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The Biodiesel Bible
by Keith Addison, Journey to Forever
This is the only book that thoroughly covers the entire subject of making your own biodiesel – all the information at the Journey to Forever website and very much more.
Learn how to make top-quality biodiesel that will pass all the quality standards requirements every time.
We haven't had a failed batch for 11 years! (But if you do have a failed batch we tell you how to rescue it – and how to improve your processing so it won't happen again.)
Save money! Making your own biodiesel will save you thousands.
Click HERE
New! Build a 3-inch ethanol still – Click HERE
Biodiesel resources on the Web
Home-made biodiesel
Biofuels forums
Straight vegetable oil (SVO)
Ethyl-esters biodiesel
Biodiesel information sources
Government sources
Education
Home-made biodiesel
One of the most attractive aspects of biodiesel is that you don't have to be ExxonMobil to make it. Just about anyone can rig up a biodiesel fuel plant, even in the kitchen, or virtually anywhere, mostly using stuff you can find lying around, including the basic raw material -- waste cooking oil.
The best part of it is that what you make is better than the fossil fuel the big guys make: it's cleaner, more eco-friendly, it's cheap, and it's better for diesel engines -- they run smoother and last longer on biodiesel.
Start here: Make your own biodiesel – What you need, what to do, how to do it – step by step instructions for making high-quality biodiesel fuel, from beginner to advanced level. It tells you everything you need to know. It's not just us who say so, it's largely the result of a collaborative effort over 10 years involving thousands of people worldwide, it's what works.
Thousands of ordinary people have done this without any other help, and so can you. Do it yourself, you'll be just fine.
Biofuels forums
The Biofuel mailing list run by Journey to Forever is now closed.
A total of more than 77,000 messages were posted. All of them are permanently stored in a searchable archives on the Web where anyone can read them free of charge, and many do. The archives is here:
Biofuel list archives
More information, click here.
Spanish Biofuels mailing list -- Foro sobre biocombustibles en castellano:
http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/foro_biodiesel/
Straight vegetable oil
See Straight vegetable oil as diesel fuel
Ethyl-esters biodiesel
Making ethyl-esters biodiesel using ethanol is a tricky process, not as simple as making methyl esters with methanol. It's not for novices -- learn how to make biodiesel with methanol first.
Methods and recipes for ethyl-esters biodiesel are available here, along with a How-To from a master home-brewer who has been making and using his own ethyl-esters biodiesel for years.
See: Ethanol biodiesel
Biodiesel information sources
The US National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is a "not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the commercialization and industrialization of biodiesel". It represents agribusiness interests and its members are large-scale commercial producers. It sees small-scale, local operations and homebrewers as a threat, and there are quality-control issues.
http://www.biodiesel.org/
The NBB maintains one of the best technical databases on biodiesel research (searchable):
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/reportsdatabase/
The NBB Biodiesel Fuel Fact Sheets (Acrobat files)
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/fuelfactsheets/
Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives -- 70,000+ entries from discussions by biofuellers all over the world over the last eight years, a treasure trove of information on all aspects of biofuels and sustainability issues:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
The University of Idaho's Biodiesel Fuel Education Program -- University of Idaho researchers have been studying vegetable oil as an alternative fuel since 1979. Biodiesel 101, Technical Information, Technical Papers, Tech Note Series, 'On the Road Test' and more.
http://www.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/
Biodiesel Emissions Analysis Program, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, US EPA
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/biodsl.htm
A Comprehensive Analysis of Biodiesel Impacts on Exhaust Emissions, October 2002 (765kb PDF)
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/analysis/biodsl/p02001.pdf
Reference List for Biodiesel -- 55-page A-Z of biodiesel research studies and reports, Iowa State University. 520kb Acrobat file:
http://www3.me.iastate.edu/biodiesel/Documents/Biodieselreferences.pdf
Technical Handbook for Marine Biodiesel In Recreational Boats by Randall von Wedel, Ph.D., CytoCulture International, Inc., Second Edition, April 22, 1999 (prepared for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy) -- of general interest, not just for boaters, 12,000-word online report.
http://www.nwbiofuels.org/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=22009
Chemical and Bioassay Analyses of Diesel and Biodiesel Particulate Matter: Pilot Study -- Final Report by Norman Y. Kado, Robert A. Okamoto and Paul A. Kuzmicky, Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, California, November 1996. This is the UC Davis study that found that the use of pure biodiesel instead of petroleum-based diesel fuel could offer a 93.6% reduction in cancer risks from exhaust emissions exposure.
Full report -- Acrobat file, 3.1Mb.
Summary: the Summary, Results and Discussion sections of the report, in html format.
The modelling of the biodiesel reaction -- As part of their work to design continuous reactor for the production of palm-oil methyl ester, Michael Allen and Gumpon Prateepchaikul at the Energy Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Prince of Songkla University in Thailand produced a spreadsheet modelling the complex series of reversible reactions which take place during the biodiesel production process. You can use the spreadsheet to change one parameter in the process and see how it affects the others.
