If You Can Bake A Cake, You Can Make Biodiesel

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.23.06
Science & Technology (alternative energy)

fortunes.jpgWe have this wonderful old book, Fortunes in Formulas, that has recipes for making anything in your garage or basement, from insecticides to soaps. It is a North American tradition- the hardy, capable do-it-your-selfer who can make anything and survive anywhere. Biodiesel is attracting a lot of these types- why pay retail for fuel when you can cook it up in your garage? From the CSM:

In his two-car garage, Kevin Newman is pouring used French fry oil from local restaurants into a pair of General Electric household water heaters - his version of the giant petroleum cracking towers found at an oil company refinery. He deftly moves hoses around, scrubs the impurities from the oil, performs chemical tests, and, voilà, a week later, he is filling-up his pickup truck with biodiesel. He figures his home refinery saves him and his business, which has six trucks, about $1.75 a gallon. "If you can bake a cake, you can make biodiesel," says Mr. Newman.

We are not certain about this, but then we cannot bake a cake. Nonetheless we expect a lot of exploding garages and gummed up dead diesels along the side of the road. ::Christian Science Monitor

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Comments (1)

My brothers girlfriends dad runs a chemical disposal firm. He went to look at a biodiesel plant that was run by this hippy who smoked while making the stuff.

jump to top James Barker [TypeKey Profile Page] says:

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