Homebrew Fuel:
Brewing Up a Revolution
Louisa Aronow
August 29, 2004
 |
| Bio-brewer "girl mark" eyes glycerin on
the bottom of a bad batch of bio-fuel. Credit: Louisa
Aranow |
In
a nondescript warehouse in Ukiah on a toasty Sunday afternoon, the
homebrew class was attentive. Students clustered around two
laboratory tables: old plywood on empty 55-gallon drums. They
carefully observed and encouraged classmates who dropped a liquid
from a foot-long calibrated pipette into a beaker. On a nearby gas
burner, a smoking liquid bubbled.
The instructor, a
tattooed, tri-color haired woman in combat boots, instructed a
participant to put a long sleeved robe and goggles before
measuring the reactant outside, with plenty of
ventilation.
This was not a workshop on making moonshine,
or other illegal substances. Participants had come from as far as
San Diego to the headquarters of Yokayo Biofuels to learn how to
make "home-brew" veggie oil fuel for diesel vehicles. The
instructors were Kumar Plocher, a founder of Yokayo Biofuels, and
Maria “girl mark" Alovert, one of the foremost experts on homebrew
biodiesel. Mark has been leading workshops for four years, and
just self-published the third edition of her book, Biodiesel
Homebrewers Guide.
The good news is, biodiesel can be
made from a variety of oils. Peanut oil was the fuel for Rudolf
Diesel's demonstration engine at the 1900 World Exhibition in
Paris. He created the diesel engine to run on any hydrocarbon and
hoped his invention would help the development of agriculture.
Today most of vegetable oil fuel in the US is made from soy oil,
to the delight of soy farmers. In Europe rapeseed (canola) is the
most common feedstock for bio-fuel. But diesel vehicles can also
run on lard, coconut oil, palm oil, and gleanings from
McDonald's.
Unlike the petroleum competition, biofuels are
not about to run out anytime soon. And another importance
difference is that these renewable fuels are kinder to the
biosphere. If there is an oil spill from biodiesel tanks, for
example, the result is not an environmental tragedy -- biodiesel
is 85% biodegradable in water within 28 days.
The fuel
does not require extraction from environmentally sensitive areas,
like the Arctic Wilderness or the rain forest of Peru. Also US
Dept. of Energy studies show that compared to diesel fuel,
biodiesel produces 78% less greenhouse gases (mainly carbon
dioxide), 55% less particulates, and 100% less sulfur (the main
component of acid rain).
Biodiesel does produce about 5%
more nitrous oxides than diesel, but much of that can be mitigated
with a catalytic converter or by changing the ignition timing. The
veggie fuel does not require billions of dollars of military
intervention to protect its source -- although we know the war in
Iraq is about democracy, not petroleum.
 |
| Maria "girl mark" Alovert gazes
approvingly at a sample batch of class-act biofuel. Credit:
Louisa Aranow |
Safety First, No Lye
First
the instructor discussed safety. Although the final product is not
a hazardous material, the catalysts used to make biodiesl are
poisons that must be handled with caution. Methanol (methyl
alcohol) is a liquid but can form a poisonous gas which travels
invisibly across the floor because it's heavier than air. Lye
(sodium hydroxide) is used in a minuscule proportion to the
vegetable oil, but will cause severe burns if it comes in contact
with skin. Thus all workshop participants were outfitted in
chemical-proof gloves, coveralls, and safety glasses before the
alchemy began. Homebrewing must always take place in a
well-ventilated area free of children and animals.
The
future homebrewers learned to make a one-liter sample batches with
a variety of oils before plunging into biodiesel by the gallon.
First they checked the oil for water content and warmed the oil if
necessary to remove water. Then a titration test revealed how much
catalyst was necessary. When the precise amounts of lye and
methanol are mixed together to make sodium methoxide they form a
lethal, warm concoction that must be handled carefully.
The
sodium methoxide is usually added to warm oil in a processor,
where it mixes gently for up to an hour. In the one liter sample
batches, the processor was simply a plastic jug, tightly capped,
and gracefully shaken by a brave homebrewer for about ten minutes.
Most homebrewers make processors from a paint mixer adapted to
stir deep into a 55-gallon drum with a splash-proof lid, but a few
companies are now selling "touch-proof" processors and equipment
that make haomebrewing safer and easier.
The Birth of Golden
Biofuel
Then it was time for the mixture to rest and
cool. Workshop participants were thrilled to see fuel being formed
before their eyes. In the plastic bottle, it only took minutes for
the golden biodiesel to begin separating into a top layer while
the thick, brown glycerin settled at the bottom. Homebrewers
usually let the mixture sit for at least eight hours.
While
the mixture rested, the biodiesel novices were invited to see
samples of ugly batches. Some were thick, cloudy, and white or
dark brown. "It likes making soap more than it likes to make
biodiesel," explained Alovert. "Maybe the reaction was too cold,
or there was excess water in the oil, or there were free fatty
acids from old, mucky food oil."
Soon the sample batch was
ready for decanting. In a one-liter batch, the top 4/5 of fuel can
be carefully poured out to separate it from the glob of glycerin
below. Larger batches require a pump or processor with a spigot at
the bottom to separate the layers.
