Ye Olde BIODIESEL

Please take the appropriate safety precautions to avoid injury. Before proceeding., familiarize yourself with the reagents to be used by referring to the corresponding Material Safety Data Sheet In case of spill on skin, immediately wash off with soap and plenty of water. Seek medical help when necessary.

 

The following procedure is a complation of sort from recipes that can be readily be found on the internet. It is meant for fresh oil only to provide you with a baseline for comparison.

Reagents:

1 liter fresh oil (any kind)
200ml Methanol (methyl alcohol)
3.5g NaOH (sosa)

Equipment:

1.5 liter plastic bottle (coke, pepsi etc.)
measuring cup
weighing scale (Electronic is perferred.)
glass rod
gas mask (A face mask will do. It will not remove the fumes but it will lessen the exposure. Or, just try not to inhale fumes.)
gloves (Disposable plastic gloves will do.)
safety goggles

 Using things found in the kitchen is good enough but it's better if you have access to a rudimentary chemistry lab like I do.

Procedures: 

1. Measure  200mL of methanol into a container with cover.

2. Add 3.5 grams of  Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) into the  methanol, seal the container then swirl to dissolve. (Do not let NaOH sit for too long in the open  as it will absorb moisture from the air. Moisture will kill the reaction producing soap instead instead of biodiesel.)

3. Measure 1 liter of fresh oil into a 1.5liter plastic softdrink bottle.

4. Add the methanol NaOH solution to the oil. Seal the bottle and agitate for atleast 1 hour.

It is optional to warm the oil to about 55degrees Celsius before adding the methoxide solution to ensure the completeness of the reaction.

5. Let the glycerine settle out.

6. Decant the upper biodiesel layer.

7. Wash biodiesel with a third of the water 3 times.

8. Set aside to dry or warm slowly to quickly remove water. (Do not use open flame.)

 

 Refer to BASIC HOW-TO for photos.

 

 

The information contained herein are, to the best of my knowledge and experience,true and factual.Readers are advised to take all posible safety precautions, written and/or implied.Readers are solely responsible for any mishaps or injury resulting from the use or misuse of said information.