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 cannot forget how gasoline prices ran up to a terrible spike a year or so ago. We would all like to take more control over our lives, in any way that we can and not feel that we are slaves 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, even if this is not the case, we should ensure that we individually take action to protect our planet. It’s possible for every one of us to make a difference and as we know that transportation accounts for a large chunk of carbon emissions, consider fuelling your vehicle with biodiesel or a blend of it.

Making biodiesel is a realistic option. In short, you need to engage a process called transesterification. You need to take vegetable or animal oils and fats, also known as triglycerides and extract the glycerine. By using a catalyst, lye, you would remove fatty acids and be left with biodiesel.

A system allowing you to make bio diesel can be established at relatively low cost. You don’t need to be chemically inclined or to worry about burning the house down as you experiment! You can start out small, see how you get along and work up from there. At the least, you could make biodiesel fuel for the vehicles of your family and help to save money from your monthly 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. You might think the methanol is linked to global warming and it is in a certain way, but it’s used in very much smaller quantities. In terms of emissions, you will definitely be making a difference versus petroleum or petro diesel. Don’t forget to protect the catalyst from the atmosphere as it can absorb moisture quickly. Look for potassium hydroxide or caustic soda and remember not to breathe the fumes or get lye on your skin, due to its caustic nature.

Start your initial experiments by using regular, over-the-counter canola oil or sunflower oil. In addition to the methanol and the caustic soda you will need a blender, accurate measuring scales and receptacles, a suitably constructed container (look for the #2 designation on the underside of the container), two different funnels, a large bottle for the settling process, a separate bottle for washing and a thermometer.

Now you have everything you need to start and can begin your journey toward efficiency! With so much to gain, not only ecologically, but also financially and politically, what could be the reason – or reasons, why it’s taking such an incredibly long period of time to make this extraordinary change for the better, for all of us, not just now, but for all of the future generations which will follow as well?