Biodiesel Handling and Use Guidelines, (Third Edition, September 2006) K.Shaine Tyson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- Biodiesel basics information, a frequently asked questions section, and the most current biodiesel blending information, updated taxes and incentives information. 68 page Acrobat file, 1.7 MB
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/pdfs/40555.pdf
Biodiesel Production Technology, 2002-2004 Van Gerpen, Shanks, Pruszko, Clements, Knothe, National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- 110 pages, Acrobat file, 1.4Mb:
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/36244.pdf
Biodiesel Analytical Methods, 2002-2004, Van Gerpen, Shanks, Pruszko, Clements, Knothe, National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- 69 pages, Acrobat file, 1.4Mb:
http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy04osti/36240.pdf
Terry de Winne's Biofuels for Sustainable Transport site focuses on UK Government Policy. Terry -- alias Terry UK -- or Terry de Winne MF, to give him his full title, was awarded a Millennium Fellowship for his research into electric vehicles and biodiesel.
http://www.biofuels.fsnet.co.uk/
Sustainable Transport Fuels -- good roundup of the various contenders, with the focus on biodiesel and lots of well-annotated resources:
http://www.biofuels.fsnet.co.uk/sustain.htm
Determining the Influence of Contaminants on Biodiesel Properties, Jon H. Van Gerpen et al., Iowa State University, July 31, 1996 -- 12,000-word report on contaminants and their effects -- good reasons to wash your biodiesel. Acrobat file, 2.1Mb
DieselNet's Diesel Emissions Online says the "diesel engine is the most efficient power plant among all known types of internal combustion engines". News, resources, research reports, discussion forum.
http://www.dieselnet.com/
Comparison of Transport Fuels -- Final Report (EV45A/2/F3C) to the Australian Greenhouse Office on the Stage 2 study of Life-cycle Emissions Analysis of Alternative Fuels for Heavy Vehicles, by Tom Beer, Tim Grant, Geoff Morgan, Jack Lapszewicz, Peter Anyon, Jim Edwards, Peter Nelson, Harry Watson & David Williams -- CSIRO in association with The University of Melbourne, the Centre for Design at RMIT. Parsons Australia Pty Ltd and Southern Cross Institute of Health Research.
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/
transport/comparison/index.html
Part 1 provides a summary of the salient points of each fuel, Part 2 consists of detailed chapters on each fuel.
Executive Summary (Acrobat file 186Kb)
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/
transport/comparison/pubs/execsummary.pdf
Part 1 Biodiesel - (Acrobat file 36Kb)
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/
transport/comparison/pubs/1ch4.pdf
Part 2 Biodiesel - (Acrobat file 347Kb)
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/
transport/comparison/pubs/2ch4.pdf
Bibliography of Water-Fuel Emulsions Studies -- A list of studies that are being considered for inclusion in work being done by EPA to assess the effects of water-fuel emulsions on emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), and particulate matter (PM) (including 23 studies of diesel water-fuel emulsions). Acrobat file, 12kb.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/analysis/emulsion/emulbibl.pdf
Government sources
The US Government has various websites dealing with alternative fuels, biofuels and biodiesel, offering useful information and resources.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the U.S. Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development and deployment.
http://www.nrel.gov/
Nonpetroleum Based Fuels - Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/renewable_diesel.html
Biodiesel Fuels Publications
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/pubs_biodiesel.html
NREL Database Search:
http://nrelpubs.nrel.gov/Webtop/ws/nich/www/public/SearchForm
The Alternative Fuels Data Center -- Biodiesel http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/biodiesel.html
Biodiesel Publications
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/fuels/biodiesel_publications.html
Search the Alternative Fuels Data Center document database of more than 3,000 documents:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/search_options.html
View a listing of new documents recently added to the database:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/progs/new_docs.cgi
Biodiesel Emissions Analysis -- the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Transportation & Air Quality Biodiesel Emissions Database, January 25, 2002 -- download as a 275kb Excel file or a 284kb Acrobat file.
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/biodsl.htm
UK HM Revenue & Customs FAQ on Biofuels -- Biodiesel and SVO use, definitions and duties
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/
channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel
=pageExcise_FAQs&propertyType=document&columns
=1&id=HMCE_PROD1_024771#P9_869
Education
Please see the resources on biodiesel for students and teachers at our Schools projects pages
Biofuels
En español -- Biocombustibles, biodiesel
Biofuels Library
Biofuels supplies and suppliers
Biodiesel
Make your own biodiesel
Mike Pelly's recipe
Two-stage biodiesel process
FOOLPROOF biodiesel process
Biodiesel processors
Biodiesel in Hong Kong
Nitrogen Oxide emissions
Glycerine
Biodiesel resources on the Web
Do diesels have a future?
Vegetable oil yields and characteristics
Washing
Biodiesel and your vehicle
Food or fuel?
Straight vegetable oil as diesel fuel
Ethanol
Ethanol resources on the Web
Is ethanol energy-efficient?
