With the high cost of fuel, many people are giving serious thought to alternative fuels and making their own. Most people are concerned about the cost of a gallon of gasoline, and not giving any thought to the price of a gallon of diesel which is now nearly $5.00 a gallon. However, those that use diesel fule... which used to be cheaper than gasoline, are now considering the alternative... biodiesel! Yes, while it is true that you can munufacture biodiesel at home for less than ninety cents a gallon... there are some things you first need to consider and think about before you go biodiesel happy.
To manufacture biodiesel, you will need a processor. A decent 200 gallon processing set-up that is less prone to explosion will cost you between $3,500 - $5,500. You will need a constant source of used cooking oil. You will need a medium to heavy duty size pick-up truck equiped with a storage and pumping tank capable of holding 200 gallons or more of used cooking oil. You will also need a unit mounted to the pick-up truck to draw the used cooking oil out of the undreground storage unit and into your storage/pumping tank.
You will need storage tank for the used cooking oil until it is ready for processing at home. Of course, you will need the work area, chemicals, and electrical power set-up for your home based processing unit.
After processing, you will need storage units to keep the biodiesel in until you're ready to use it. Legally, you can not sell it to others... so beware.
If you own a couple of big rigs that hold 100 gallons or more of fuel at the time, then this all may be worth it to you. However, if you're the typical diesel fueled vehicle with a 40 gallon maximum capacity, then maybe you need to reconsider going biodiesel.
These are just things to think about before going biodiesel. So give it some thought. What is it worth to you, can you afford it, and what about the future price of diesel?
