You may not be too concerned about global warming – okay, you might be good at recycling and turning off everything before you go to bed at the end of the day – but you almost certainly will be concerned about the cost of fuel and how it’s affecting your monthly budget. Did you see that documentary on the television recently, talking about oil and how we are gradually running out of it? All kinds of mayhem and civil war will erupt when that happens, so they say and we really need to look for alternative sources, right now. You may well have heard about biodiesel, but not a great deal. What you should know is that it is a viable and economical alternative source of fuel and it’s something that you can manufacture yourself, at home.

Biodiesel is carbon neutral and as such does not contribute to global warming and pollution of our cities. It’s relatively easy and quite simple to make yourself, it is non-toxic and you can make it from organic vegetable oil or animal fats. You may not be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get involved in a new project, especially if it’s something that’s generally good for our environment and particularly good for your pocketbook too. Maybe it’s time for you to take a biodiesel 101 class?

Enter Mervyn Rees, the author of the revealing Book on Biodiesel, now available for download directly to your Amazon Kindle. Available in Paper Back Versions and a Kindle Version. This book will quench your thirst for information about the extraordinary potential of biodiesel, will tell you why it is such a palatable alternative, how it’s becoming much more popular around the world and how you can get your own slice of the action.

You will learn that it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of skill, nor a very complex technique to manufacture this product right in your own home and you will also find out what equipment you require and the materials necessary to manufacture biodiesel from scratch. You don’t have to be a chemist and merely have to be able to follow instructions, handling the necessary chemicals carefully in order to produce your first batch of this amazing fuel.

There’s a lot of confusing information out there and a number of naysayers, who simply do not have all the information and are not aware of the tremendous potential represented by biodiesel. You owe it to yourself to find out what is true and what is not about the fuel, the availability of ingredients, the costs associated with its production and the many positive environmental effects and financial benefits waiting for you and your family’s finances.

Rees is well known in this field and was one of the first to trumpet the benefits associated with biodiesel. He has produced a very readable, informative and exciting book which is sure to stoke your interest. For once, take control of an important element of your life by finding out whether you, too, can become a new world biodieseler.

Yes you can! If there is anything I can help with, please email support@mervrees.com for assistance.

Let’s face it, we are all creatures of habit and we like to take the “easier” route, if at all possible. This is not to say that we simply do not care about issues that we seem to have no control over, or that may affect other people out of our sight or even generations in the future, but we just don’t seem to have as much focus when we are not directly affected. This can lead to apathy and inaction, yet through education we can come to terms with the fact that we really should be proactive and make changes for the greater good.

What is in it for me to switch over to the use of biodiesel fuel? There are a number of good reasons for doing so and the answers have added credibility now, even compared to only five or 10 years ago. There are now a number of ecological and economical benefits associated with biodiesel, which did not necessarily mean as much to us a number of years back.

Firstly, carbon emissions are now definitely the enemy of the peace. The “green” movement has become main-stream. We may see government action to force a reduction in the use of conventional fuels, adding a premium to gasoline, for example. The government has also mandated stricter fuel economies and greenhouse gas emissions may well become hazardous pollutants. Biodiesel helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with traditional fuels, by a factor of almost 80%.

Homemade biodiesel fuels can use waste products such as leftover cooking oils, helping to cut down on the issues associated with waste disposal. Biodiesel may also be derived from vegetable products, such as soy, which is readily available within our agricultural communities. Turning to this fuel for our transportation means could provide a fantastic shot in the arm to these communities and farmers, as the crops could be used to full advantage.

If we could rely on alternative fuel methods such as biodiesel for more and more of our vehicle transportation, we would not lay ourselves open as much to the peaks and troughs associated with oil production, often in far off overseas lands. We now know what $4 per gallon gasoline and regular diesel here in the UK at £5.00 a gallon or $8.00 represents, but five or 10 years ago could not even imagine such a thing. Biodiesel can be made from domestically available sources and can help promote our energy security in no uncertain way.

The US automotive industry is changing significantly and we can expect to see an introduction of smaller and more economically viable cars there, similar to those seen in Europe for the last decade. In Europe, more than 50% of the vehicles run on diesel and as such are ready-made to accept biodiesel fuels. There will undoubtedly be a trend in the United States toward the adoption of these types of vehicles, giving further credibility to the thought of making biodiesel widely available through our distribution networks. When the next decade ends, biodiesel fuel will be a staple part of all our economies.

Biodiesel can be beneficial throughout our communities and could gain much greater adoption through a process of education. Here are just 10 of the top reasons to think about from the use of biodiesel.

