fuel up!
Photo: Biodiesel AmericaNot only will biodiesel result in lower carbon-dioxide emissions than gasoline; it is also an alternative fuel, and supporting it sends an important message about prioritizing the environment. Hybrid cars deserve our support, but they rely on gasoline, the supply of which is rapidly dwindling and the extraction of which is wrapped up in nasty world politics and pollution.


I'm glad you have a Prius, but I completely support your switch to biodiesel, and also to straight vegetable oil from restaurant fryers. Fellow readers, to briefly review: Gasoline is petroleum-based. Biodiesel is chemically altered (transesterified) vegetable oil or animal tallow. SVO is new or filtered chemically unaltered veggie oil. Diesel engines can theoretically run on any vegetable oil. In an upcoming column, I'll go into how to run your diesel on SVO, but today we will focus on Marc's question: should we bother?"

Interesting Thing of the Day: Vegetable Oil as Diesel Fuel

Interesting Thing of the Day: Vegetable Oil as Diesel Fuel: "The other day I was out for a walk in my neighborhood and I noticed an otherwise ordinary-looking pickup truck with a big sign on the back that said �This vehicle powered by 100% used vegetable oil.� That�s nice, I thought, very environmentally conscious and all�as San Franciscans are known to be. I wondered briefly about the technological issues involved in getting a truck to run on vegetable oil, information that surely would be available a few clicks away on the Web. But I also wondered about maintaining a fuel supply. If you�re on a trip and the fuel gauge starts getting low, a gas station would presumably do you no good. Do you start looking for a doughnut shop or a fast-food joint where you can score some used oil? Is there enough to go around? And will it really end up being less expensive than conventional diesel fuel?"

Greasing Your Vehicle with Vegetable Oil

6abc.com: Greasing Your Vehicle with Vegetable Oil: "August 25, 2005 - Well, if you're tired of sticker shock at the pump Action News has found a potential remedy. Forget about gas, how about greasing your vehicle with vegetable oil? Action News consumer reporter Nydia Han explains.
These days, Dave Dunham fuels his car for free. Instead of filling up and paying up at the gas station, Dave greases his 2003 Volkswagon Golf hatchback with used vegetable oil.
Dave Dunham/SmarterFuel.com: 'It's a huge cost savings and as the cost of fuel gets higher and higher, you save more and more money.'
Restaurants normally pay to have old oil hauled away. So they're more than happy to give it away.
But if you're willing to swallow the strange looks and you own a diesel vehicle, listen up. You can save money in the long-run, too by investing in the Greasecar Vegetable Oil Conversion System. "

Make your own biodiesel: Journey to Forever

Make your own biodiesel: Journey to Forever: "Anybody can make biodiesel. It's easy, you can make it in your kitchen -- and it's BETTER than the petro-diesel fuel the big oil companies sell you. Your diesel motor will run better and last longer on your home-made fuel, and it's much cleaner -- better for the environment and better for health. If you make it from used cooking oil it's not only cheap but you'll be recycling a troublesome waste product. Best of all is the GREAT feeling of freedom, independence and empowerment it will give you. Here's how to do it -- everything you need to know. "

Biofuels Breakthrough

Biofuels Breakthrough: "All the powers necessary for the government to introduce a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation are now in place. The Energy Bill 2004, given Royal Assent, contains all the provisions necessary to bring in legislation which would require the oil companies to sell a given proportion of their annual fossil fuel sales as biofuels (biodiesel, bioethanol and biogas).
Peter Clery, Chairman of the British Association for Biofuels and Oils (BABFO), said he was delighted with this development. 'The House of Lords has proved its worth' he said, as the initial work was done in the Lords by Rt Hon the Lord Carter, vice chairman of BABFO, Lord Palmer, BABFO president and accepted on behalf of the Government by Lord Whitty, Minister for Sustainable Energy.
The job now, said Mr Clery, is to get the detail right so that British producers can get a fair crack of the whip in providing the feedstocks to help fuel the nation's transport. Only fuels, which make a positive environmental contribution, should be allowed to qualify, he said.
Editor's Notes.
At present only some 25,000 tones of biodiesel are being produced in the UK and about half of this is imported. There is no bioethanol produced as a road fuel in the UK.
EU Directive 2003/30/EU has set the target of 2% biofuel usage by end 2005 and 5.75% by end 2010. For the UK, the first target would mean about 800,000 tonnes of biofuel. This could only be met by massive imports, as past Government support (a fuel duty rebate of 20p/litre) is not sufficient to make biofuel production profitable.
However with the fuel duty rebate and a Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation the 2010 target could be met and from homegrown feedstocks. Something over 2 million tonnes would be required. 1 million tonnes of biodiesel could come from land currently idle under the discredi"

