Real World Experiences With Biodiesel
Guest Post By Adaptive Curmudgeon: March 2010
When I decided to make biodiesel I had certain notions.
My experiences have been unexpectedly different yet better in many ways.
Here are a few things worth mentioning…
Logistics Issues: Buckets And Weekends Matter.
The main challenges of making biodiesel turn out to be simple matters like moving and storing oil, fiddling with pipe fittings, and heating my garage. I expected “rocket science” level problems but encounter mainly plain old garage issues. Another concern is finding spare time. I’m often forced to choose between keeping the lawn from growing feral and making another batch of fuel. Don’t underestimate the convenience of filling up at the gas station!
Social Issues: Morons Will Voice Clueless Opinions.
Some folks assume all the smart innovative people are sequestered in a hidden corporate lab and making fuel is impossibly hard for mere mortals. Get real! The Wright Brothers made an airplane in their garage but I can’t fuel a Chevy? Just for the record, all motor fuels are made or refined by the hand of man and none require magic wands.
Another truth is that all words that start with “meth” are not equal. Methanol (used to make biodiesel) is a racing fuel. Methamphetamines will fry your brain. They’re not the same. What are they teaching in schools these days?
It is also true that vegetable oil, diesel, and biodiesel are not particularly explosive and will generally burn only if you’ve applied significant persuasion. I don’t want to oversimplify but the gasoline in your lawnmower may be more “dangerous”. This won’t stop jokes about blowing up the garage.
Quality Issues: Take Your Time.
I can, and have, made a batch of raw biodiesel in under an hour with a class of middle schoolers. Yet I usually allow my filtering processes to take several days. Within reason, giving the components ample time to separate will improve quality. It’s not a race.
Economic Issues: The 99% Failure Trap.
Some people make biodiesel as a political statement. In their eyes buying even one gallon from “big oil” is a failure. I’m not that inflexible. When I’m busy or lazy I buy fuel just like everyone else. This keeps a hobby from becoming a burden. Avoid the trap of thinking you must generate all of your fuel under all circumstances and enjoy your successes. Of course none of this should discourage you from making 100% of your needs if you’re sufficiently motivated!
Economic Issues: The High Prices = Genius Effect.
In 2008 diesel at the pump was in the $4 range and I was a genius for making my own. In 2009 diesel at the pump was 40% lower and I wasn’t brilliant any more. The general opinion of your wisdom will ebb and flow with markets.
Mechanics Issues: The Halo Effect.
Once you put biodiesel in your engine, otherwise sane folks may insist that everything they already know about machinery goes out the window. I dread going to the mechanic because he may assume that my battered old truck broke down because of that awful hippie crud I put in the tank. Apparently 20 year old trucks are otherwise immortal?
The same is true of furnaces. I run a garage furnace on biodiesel with fair results. I hadn’t gotten around to using it to heat our house. When the decrepit house furnace conked out I breathed a sigh of relief that none of my fuel was in it. Nobody, possibly even me, would have witnessed the dead furnace without blaming a change in fuel.
Mechanical Issues: The Test Pilot Effect.
I built the equipment I use based on a common and simple design but when I was done with construction I wasn’t sure how to use it. I’d incorrectly assumed I would inherent know how to use anything I built. Just because you can build an oven doesn’t mean you know how to cook.
Mechanical Issues: It Works!
Biodiesel exhibits superior lubricity compared to petroleum based diesel. It makes my primitive old truck run noticeably smoother. I feel an improvement when using anywhere from 20% to 100% biodiesel.
The Joy: The Green Effect.
My fuel is arguably carbon neutral, made from a waste product, and emits less emissions. Therefore I can lumber around in big rusty truck while being at least as environmentally sensitive as most things on the highway and a good deal “cleaner” than most. I can’t help but enjoy that.
The Joy: The Road Warrior Effect.
Sometimes I stow extra fuel (safely!) in my truck for long trips. In the middle of the trip I’ll fill up and keep on truckin’. When I return from a 500 mile trip having spent exactly zero at the pump I feel like a macho road warrior.
The Joy: Appreciation Of Fuel.
I appreciate fuel. Knowing the effort involved in making it lets me see a gas station’s endless supply as the modern miracle it is. When people whine about high fuel prices I suggest they either make it like I do or walk. High prices no longer seem as oppressive and, of course, paying them is optional!
The Joy: Price Ceiling.
Periodically the press starts harping that “This Summer’s Fuel Prices Are Unacceptably High”. Congress (which hasn’t balanced a budget in forever) participates by browbeating “big oil” executives for making a profit (which I presume to be their job). I like feeling far removed from this tempest in a teapot.
I’ve also capped my fuel process. The cost of ingredients may vary but my expenses won’t likely exceed a certain level. Random events on the other side of the planet might affect everyone’s morning commute but mine should stay about the same.
So there you have it; a brief but heartfelt description of what to expect should you make your own fuel. If you’re interested I strongly suggest you avail yourself of the many good books on the topic and then set out confidently knowing that it can, and has, been done before. I’ve been surprised how much fun I’ve had and consider it a particularly rewarding endeavor.
By Adaptive Curmudgeon, February 2010
Living Off Grid Articles About Biodisel:
I think several of these pointers could be applied to any alternative living scheme (and probably should be.) I can have a hard time reminding myself that it’s okay to drop some of my more time-consuming green habits now and then when I’m stretched for time and going crazy. Forgot those cloth grocery bags a half mile walk away and you’re already late? Just get your groceries in plastic for once and deal with it. It’s very freeing to let things go now and then.
Mar 7th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
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