Willie Nelson Concocts His Own Blend of Biodiesel
Those who advocate green and clean living have a tough time explaining to drivers that using a biodiesel fuel to power their vehicles requires no conversion for the car to run on it. It simply means you will have to take the time to pour it into your tank.
Willie Nelson, a long time entertainer and advocate of the farmer’s of America has written a new book, “On the Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm.” Willie tells his readers how to go about making their own biodiesel fuel. Remember to wear your protective gear before attempting this; it can be dangerous. It takes just about 20 minutes prepare, and you don’t need many ingredients.
Ingredients Needed to Make Willies Homemade Biodiesel Fuel
You will need about 6.7 ounces or 200 ml. of methanol. Err on the side of caution with this gas as it can cause blindness. You then take 3.5 grams or .12345 oz. of lye. You will also need about 1.056 quarts or 1 liter of oil. If it is not clean oil and has been used, you are advised to filter the oil to remove the water.
Ready, Set, Go!
By placing the methanol and the lye in blender and mixing you will be creating sodium methoxide. You should feel the blender sides becoming warm. Once again, caution is the name of the game as the mixture at this point can be dangerous to breathe in and can eat away at your flesh. The fumes may be explosive too, so don’t use any equipment that may cause a spark such as lighting a cigarette.
Add vegetable oil to the sodium methoxide and blend it for at least fifteen minutes. If you have done this correctly you will see two layers. Glycerin is the bottom layer and is considered a by-product of the creation process. The other substance is the biodiesel. You can even use the glycerin to make soap or use in your compost heap.