Welcome to Biodiesel Filling Stations

Welcome to Biodiesel Filling Stations: "The single purpose of this site is to provide a list of places in the UK where people can fill their diesel vehicle with Biodiesel. It will grow to be a comprehensive list of Biodiesel outlets - not just filling stations. It will list only fuel outlets which supply Biodiesel which can go directly into diesel engines without engine modification. The term Biodiesel here refers to any percentage mix of vegetable based diesel.
The Main Environmental Advantage is that Biodiesel is carbon neutral, so using 100% Biodiesel in your vehicle means you are not adding to the global warming crisis. Biodiesel does not add any carbon because it utilises the amount of carbon which naturally circulates between the atmosphere and the biosphere (photosynthesis). Conventional fossil diesel however, does add to the overall level of carbon by extracting carbon deposited in the geosphere (mineral deposits) and releasing it into the atmosphere. Unlike any other available and easily accessible fuel at this time Biodiesel also has the potential of being 100% carbon neutral in its lifecycle too."

Vegetable Oil as Vehicle Fuel

Vegetable Oil as Vehicle Fuel: "Using vegetable oil as fuel in diesel engines isn't a new idea. Rudolf Diesel's first engines were built to run on peanut oil for the developing world, which had no petrochemicals industry. Running your modern diesel car or van on veg is just going back to what the designer intended. But why should you make the change?
Vegetable oil is renewable: it's not a fossil fuel, so it doesn't contribute to global warming. By using vegetable oil as fuel, you're making a positive environmental move right where it matters the most, in the one thing in our lives that is the heaviest polluter: our cars.
It's not just green, though. Veg oil is also cheaper than regular diesel: even if you buy supermarket oil and pay the full duty, it works out cheaper. Use waste oil, and the price drops dramatically. Who doesn't want to save money?
Even better, veg oil has cleaner emissions and is good for your engine. Compared to regular diesel, veg oil has massively less sulphur, so there's less sulphur dioxide emmitted when you drive. Sulphur dioxide is one of the pollutants that makes kids wheezy, so you're cutting your contribution to childhood asthma. And because veg oil has better lubricity, it's kind to your engine, too: a veg-fuelled engine runs just a little bit smoother. Fuel efficiency is unaffected."

RUN A DIESEL CAR ON VEGETABLE OIL

RUN A DIESEL CAR ON VEGETABLE OIL: "RUN A DIESEL CAR ON VEGETABLE OIL

'But there is something appealingly anti-establishment about all this; something subversive about how, largely on individual initiative, undertaken without flourish or fanfare, it is possible to sidestep the multinationals and the government and power your car in a natural, clean and efficient way. Today. All you need is a bit of cooking oil, new or second-hand, and the relevant tax return form, available to download from Nicholson's biopower website.'"

Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems

Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems: "DRIVE YOUR CAR ON 100% USED VEGETABLE OIL!
Greasecar vegetable Fuel Systems allow mechanically injected diesel vehicles to run on straight, filtered vegetable oil. Vegetable oil as fuel is a cleaner, safer and less expensive alternative to petroleum based fuel. It can be locally produced, even grown in your own back yard!
Welcome to our new website.
Please visit our FAQ page for answers to many of your initial questions. A brand new Greasecar Forum is on-line! Check out our Product Page to see what the kit includes. Have a look at some of our customers' cars on the Greasecar Profile page. Our resources section includes tips for finding and filtering oil, diesel maintenance tips and more! "