Biodiesel,
biodiesel homebrewers, and
small-scale
commercial producers
Biodiesel, an easy-to-make, cleanburning diesel alternative made from vegetable oil or fats, has great promise as a energy industry that could be locally-produced, locally-used, and locally-controlled. But decentralized energy is not how the energy markets currently operate, and to develop this kind of biodiesel business, we will probably need to take a page from the history of the organic farming movement or other self-regulated, activist-driven industries.
Today biodiesel in the US is produced commercially by agribusiness and by a few rendering companies, with Gulf Oil involved as a major distributor in the form of the World Energy distributorship. Many homebrewers also make biodiesel as a hobby, and through their internet discussion forums, are sharing ways to make the process and the technology they use more effective. Additionally, many of us are ‘fired up’ about the possibility of something in between ‘industry’ and ‘homebrewing’- about developing small biodiesel production plants that would enable small fleets, cities, cooperatives, and farmers to make their own fuel, independent of current petroleum and biodiesel agribusiness infrastructure, and to enable more availability of pure biodiesel (B100) independent of trends and some pricing issues within the biodiesel industry.
Commercial: Read more about trends in the biodiesel industry and about small-scale commercial production:
I've written a few articles in the free e-magazine the Energy Self-Sufficiency Newsletter. You can download the ESSN and read the biodiesel articles starting in the March issue. The article in the April issue is about making a liter test batch of homebrew biodiesel (pages 19-24). This article also comes with a few extra supporting webpages here . There was a washing article in the May issue, and other authors have since then contributed articles about biodiesel also.
I'm teaching a series of classes in homebrew biodiesel subjects this winter:
Houston Tx Feb 11-12
Denver CO, March 18-19
Berlin Md April 15-16
Salt Lake City UT May 12-13
Maria
‘Mark’ Alovert’s personal webpages:
Biodiesel
Homebrew Book
Biodiesel
Classes and 2004 fall class tour
Links: Homebrewing: http://biodiesel.infopop.cc
biodiesel discussion forum, with a few members working on smallscale
commercial facilities worldwide) www.biodieselcommunity.org-
the Homebrew Tutorial,, localb100's sister site www.localb100.com/forum
...A group of us from the discussion lists are trying to
write a newer, better homebrew biodiesel how-to website. This is
turning into an archive of good posts from the discussion lists. Get
involved... www.groups.yahoo.com/group/biodieselbasics
biodiesel homebrewing discussion list www.groups.yahoo.com/group/norcal-biodiesel-events
is an announcements list for biodiesel classes and events in
California www.biodieselcommunity.org/onlineresources
- a listing of other websites and resources for homebrewing and SVO
information
Online Biodiesel
Homebrewing Suppliers: The Biodiesel Homebrew Guide book- www.localb100.com/book.html
by Maria 'Mark' Alovert - a guide for learning to make homebrew
biodiesel. B100 Supply www.b100supply.com Biodiesel Homebrewing Supplies
Books, Kits, Scales, Labware & more Utah Biodiesel Supply www.utahbiodieselsupply.com
Biodiesel Homebrewing Supplies
Equipment, & Information Biodiesel Warehouse www.biodieselwarehouse.com
Biodiesel Processors, Kits, Supplies, Generators, Engines, and more
The
2004 Class Tour Equipment Page
The industry and
research: The
industry’s website is www.biodiesel.org http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
US Patent Office: do a search for ‘biodiesel’ at
this URL www.me.iastate.edu/biodiesel
- the Iowa State University biodiesel pages, includes several archived
technical papers http://koal2.cop.fi/leonardo/ -A
European vocational education chemistry program- website focuses on
biodiesel and vegetable oil chemistry including lab safety info and an
extensive analytical section (some in German) that includes testing
techniques not usually used by American homebrewers. http://www.distributiondrive.com/links.html
- exhaustive list of biodiesel and industry links
Biodiesel
Activists, and
local production: www.forums.biodieselnow.com
is a discussion forum for users of commercial biodiesel and other
industry-watch pundits. It has good regional forums for some organizing. www.groups.yahoo.com/group/local-b100-biz
is a discussion listserve about small-scale commercial producers and
biodiesel co-ops or biofuel groups www.biodieselconsumers.org
was a conference we held in southern California just before the last
biodiesel industry convention, which dealt with many of the issues of
biodiesel sustainability, biodiesel activism, and small scale
commercial producers www.biodieselcouncil.org
- Biodiesel
Council of California is a California-wide group which works on issues
of biodiesel sustainability and state regulatory/policy issues
surrounding biodiesel