Hey all biodiesel question

 Hey guys,
 
Been thinking about playing around with biodiesel a bit :)
 
been reading www.journeytoforever.org good site
 
the question is this. As i under stand it transesterfication is that
 
the lye breaks the bonds of the oil, then the methanol replaces the
bonds that the glycerine was attracted to.
 
What else could i use thats readily available besides methanol. I have
read ethanol works but it has to be anhydrous.
 
Will regular pump gasoline work?? I live in California where our gas
is supplemented by ethanol and orther additives
 
How about turpentine. basically will any alcohol work as long as its
anhydrous
 
Another question is when i was reading journeytoforever.org there is a
2 stage biodiesel process that needs sulfuric acid of 95%+ purity
since battery acid is only 50% it wont work are there off the self
products that are 95% or greater purity just under a different name
(like muriatic acid is HCL) and where would I locate these at???
 
thanx guys :)

  You might also consider SVO ( straight vegetable oil) as a way to avoid
the (rather industrial) biodiessel production process.  You can run
diesel engines and more on new or used fryer oil with modest additional
equipment.  Read all about it at
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&sD7609751

Methanol and ethanol are the favourites due to favourable reaction
dynamics, attempting other formulations should be addressed by those
with a strong foundation in chemistry.  You can likely obtain sulfuric
acid from a chemical supply wholesaler, just be ready to document who
you are and what you're doing with it.  Industrial H2SO4 could be used
for nefarious things and shouldn't be sold to minors :-).

Good luck,  Glenn


Jon wrote:

 
Just about any triglyceride/fat can be transesterified with any alcohol with
a strong acid catalyst  (HCl or H2SO4).  Small quatities of water CAN be
tolerated.  Maybe even 90 percent isopropanol.  Mix the reactants as much as
you can while heating.
Brent Wegher