Making your own fuel

[nephilim]

I have a question, do many of you make your own fuel?

I've seen videos on Youtube about making oil from plastics, wood, various paper type rubbish (news papers, flyers etc), even grass and cow pats etc. Does anyone do this and if so, is it useful?

If it is useful, I would be tempted to do this myself so I could keep some for an emergency (20% home distilled mixed with 80% purchased from a petrol station).

 

[tom.moran]

I used to make wvo (waste veg oil) I.built a filtration system and ran a car on it for about 2 years with no issues. Never made oil from scratch thouhh

 

[mrcharly]

Sure you aren't thinking of methane digesters? Been around for a long time, often used on farms. You don't get oil out of them but you do get useful amounts of methane (which can be burnt for heating or electric generation).

 

[nephilim]

no. The chap make a thick sludge like crude oil, had 4 collection tanks, as it went further along it got a BIT cleaner as it went on. He then distilled it into a useable fuel.

Link is here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdq37DLVd6g

 

[Philster]

I make a lot of sawdust in my day job and make sawdust bricks to burn through the winter. They are a useful addition to logs and free - would hate to just waste it.

 

[feralpig]

I run WVO, and make Bio diesel out of the WVO that I can't use, coz it's to thick, or solid.
Pyrolysis of plastics is perfectly feasible, but nowhere near as simple as it seems, when you actually come to do it.
There is plenty online, as I'm sure you have seen.
I can point you in the direction of the two best WVO/Bio diesel websites if you like.
Just bare in mind, if you want to know about alternative fuels, ask the bloke down the pub. The ones who run bio and WVO every day, know nothing, and are told so on a regular basis, usually by the bloke in the pub.......

 

[nephilim]

Feel free to give me the links, I am always curious. Even if it is enough to run a generator for a little while if I run out of normal fuel. Plus if I can reuse plastic instead of throwing it away, the that would be even better and any residue left from generating it could go in the recycling bin thereafter.

 

[feralpig]

I meant forums, not websites. Anyhow,
Here is the vegetableoildiesel forum

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/index.php

And here is the Biopowered Wiki and forum.

http://www.biopowered.co.uk/forum/

I have been a member of both, for a number of years.
These people really know what they are talking about, even if the do come across as being semi loopy......

 

[tom.moran]

I meant forums, not websites. Anyhow,
Here is the vegetableoildiesel forum

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/index.php

And here is the Biopowered Wiki and forum.

http://www.biopowered.co.uk/forum/

I have been a member of both, for a number of years.
These people really know what they are talking about, even if the do come across as being semi loopy......

I spent an lot of time on that veg oil forum, great place, they really appreciate it when people use the search button though

 

[feralpig]

Yeah, it has the odd major crisis now and then, but keeps going somehow. Great bunch of people.
The search function on the VOD is basically a waste of time. Most new comers now get directed straight to the Wiki.

 

[tom.moran]

I always found the search useless and just read everything

 

[Kadushu]

I've run my landy on wvo for over 2 years now. Done twenty-something thousand miles on it. Still getting told it'll wreck my engine by 'experts'.

 

[feralpig]

Kadusu on VOD too? I think I met you at the BBB, two years ago?
(greasemonkey)

 

[Kadushu]

Yup Kadushu on there too, but I haven't been to the BBB :-/ Am I a victim of identity theft?

 

[feralpig]

Evidently not you. I though it came up on the forum after that we had met. Meet so many people in a short space of time, it's a job to keep up.

 

[mrcharly]

I've run my landy on wvo for over 2 years now. Done twenty-something thousand miles on it. Still getting told it'll wreck my engine by 'experts'.

Depends on the model of fuel pump. Some of the Lucas pumps need tlc on engine startup. Their bearings are lubed by the fuel and cold WVO is a bit viscous. We considered converting ours but the landy was damaged in a crash before we got round to it.