1. Emissions.

The EPA has certified that biodiesel has considerable health benefits as compared to conventional fuels. In the case of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas, biodiesel represents a 78% reduction. This is especially important as the EPA has recently confirmed that greenhouse gases are hazardous to our health. Check out Merv’s blog.

2. High BTU.

BTU is a measurement used to rank any energy output (British thermal units) and pure biodiesel has the highest energy balance of any fuel. It is several times more effective than traditional gasoline when we compare the units of fossil fuel energy required to produce an equivalent amount.

3. Safety first.

As biodiesel has a very high combustion point, it is far safer than traditional fuels. In its purest form it is biodegradable and is almost completely non-toxic.

4. Promotes less waste.

If you use waste oil, such as cooking oil received from restaurants, then the resulting biodiesel will truly have turned a waste product into usable energy. How often do we see waste oil being transferred to our waterways and systems, rather than being disposed of properly thereby wasting a huge financial resource?

5. Can be used without modification.

Biodiesel mixes without any modification with petro diesel. It can be used in any strength or in place of regular diesel. As such it is an option available right now to make your diesel engine vehicles more sustainable.

6. Promotes longer life.

By using biodiesel in your vehicle you can enjoy additional lubricity, which in turn will promote a long life for your engine.

7. Helps support energy security.

Soy is one of the more widely available and domestically grown products in the USA. By keeping costs within the countries where biodiesel is produced, we help to secure our economies from the crazy spikes we have seen plaguing traditional energy availability.

8. Could provide replacement jobs.

We have lost so many important jobs to the brutal downturn in the economy. Biodiesel fuel production could help to concentrate money for new jobs related to this industry, rather than sending revenues for our current petroleum needs out of the country and helping to create jobs overseas.

9. Regions benefit.

By placing a lot of focus on the production of biodiesel, we can help to repair downturns we sustain and bolster regional economies around the nation. Farmers can get a new and dynamic return for their work and can view stability for the future as demand increases and is solidified.

10. It’s better for our health.

While widespread use of biodiesel will certainly lead to fewer greenhouse gases in our environment, helping to reverse climate change and potential environmental damage, it will also emit fewer carcinogens and other cancer-causing components.

All in all, a considerable number of reasons to consider making biodiesel for our country’s future transportation needs. Why not start a trend by creating your first few gallons of homemade biodiesel? Your actions may well catch on. Check Merv’s book for your equipment needs.

Slowly but surely, it seems as if we are all becoming environmentalists. It wasn’t that long ago when a certain element of scorn, if that’s not too harsh a word, was attributed to those who vociferously extolled the virtues of sustainability. Some of the less charitable of us called these people “tree huggers” and as part of our free spending, devil-may-care attitude of the time we spent little regard to the overall issues of climate change and global warming. Times have certainly changed and more especially in the last five years or so. Climate change is now big news, being a popular subject of the mainstream press and climate protection is likely to result in significant rafts of legislation in the near future.

Now it is more than just fashionable to be green, as we realise that we must reduce our reliance on traditional fuels, the oil, coal and gas that produce greenhouse gases and raise the temperature of the earth. Virtually everything that we do relies on a form of energy and we live such a complicated existence while still being largely unaware of our individual carbon footprints.

Our methods of transportation are primary emitters of carbon and we are fully reliant on individual and public forms of transportation on a daily basis. Gasoline and conventional diesel fuel are very expensive commodities and as we mostly rely on foreign sources for these fuels, external influences can directly affect availability, pricing and our very economic security.

Change will be slow to come, unfortunately. Not only are we essentially creatures of habit, but we have built up such a reliance on traditional fossil fuels that a major part of our industrial infrastructure relies on the extraction and generation of these fuels, together with distribution. It’s fair to say that the oil industry in particular has a very strong political lobbying support and newer, alternative options face an uphill battle to get their message out to a largely uneducated public.

Biodiesel fuel as an alternative is, at face value, very attractive. It is produced by mixing vegetable oil or animal fats with methanol and a process of separation derives this alternative fuel. In many cases, biodiesel is originally derived from soybean products, which grow and are plentiful in the United States.

Biodiesel is essentially carbon neutral and has infinitesimal low sulphur rates, especially compared to its alternatives. The product can be used in conventional diesel engines without modification and can be mixed with petro diesel fuel in any ratio’s whatsoever. Such an alternative is not available on a widespread basis at this time, as the infrastructure is simply not in place and distribution solutions undeveloped. As our collective psyche moves more toward the idea of hybrid vehicles, however, more and more interest is being generated in biodiesel as an option.

