Extension Offering Biodiesel Training in Belle Mina, Saturday, March 31

Mark Hall, an alternative energy expert and an Alabama Cooperative Extension System regional agent located in Huntsville, is putting finishing touches on a workshop, scheduled Saturday, March 31, that will demonstrate how do-it-yourselfers can make their own biodiesel from waste vegetable oil.

The first presentation, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., will be repeated at 10:30 a.m. The site for the March 31 workshop is the Tennessee Valley Research and Extension Center in Belle Mina, located near Huntsville.

Hall and his cousin, Lance Hall, will serve as instructors for the one-day seminar. Lance, a Redstone Arsenal Engineer, is an old hand with biodiesel manufacturing and customizing — one of a growing legion of Americans fed up with gasoline prices and foreign energy dependence. But instead of tossing tea (or, perhaps in this case, gasoline pumps) into Boston Harbor, he and his fellow revolutionaries are resorting to another time-honored American tradition — home brewing — in this case, making their own biodiesel from used vegetable oil.

In Lance’s case, the first step involved acquiring a car equipped to run off biodiesel.

After careful research via the Internet, he settled on a 1982 Volkswagen Jetta purchased off eBay — one he hauled back home from Oklahoma with a trailer.

Since then, Lance has been brewing his own biodiesel using waste vegetable oil from a local cafeteria and café. He strains the oil himself and stores it in a can for future use.

Then, he mixes the strained oil with methanol to produce the reaction required to convert it into methyl ester — biodiesel — with glycerin as a by-product. Lye also is used to control pH levels and to speed the reaction.

Once processing is completed, Hall must decide on the type of mix to use with his car. Until recently, he’s stuck with a B50 blend — 50 percent biodiesel and 50 percent conventional diesel — though he’s considered going to B75 and even B100 as the warmer months approach.

Hall has never regretted his decision to become a biodiesel revolutionary — something that he “absolutely loves to do.”

Even so, there are challenges, especially finding a source of waste vegetable oil. Most large restaurants prefer to work with commercial companies, who they pay to carry off large quantities of the waste oil. Most have neither the time nor the inclination to work with do-it-yourselfers.

There’s also the safety issue. Training in handling hazardous materials is an absolute necessity for prospective home brewers, Hall says. Methanol is especially flammable and should never be exposed to sparks or lit cigarettes — wearing protective clothing, especially gloves and a face shield, is a must when processing biodiesel.

Disposing of processing by-products also is a challenge for some, though many have begun using it to make everything from fire-starter logs to soap.

Also, while biodiesel is prized by many users for the cleaner engines associated with its use, one unwelcome side effect — its tendency to gel faster than conventional diesel, especially on cold mornings — has proven to be a limiting factor for some. The good news is that as interest in this alternative fuel grows, a number of companies have begun producing additives tailored especially for biodiesel.

Is biodiesel a panacea? No, absolutely not, says Mark Hall. Like any other alternative fuel, it will fill a niche for many Americans fed up with spiking energy costs. But as many of them are learning, this strategy can be highly effective and even a satisfying hobby.

Posted by Jim Langcuster at March 14, 2007 03:47 PM | TrackBack