| Biodiesel is a clean burning substitute for petroleum | | | | replace it with three methanol molecules. This process |
| based diesel fuel. Biodiesel is made of vegetable oil. | | | | then yields roughly 90% Biodiesel and 10% of a |
| Most modern diesel burning engines can use Biodiesel | | | | glycerin byproduct. The glycerin byproduct can be |
| with few or no modifications. Biodiesel is making | | | | used in a number of other chemical processes for |
| inroads at the gas pump too where it can be found | | | | different industries. There are also studies being done |
| more and more as an option when it's time to fill up | | | | to see if the glycerin byproduct, since it is vegetable |
| the tank. But, how is Biodiesel made? | | | | based, can be used as feed for animals. This makes |
| To make, or manufacture, Biodiesel you must first | | | | the production of Biodiesel produce virtually no waste |
| start with raw materials. The raw materials needed in | | | | products at all. |
| the production of Biodiesel are a small amount of | | | | The production of Biodiesel is done in a large |
| Methanol and a ready supply of vegetable product. | | | | manufacturing facility like those being built around the |
| One of the most common vegetables used in the | | | | world to take advantage of this relatively new fuel |
| production of Biodiesel is corn, although depending on | | | | source. These facilities are built much like their oil |
| the geographic location of the manufacturing facility | | | | refinery cousins with the intent of putting out |
| many other plants are used as well (rapeseed, | | | | hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of gallons of |
| soybeans, flaxseed, etc.). The first step is to use the | | | | fuel. Unlike the manufacturing process of standard |
| raw vegetable product to make vegetable oil. | | | | mineral based fuel, Biodiesel can also be manufactured |
| Vegetable oil by itself will not be what you need to | | | | in smaller home or farm units, or kits. The process |
| power a car, from here it has to be processed into | | | | remains the same but on a much smaller scale. There |
| Biodiesel. | | | | is also the option of making Biodiesel at home from |
| The process for converting vegetable oil into | | | | used vegetable oil gathered from restaurants and |
| Biodiesel is sometimes called ester interchange. To | | | | delis. To achieve this the oil first has to go through |
| complete this process the vegetable oil has to be | | | | another process to clean it of any impurities. |
| combined with a smaller amount of Methanol and | | | | One of the main benefits of Biodiesel is that it burns |
| then put in the presence of a small quantity of an | | | | cleaner than standard mineral based fuel. An additional |
| alkaline catalyst (for example, .5% to 1% sodium | | | | benefit is that it also pollutes less during the process |
| hydroxide). Vegetable oil is made up of so-called | | | | of making Biodiesel than it does during the |
| triglycerides, which is a compound of the trivalent | | | | manufacture of standard mineral based fuel like diesel |
| alcohol glycerin with three fatty acids. The goal of | | | | and gasoline. Cleaner to burn and cleaner to make, |
| ester interchange is to separate, or detach the | | | | Biodiesel is truly a viable alternative energy source. |
| glycerin molecule from the three fatty acids and | | | | |