Homemade biodiesel may well be an option for you, as with a little bit of application it is within the reach of everybody. Making biodiesel has become a labour of love, and can be a financial benefit for thousands of people worldwide who have realised the value of making their considerable personal effort to help reduce carbon emissions.

Q. Will Biodiesel harm my engine?

A. Biodiesel may be used in a conventional petro diesel engine without any modification whatsoever. Multiple agencies have tested this combination over millions of miles and in every circumstance. Bus fleets and commercial haulage companies have been using biodiesel in their operations for many years and reporting great success.

Q. Is Biodiesel experimental?

A. No, it has been in widespread use since the 1980s and has become more accepted in the United States over the last 10 years. Biodiesel actually dates back to the 1930s when it was originally mooted, but the process of converting vegetable oils into this fuel was perfected in the 80s.

Q. Is this alternative fuel accepted by the government?

A. Biodiesel is the only alternative fuel fully certified under the stringent provisions of the Clean Air Act, as modified in 1990. The EPA recognises and authenticates the use of certified biodiesel fuel.

Q. Where can I get biodiesel?

A. There are now 14 major production facilities in the US and a number of distribution channels. In addition, many hundreds of smaller operations exist in localities around the nation. As the number of diesel engine cars increases, additional manufacture plants and distribution points will emerge.

Q. Can I just use conventional vegetable oil instead?

A. No, the vegetable oil must be converted into biodiesel fuel through a process known as transesterification. Alcohol is used with a catalyst to extract the liquid used as biodiesel.

Q. What about the cold weather?

A. Biodiesel does have a tendency to gel in very cold conditions, just as conventional petro diesel. You should take the same precautions as you would when using regular diesel in such conditions.

Q. Is biodiesel good for the environment?

A. Biodiesel is carbon neutral, which means it is not contributory to the carbon emissions problem currently plaguing our planet. As biodiesel is fundamentally extracted from vegetable crops which were previously carbon “sinks,” the fuel is far better for the environment than conventional petroleum, which is extremely high in toxic greenhouse gas emissions.

Q. Will I have to worry about clogged filters?

A. As biodiesel acts as a solvent and will dissolve the fossil deposits which have accumulated over time in your tank and within fuel lines. These deposits get trapped in the filters and it is advisable to clean or change your filters for a short while as the old gunk gets cleared away when you first convert from conventional diesel to biodiesel making way for a cleaner running, longer lasting engine.

Q. Can I make biodiesel at home?

A. Many people are successfully making homemade biodiesel. Making biodiesel is not very difficult in and of itself, so long as you take the correct safety precautions and make sure that you follow the necessary instructions (read Merv’s books). This can be a great way of making a difference, environmentally!

Q. As interest in biodiesel increases, will this cause over-harvesting?

A. Biodiesel growth must also be sustainable and must be managed so that harvesting does not cause an imbalance in the availability of agricultural crops, especially as they may represent absorbers of carbon already in our atmosphere. This is a challenge for the industry going forward.

Making biodiesel may not have entered your mind before. You might on occasion have come across one of those buses, fuelled by soy power and wondered what it was all about, or you might just have had enough of those constant ups and downs at the gas station. Have you calculated the size of your carbon footprint yet? Each one of us is pausing to consider how we contribute in one way or the other to the threat of global warming and as we get increasingly more frustrated at the site of politicians bickering and taking no action, we must step in.

If you think that it is impossible to make biodiesel fuel safely, effectively and relatively cheaply, you are wrong. Many thousands of people do this and use the fuel that they manufacture to get back and forth to work each day and live their lives normally. It takes a little bit of application to understand the process until perfected and you do have to use some caution and common sense. However, all the materials that you need are readily available and you do not need a degree in chemistry to help you to get through it!

But beware of using over simplistic advice or a simply written ‘how to’ like this one that follows below:-

Making homemade biodiesel requires you to engage in a process called transesterification. You will be using a catalyst (lye) to remove glycerine from vegetable or animal oils or fats and you will effectively be extracting the oil that you can use in your diesel engine.

The catalyst you need is basically potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda and you also need methanol. Note that you will need to keep the lye and the methanol in water tight containers and you should be aiming to use as pure a product as you can.

Measure out 200 mL of methanol into a sturdy plastic container and then add the lye, or caustic soda. All containers, including the plastic bottle should be tightly closed. Shake the container a few times until everything is dissolved.

Preheat the soy or vegetable oil to about 130°F and pour it into a blender. Add your mixture, close tightly and blend for about 30 minutes. Pour the result into a sturdy, large bottle with a tight lid. You should let this settle for up to 24 hours and will note that the glycerine, a dark colour, settles at the bottom. When this is the case, extract the biodiesel, essentially the top layer into a clean jar, being careful not to get any of the glycerine layer mixed up.

