Filed in archive Misc by Dameon Welch-Abemathy on September 1, 2007

The idea of making your own fuel at home is appealing. In the Back to the Future movies from the 1980s, they had a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor where you shoved in your trash and out popped energy. Just the kind of thing science fiction is made of.

While I don't think we're anywhere near the Mr. Fusion reality yet, we are starting to make progress. It will soon be possible to make your own biodiesel at home, thanks to a device from Eturk. Depending on the model you get, you could produce anywhere from 40 liters to 1,150 liters of biodiesel, depending on the model.

Not too many people in the US have diesel cars, primarily due to their noise and inability to pass US emissions standards. However, cleaner-burning diesel technology coming out in the near future may make diesels much more popular.

I'm not necessarily keen on the idea of manufacturing and storing flammable fuel in my garage, but maybe you are. Leave your feedback in the comments either way.

Via Gizmodo, RedFerret

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Purifying Biodiesel from Vegetable Oils - 06 August 2007

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Permalink: Make Biodiesel At Home

Tags: biodiesel 2007 home digital make biodiesel+home make+biodiesel september+2007

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Vote for Make Biodiesel At Home:

Currently 8.00/10
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Rating: 8.00 out of 3 vote(s) cast.

Response from: Gadet001 (09/02/07 1:28am)

I already make and use my own biodiesel for my cars. Biodiesel is less flammable than petroleum diesel it has a higher flash point. If you have gasoline for your lawnmower or other equipment you are more at risk than with biodiesel. Biodiesel degrades much faster and is far less harsh on the environment than petroleum. The exhaust when using 100% biodiesel with no petroleum is 92% cleaner than petroleum has higher system lubricity and is CO2 neutral. The only claimed increase is NOx emissions but doing exhaust gas tests on my cars and several other vehicles including two tractors shows equal or lower NOx not an increase. Biodiesel is great if made properly and use basic common sense and sfety regulations. - Gadget001

Response from: SLG (09/02/07 10:50am)

A few things:

1) Until last year US diesel fuel was much dirtier than European fuel precluding the import of clean diesel engine vehicles.
2) Likewise, the noise issue has been solved by and large in passenger vehicles. A gas powered Honda rice-rocket makes more noise than most new diesel cars.
3) Biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable, it breaks down at the same rate as granulated sugar and is less toxic than table salt.
4) Finally, biodiesel is technically not flammable. It’s flash point is over 300º F compared with petroleum diesel which has a flash point of 143° F and gasoline at -45° F. I'd worry more about storing the methanol and lye needed to make Biodiesel in my garage.

Response from: Gadet001 (09/02/07 12:01pm)

I already make and use my own biodiesel in two of my vehicles. Biodiesel is less flammable than petroleum diesel it has a higher flash point than petroleum diesel. If you store gasoline for running yard equipment anywhere near your home you are more at risk than from biodiesel. Biodiesel is less toxic than table salt and will biodegrade if spilled with little effect on the environment.Biodiesel has far less harmful exhaust emissions and is CO2 neutral. I have ran mobile gas tests on my car and found that the EPA claimed increase in NOx emissions may happen to be higher in some cars but not in either one of my Mercedes. I have ran the homemade fuel in numerous tractors with excellent results. Homemade biodiesel costs less than $1.00 to produce using waste cooking oil. Biodiesel is much higher in lubricity unlike the new ultra-low sulfur diesel that has been causing increased wear in diesels. - Gadget001

Response from: Dameon Welch-Abernathy (09/05/07 1:28am)

Thanks for the corrections, guys. Look forward to seeing more diesels in the US.