That glob of glycerin is
the nemesis of all homebrewers. It's heavy, sticky, unpleasant
smelling, and too crude to be used easily for soap-making. The
perennial question of all homebrewers is, "So, what do you do with
your glycerin?" Glycerin can be composted after letting the
residual methane evaporate. One homebrewer has purified her
glycerin and mixed it with goat milk to make an elegant soap. On
noxious plants it has been used as a biodegradable defoliant.
Unfortunately, glycerin is tasty for bears, as one backwoods
biodiesel maker found out. Homebrewers and commercial producers
alike would be delighted to hear of any more suggestions for the
use of glycerin.
The glistening golden biodiesel was not
quite ready to be poured into a fuel tank. Alovert always
encourages homebrewers to "wash" the fuel several times to remove
soap residues. It's incredible that after carefully warming the
oil to remove all water, the final product should be washed with
water, but it works. Various methods are explained for dripping
water through the fuel, to attach to free-floating soaps and let
them settle on the bottom. The final product should be a lighter
color, very clear, with a neutral pH.
Kumar Plocher
explained his reasons for teaching people to make the product he
is marketing. "By teaching people how to make small batches, I am
empowering them to stop big companies. This is not possible with
conventional fuel because no one can make petroleum in their
backyard. Most people don't want to make their own, but if it gets
to the point where you have to, you can."
Biodiesel can be
made by homebrewers for as little as fifty cents a gallon.
Biodiesel coops and filling stations are increasing rapidly around
the US, narrowing the price difference between commercial
biodiesel and petroleum diesel. But Plocher is always quick to
point out the true cost of petroleum diesel: environmental
devastation, trillions of dollars for military defense, and the
fact that it takes more energy to extract petroleum from the earth
and refine it than the amount of energy produced.
If
you'd like to learn how to make biodiesel, girl mark has workshops
planned in many corners of the USA. For more information, see her
website at: http://www.localb100.com/. If you'd like
information about purchasing biodiesel or biodiesel in general,
Yokayo Biofuels has an informative website with many resource
links. Check them out at: http://www.ybiofuels.org/.
Biodiesel
News
From BioDiesel, the site of the
National Biodiesel Board
http://www.biodiesel.org/
Kerry Calls
for Biodiesel Plan
(August 6, 2004) -- The National
Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA)
today commended Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry for
including broad renewable fuel provisions in his energy plan. The
plan includes a biodiesel tax incentive to help diversify
America’s energy supply.
Maine to Heat More State
Buildings with Biodiesel
(August 5, 2004) -- Maine will
heat its State House and some Capitol buildings this fall with
B10, purchasing 330,000 gallons more biodiesel than the state did
last year.
Vice President Confirms Need for Biodiesel
Tax Incentive
(July 21, 2004) -- The National Biodiesel
Board (NBB) and the American Soybean Association (ASA) today
commended Vice President Cheney, who spearheaded the President’s
Energy Taskforce, for stressing the importance of passing
legislation with a biodiesel tax incentive to help diversify
America’s energy supply. The groups also called for action in
pushing Congress to pass the incentive.
Willie Nelson
Fuels New Mercedes with Biodiesel
(June 29, 2004) -- Willie
Nelson has fueled millions of fans worldwide with music for
decades, but when it comes to his fuel of choice, the country
music star has proclaimed himself a fan of biodiesel.
18
Million Gallon Plant Re-Opens in Florida
(May 28, 2004) --
World Energy Alternatives, LLC has announced the re-opening and
upgrading of the largest multi-feedstock biodiesel production
facility in the United States.
Biodiesel Resources
Yokayo
Biofuels is dedicated to promoting the use of biodiesel in
northern California. Yokao operates the Ukiah Biodiesel Pumping
Station in Hopland, California, 15 minutes South on Highway 101.
From Highway 101, exit Talmage Rd. Turn West, cross railroad
tracks and begin watching for Yokayo Biofuels on left. Corner of
Talmage and Perry. Entrance on Perry. Hours: Monday - Friday
9:00am - 5:00pm. Yokayo Biofuels, 150 Perry Street, Ukiah, CA
95482,
(707) 472-0900, Fax: (707) 462-7603, Toll-free: (877)
806-0900.
Kumar Plocher - kumar@ybiofuels.org. Sunny
Beaver - sunny@ybiofuels.org
The
Biodiesel Education Network (BEN) is up and running! A
partnership between the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and the
Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) has led to the
introduction of a new expert in biodiesel, BEN, to answer
petroleum distributors’ questions.
www.biodiesel.org/ben
International
Institute for Ecological Agriculture. David Blume, Director of
the IIEA and author of the long-suppressed but
soon-to-be-forthcoming book (2005), Alcohol Can Be a Gas. Contact
IIEA at (831) 688-0338, 1-888-PERMACULTURE (888-737-6228), or at
http://www.permaculture.com/
Grassolean
Solutions. Charris Ben Ford is the founder of Grassolean
Solutions LLC, an organization devoted to providing people with
sustainable energy information and products. Charris is also a
"bio-rapper" who chants the joys of bio-fuels and other hip hops
under the stage name "The Granola Ayatollah of Canola." http://www.grassolean.com/
Locate a US
Biodiesel Supplier. Click anywhere on the map at this site to
find biodiesel retail locations in the United States. (Note: This
map has not been updated to show suppliers on the West
Coast.)
http://biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/retailfuelingsites/default.shtm
For more information contact:
