Biodiesel resources on the Web

What is biodiesel?
Home-made biodiesel
Biofuels forums
Straight vegetable oil (SVO)
Ethyl-esters biodiesel
Biodiesel information sources
Government sources
Education

What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is much cleaner than fossil-fuel diesel. It can be used in any diesel engine with no need for modifications -- in fact diesel engines run better and last longer with biodiesel. And it can easily be made from a common waste product -- used cooking oil.

For some basic facts about biodiesel see the U.S. National Biodiesel Board's Biodiesel Fuel Fact Sheets (Acrobat files)
http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/fuelfactsheets/

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 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 fuels 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.

Make your first test batch of biodiesel -- Start here, and just keep going -- what you need, what to do, how to do it, everything you need to know -- step by step instructions for making high-quality biodiesel fuel, from novice to advanced level.

Mike Pelly's biodiesel recipe -- long the most popular biodiesel how-to on the Web.

Aleks Kac's two-stage process -- high quality fuel and no titration (not for novices).

FOOLPROOF biodiesel method -- the method of choice for advanced biofuellers (not for novices).

History

McDiesel -- Making biodiesel in the kitchen -- the man who started the do-it-yourself biodiesel movement, Dr. Thomas B. Reed, relates how he got the idea of making biodiesel from waste cooking oil ("McDiesel") in 1989, and tells you how to do it.
Also see Tom's Biomass Energy Foundation site:
http://www.woodgas.com/

Fat of The Land -- In 1994 four women from the California Bay Area travelled 3,000 miles around the US on biodiesel in their Fat Mobile diesel van on an educational tour. They made their biodiesel as they went along, usually in the parking lots of fast-food restaurants, and filmed a groundbreaking video documentary while they were at it.
http://www.lardcar.com/lardcar1.html
This is the recipe they used to make biodiesel:
http://www.dancingrabbit.org/biodiesel/flrecipe.html
Fat of the Land Video Documentary:
http://www.videoproject.org/FAT_OF_THE_LAND.html

Biofuels forums

The Biofuel mailing list run by Journey to Forever is an information-sharing resource for anyone who is making their own fuel or has an interest in biofuels or related issues.

All aspects of biofuels and their use are covered -- biodiesel, ethanol, other alternative fuels, related technologies and issues, energy issues, environment, sustainability and more.

The list has a large and varied global membership and has been at the forefront of small-scale biofuels development for more than six years.

Comment from a member: "I just want to say how important what you all are doing here is (I'm just an interested bystander). Closed-system fuel production, on a local or small regional scale, tied to local resources, using accessible technologies, and dependent on entrepreneurial innovation combined with open-source information exchange--it's AWESOME. Keep up the good work everyone, before the planet fries."

Another comment: "Some of the brightest biofuel brains in the world."

And another: "Your list contains some of the best information I have found on the Internet. The archives are great and that is where I spend most of my time acquiring knowledge. This information I believe vitally important NOW and am very happy it is here. Our future may just depend upon it. Now that is important."

More:

• "I came to the list strictly interested in getting my biodiesel project off the ground. Following the various postings I have discovered that I see the world as if from the bottom of a well. The view is expanding ever so slightly, ever so slowly. Thanks to all."
  
  
• "The Biofuel list has awakened me to many ways I can directly help make a difference. The knowledge I have gained from reading the list in a few short months has encouraged me to try again."
  
  
• "I benefit very much personally from the list, and I have yet to make one drop of biofuel! But the insights that I get from the list are amazing."
  
  
• "I like the global view. It's good to have your beliefs challenged."
  
  
• "This list has proven to me how little I know, so many times."
  

NOTE: You don't need to join the Biofuel list to learn how to make biodiesel. Start here: Where do I start? Follow the instructions, step by step. Study everything on that page and the next page and at the links in the text. It tells you everything you need to know.

Many list members who've done it themselves say the same thing. If you ask novice questions at the list that have been answered many times before, that's what you'll be told (or asked to check the list archives, see below).

There's a lot to learn, but it's simple, and you don't have to be a chemist to do it, very few biodieselers are chemists or engineers.

Thousands of ordinary people have done this without any other help, and so can you. You don't need anyone to hold your hand, and you don't need to find another biodieseler in your area first so you can see their set-up in action. Do it yourself, you'll be just fine.

Subscribe

If you have a bona-fide interest in the subject you're welcome to take part or to "lurk" in the background, just as you wish. The list does not welcome "SPAM" or "trolls".

If you wish to subscribe, please send an email to the list administrators with a brief explanation (or not-so-brief, as you wish) of who you are, where in the world you live, what your interest is in biofuels and why you wish to join the list, and/or whatever other information you think is relevant.

Please note that the Biofuel list is not a newsletter service and not a "website", it is an interactive email discussion group posting from 20 to 50 messages a day or more. If that will "swamp your mailbox", please read this message on how best to handle mailing list traffic:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg21651.html

Once they've joined the list, members can also select the "Daily Digest" option to receive one or more composite messages containing all the day's messages.

Biofuel list administrators' address: listadmin@journeytoforever.org

The List Rules are posted here:
http://snipurl.com/mx7r

Browse current messages at the list website:
http://sustainablelists.org/pipermail/biofuel_sustainablelists.org/
The Biofuel Archives

Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives -- 60,000+ entries from discussions by biofuellers all over the world over the last six years, a treasure trove of information on all aspects of biofuels and sustainability:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/

Spanish Biofuels mailing list -- Foro sobre biocombustibles en castellano:
http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/foro_biodiesel/

The Bioenergy Mailing List at CREST (Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology), for the discussion of biomass as a sustainable energy resource. Searchable hypertext archives.
http://www.crest.org/discussiongroups/index.html

DieselNet General Forum:
http://www.dieselnet.com/ubb-cgi/Ultimate.cgi
"Express your opinions and ask questions on diesel engine emission issues. Discuss current news" -- active Web forum, news and other resources at DieselNet's homepage:
http://www.dieselnet.com/

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/

Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives -- 65,000 entries over six years from discussions by biofuellers all over the world, a treasure trove of information on all aspects of biofuels:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/

The University of Idaho's
http://www.uidaho.edu/bae/biodiesel/
biodiesel pages -- "Pioneers in Biodiesel Research", University of Idaho researchers have been studying vegetable oil as an alternative fuel since 1979, including long-distance (200,000 miles) on-the-road tests. Slide show, current projects and findings, publications list: see "On-Road Testing of Biodiesel".
http://www.uidaho.edu/bae/biodiesel/research/past_research.html

The Biodiesel Development Corporation has lots of information on biodiesel -- what-is, why's and wherefore's on biodiesel and using it.
http://pipeline.to/biodiesel/

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

Research on biodiesel since 1992 by a leading researcher, Leon G. Schumacher of the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Missouri.
http://web.missouri.edu/~pavt0689/biofuel.html
Some reports are downloadable.

Reference List for Biodiesel -- 55-page A-Z of biodiesel research studies and reports, Iowa State University. 520kb Acrobat file:
http://www.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.cytoculture.com/Biodiesel%20Handbook.htm

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, 2004 (version 2) K.Shaine Tyson, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 68 page Acrobat file, 1.7 MB
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/pdfs/tp36182.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 -- 100 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

The British Association of Bio Fuels and Oils (BABFO) is dedicated to the promotion of transport fuels and oils from renewable sources. Biodiesel and ethanol are the two key fuels. Resources and links, information on emissions, and more:
http://www.biodiesel.co.uk/

The Austrian Biofuels Institute -- an international centre of competence for liquid biofuels
http://www.biodiesel.at/index2.html

The Biodiesel Association of Australia has been established "to promote and build a viable and ecologically sustainable biodiesel industry in Australia". FAQ, what-is, news & press, standards, documents, getting it, making it, events, and more.
http://www.biodiesel.org.au/

The Castor Oil Resource -- "The Only Online Bookmark You’ll Ever Need for Anything Castor". Good resources on castor oil and castor oil biodiesel, as well as general biodiesel and biofuel resources.
http://www.castoroil.in/

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

Dealing with high levels of Free Fatty Acids (FFA): first stage alkaline reaction, second stage acid-based reaction -- "Cost Reduction in Bio-Diesel Production", B. Rice, A. Fröhlich and R. Leonard, Crops Research Centre, Oak Park, Carlow, Ireland.
http://www.teagasc.ie/research/reports/crops/4321/eopr-4321.htm

Methylation of fatty acids, William W. Christie, Scottish Crop Research Institute: Three interesting papers online:
Preparation of methyl esters -- Part 1. Lipid Technology, 2, 48-49 (1990).
Preparation of methyl esters -- Part 2. Lipid Technology, 2, 79-80 (1990).
Why I dislike boron trifluoride-methanol. Lipid Technology, 6, 66-68 (1994).
http://www.lipidlibrary.co.uk/topics/methests/

DieselNet's Diesel Emissions Online says the "diesel engine is the most efficient power plant among all known types of internal combustion engines", but "further progress in diesel emission control is needed". It hopes to "contribute to the development of the clean diesel engine of the future". News, resources, research reports, discussion forum.
http://www.dieselnet.com/

Griffin Industries of Kentucky, USA, processes used vegetable oils and fats to produce 2 million gallons per year of the "highest quality biodiesel available in the United States". Their Website has useful comparison tables of biodiesel with conventional petrodiesel fuel.
http://www.griffinind.com/html/biodiesel.html

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.greenhouse.gov.au/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.greenhouse.gov.au/transport/comparison/pubs/execsummary.pdf
Part 1 Biodiesel - (Acrobat file 36Kb)
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/transport/comparison/pubs/1ch4.pdf
Part 2 Biodiesel - (Acrobat file 347Kb)
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/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

Emulsions of Hydrated Ethanol in Hydrocarbon Fuels, by Apace Research Ltd - Executive Summary of report for Australia's for the Energy Research and Development Corporation (ERDC) -- reports on hydrated ethanol/diesel fuel emulsion, or "diesohol", and hydrated ethanol/petrol emulsion.
http://www.eidn.com.au/energyerdcemulsions.htm

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/
NREL: Nonpetroleum Based Fuels - Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/renewable_diesel.html
NREL Database Search:
http://pix.nrel.gov:8020/BASIS/nich/www/public/SF

The Alternative Fuels Data Center -- Biodiesel http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/biodiesel.html
Search the Alternative Fuels Data Center document database of more than 3,000 documents:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/resources/doc_database.html
View a listing of new documents recently added to the database:
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/progs/new_docs.cgi

Biofuels information from the US Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Biofuels Research Program -- main focus on biodiesel and ethanol: Production and Use of Biofuels, Production of Raw Materials (Crops), Economic Research, Market Research, Pros and Cons, Getting Started in Biofuels, Funding Opportunities, News and Events, Links.
http://www.nalusda.gov/ttic/biofuels/res.htm

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

The EEC strongly supports biofuels -- do a search on biodiesel here:
http://europa.eu.int/geninfo/query_en.htm

Biofuels -- European Commission Subprogramme on Energy (ENERGIE)
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/index_en.html

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