This article is for those who are a little more experienced at

making biodiesel at home and who wish to progress from using

straight vegetable oil to waste oil. As users of biodiesel fuel

know vegetable oil will react very similarly to diesel fuel in a diesel engine. Like diesel fuel, biodiesel will ignite when

compressed causing air in the engine cylinders to expand. This is

the energy that pushes the engine pistons into motion.

The reason you must make biodiesel is that if you burned straight

unprocessed oils in the diesel engine it would simply congeal and

then clot your fuel injectors and engine like cholesterol hardening

human arteries.

Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel

There are many biodiesel recipes for removing the fatty acids from oil.

Here is a very common and reputable recipe for making biodiesel at home from waste oil.

You will need:

Used or fresh vegetable oil (that has been strained so that it is free of particulates such as food crumbs)

Lye

Methanol

Isopropyl Alcohol (99% IPA)

eyedropper- or other type of 1 milliliter dropper

PH paper (to test for acidity )

an old blender

plastic or glass measuring cups or beakers, with metric measures–

and/or a gram scale

plastic, glass or stainless stirrers and spoons,

plastic buckets

1. Dissolve 1 gram NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide- Lye) in 1000 ml. of water. This is your NaOH solution.

2. Dissolve 1ml. of wasted vegetable oil  in 10 ml. Isopropyl Alcohol(IPA).

3. With an eyedropper, drop the diluted NaOH into wasted vegetable

oil mixture a milliliter at a time. Count the drops. After each

drop check the ph level of the WVO solution with standard ph

paper– you will see an eventual rise in the ph level. Continue to

add the NaOH solution into the WVO solution, a drop at a time,

until it reaches a ph of 8-9.

To determine your proportions, figure:

The number of drops of NaOH needed for the WVO solution to reach a ph of 8-9 1 ml. plus 3.5 g. NaOH to catalyze the oil.

Then go ahead and prepare a larger batch in your blender. Don’t

forget to clarify, settle and bubble wash this mixture as usual and remember to follow the usual safety precautions for making

biodiesel at home.