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It’s entirely possible that making biodiesel may be a new concept to you. You might on occasion have come across one of those buses, fuelled by soy power and wondered what it was all about, or you might just have had enough of those constant ups and downs at the petrol station. Have you calculated the size of your carbon footprint yet? We’re all stopping to think about how we contribute to an overall problem of global warming and as we see the politicians treading water, we’re considering what we can do to push.

If you think that it is impossible to make biodiesel fuel safely, effectively and relatively cheaply, you are wrong. Many thousands of people do this and use the fuel that they manufacture to get back and forth to work each day and live their lives normally. So long as you have a modicum of common sense and take some time to understand the process, you will be able to proceed perfectly well. However, all the materials that you need are readily available and you do not need a degree in chemistry to help you to get through it!

It’s essential to remember that you should beware of using any overly simplistic advice or a simply written ‘how to,’ like this one that follows, and before actually attempting to make biodiesel, you’ll need to have exacting information of the process itself and all safety requirements:

Making homemade biodiesel requires you to engage in a process called transesterification. A catalyst, also known as lye, will remove glycerine from vegetable or animal oils and fats, resulting in a solution that you can use in your existing diesel motor.

Use potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide, caustic soda and pick up some methanol as well. The lye and the methanol must be kept protected from the environment as they absorb moisture and you must use pure products.

Take a sturdy plastic container, insert 200 mL of methanol and add the caustic soda. Tightly close the plastic bottle container. Shake the container a few times until everything is dissolved.

Preheat the soy or vegetable oil to about 130°F and pour it into a blender. Add the mixture, close and blend for 30 minutes. The resulting mixture should be decanted into a large and strong bottle with a tight lid. After 24 hours of settling, the glycerine, which is the darker colour, is settled on the bottom. Remove the top layer, which is the biodiesel, into a clean jar, being very careful not to mix in any of the glycerine.

Your results will need to be washed to get rid of imperfections and you basically need to add clean water to the mixture, leave to settle for three hours or more and then allow the water to drain off, ideally through a hole you have previously prepared in the bottom of your mixture container.

You may have to repeat the process, but when the product is clear, the water will have evaporated and you will have made your first batch of biodiesel fuel! Before you get started on your new road to discovery, get your hands on some expert safety advice - which is essential, on how to make biodiesel to an internationally accepted standard, while being safe doing it!