Your results will need to be washed to get rid of imperfections and you basically need to add clean water to the mixture, leave to settle for three hours or more and then allow the water to drain off, ideally through a hole you have previously prepared in the bottom of your mixture container.

You may have to repeat the process, but when the product is clear, the water will have evaporated and you will have made your first batch of biodiesel fuel! . . . End.

What it does not tell you about, – maybe they don’t know?

The dangers of Methanol or wood alcohol, how it can kill off the nerves under your skin and a little later burn you. How Methanol and caustic soda (lye) can damage your lungs or can cause death especially when mixed together, into what is called methoxide!

Exact safe methods of mixing, heating, cooling, standing times, Ph testing, non emulsifying methods of washing, filtration, and waste disposal are just some of the necessary skills you’ll need, and there is much more to know if you wish to run your vehicle or heat your home, let alone start a business becoming a ‘Biodieseler’. Then you will definitely need to consistently produce your biodiesel product to the international standards required for your success and your family’s safety.

I could say a lot more about this, which of course I have in my books, ‘The Book on Biodiesel’ & ‘The Secrets of Biodiesel,’ but don’t be worried or put off as I have written careful and safe step-by-step processes so that ‘doing it right’ and avoiding the pit falls will be your way, and as natural as the other skills you have learnt through life!

The adoption of biodiesel and its integration within our society face a number of complex, interdependent or exclusive challenges. While there is, as yet, only a limited amount of comprehensively researched data available, many factors are changing in favour of biodiesel fuel. Just 10 years ago, widespread adoption of biodiesel as an alternative fuel mode seemed unlikely, but that situation is certainly changing fast.

We are learning very quickly how our reliance on traditional fossil fuels is likely to cause us great concern in the future. Greenhouse gases associated with the production of petroleum and our other energy needs are causing a highly detrimental change to our planet’s average temperature. Climate change is already leading to weather pattern alterations that could potentially cause devastating problems to future generations. We know that we must make changes and reduce our reliance on these traditional forms, yet to this point change has been slow to come. Challenges to the very way that we exist are difficult to contemplate and if we must make changes, we prefer to do it without incurring additional economic costs. It seems clear that to adopt alternative ways of producing and using energy will result in competitive disadvantage, if compared to communities or economies that do not.

If we’re slow to act, scientists and environmentalists tell us that harm could become irreversible. Consequently, governments are starting to consider taxation of carbon itself, forcing organisations through market pressures to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and increase their energy efficiency. For biodiesel fuel, this could help to balance the playing field. If traditional petroleum fuels become even more expensive due to carbon related costs, biodiesel will become more palatable.

Further to that, as society becomes increasingly more worried about climate change, it is likely to turn toward measures and solutions that are seen as being far “greener.” As such, even if biodiesel fuels represent a premium over other fuels and even if they are somewhat more difficult to locate, such a trend may nevertheless push for more adoption. Ways of making homemade biodiesel will be explored and commercial solutions will begin to spring up in more and more places.

Our agricultural producers have been worried about a decline in demand for their goods over the last many years. As biodiesel relies on vegetable oils or surplus oils and animal fats, crop producers could find a ready market for soybeans, for example providing the raw material essential for the production of the fuel. This in turn would help to keep revenues from the production and sale of fuel within our communities, rather than distributing these revenues overseas. By the 2020s, fully two thirds of the revenues associated with fuel purchase could be filtering its way to foreign countries, unless we’re careful.

As we enter the new decade it seems that more and more people and organisations are going to focus on the need to be sustainable. The biodiesel industry should ensure that it’s front and centre to this argument.

There are so many reasons why you should consider biodiesel as part of your life and every reason why you should consider making an effort to learn how to make homemade biodiesel. Make a concerted effort to keep this New Year’s resolution for a change! We surely have not forgotten that awful spike in gasoline prices a year or so ago, have we? We would all like to take more control over our lives, in any way that we can and not feel that we are a slave to forces, organisations, governments or even countries beyond our reach.

While everyone else around us may appear to be selfish or consumed by their own issues, and even if this is not the case, we should ensure that we individually take action to protect our planet. Individuals can make a difference and as our transportation methods account for a sizable part of greenhouse gas emissions, if (as most people) you need a vehicle to get around, consider fuelling it with biodiesel or at least a blend.

Making biodiesel is not as complicated as you might think if you follow the step-by-step methods showing how to produce it to the exacting international biodiesel standards as explained in my books, ‘The Book On Biodiesel’ and ‘The Secrets of Biodiesel’ which can be acquired via my website www.whybiodiesel.com or at www.amazon.com and good book shops. In short, you need to engage a process called transesterification especially if you are using W.V.O. you will need to take vegetable oils, the main constituent of which is known as triglycerides and extract the glycerine, soaps, heavy metals etc. In other words, a catalyst, which in this case is lye, helps the methanol react with the fatty acids to form the mono-alkyl ester (or biodiesel) and separates it from the crude glycerol.

You don’t have to spend a small fortune to set up a system allowing you to make biodiesel. Nor do you have to be a chemist or have the entire volunteer fire department on standby as you experiment! You can start out small, see how you get along and work up from there. It’s perfectly feasible for you to make biodiesel fuel for your vehicle and those of your family and save good amounts of money from your annual budget.

Some of the basic chemicals that you will need when making biodiesel fuel include methanol. You will need virtually pure methanol for this to be effective, although it can be derived from coal and thus contribute to global warming problems; it is most commonly produced from the methane component in natural gas and is used in much lower quantities. Should you have been relying on petroleum or petro diesel, you will definitely be making a difference in emission terms. The catalyst, lye, should be protected in an airtight container as it can absorb moisture from the atmosphere. Look for potassium hydroxide or caustic soda (lye) and remember not to breathe the fumes or get it on your skin, due to its caustic nature.

Start your initial experiments by using any regular, over-the-counter vegetable cooking oil, such as sunflower oil to start the production of biodiesel. The other bits of simple kit you will need to make a test batch of about one litre can be found mainly in and around the average home kitchen. Lists of which can be found in Mervyn Rees’s books, ‘The Book On Biodiesel’ and ‘The Secrets of Biodiesel’ which can be acquired via his website www.whybiodiesel.com or at www.amazon.com and good book shops, then you’ll be ready to go, and start testing and venturing into your new world of propulsion!

Few industries have suffered so badly from a veritable sea of external forces as the automobile industry in the last 10 years or so. Certain sectors of the industry had been slow to catch up with trends through the 80s and 90s, and had become too reliant on multiple vehicle ranges and inefficient practices. Due to foreign competition, an increasing fuel price, more stringent regulation, environmental considerations and finally an economic downturn, the industry has been left reeling.

In 1990, the revision to the Clean Air Act specified that fuels become more sustainable and that manufacturers begin replacing petro diesel engines with low sulphur alternatives. While certain states in the US had restricted diesel engine vehicle sales, this is likely to lift as the pollution associated with diesel slows. However, other factors were also at work and the terrorist attacks of 2001 only served to remind us how we relied on far-off foreign countries for our fuel needs. Our energy security, our environmental health and our economic efficiency began to demand that we look for alternative fuel sources.

Equipment manufacturers have designed diesel engines and internal components much more suitable to the requirements of low sulphur diesel and alternative biodiesel. Biodiesel fuel is starting to gain popular acceptance and production has grown by 700% over the outgoing decade.

Following this recession, the auto industry in the US has significantly changed. One of their big three manufacturers is now owned by a European company, Fiat, and it seems likely that we will see an influx of vehicles based on European platforms and wholly more efficient than what we have seen there previously. Diesel engine cars are very much in evidence in European countries and there is no reason to assume that we will not see a pickup in sales there as well. While this happens, biodiesel, as a reliable alternative will undoubtedly push forward as well. While prices may be equitable as compared to conventional diesel, vehicles which operate pure biodiesel or a blend are much better for both the health of our global climate and the people.

Contrary to popular belief, biodiesel is not an experimental fuel. It has a history going back to the 1930s and has been fully certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Most automanufacturers welcome the use of biodiesel in their diesel engine vehicles and its use will not void an engine warranty providing it has been produced to the exacting international biodiesel standards as explained in my books, ‘The Book On Biodiesel’ and ‘The Secrets of Biodiesel’ which can be acquired via my website or www.amazon.com and good book shops, for example. Conversely, biodiesel use is likely to result in a longer-lasting engine as it has a much higher lubricity when compared to petro diesel.

Proponents of biodiesel agree that it does not have widespread acceptance as yet and distribution stations remain relatively scarce. Production of the fuel should interest our army of entrepreneurs as the thought of making biodiesel fuel commercially is well within reach. Indeed, many who start off with homemade biodiesel move up to the production of this fuel in their local area. It is possible to obtain certification from the EPA once you have mastered the task of producing the fuel reliably, and to progress by selling it to an increasingly interested public.