Biodiesel has become markedly easier to produce in your home and with the new production kits on the market, perhaps cost effective too. With numerous companies popping up that are able to convert anything from a mini to an H2 to efficient biodeisel models, a demand for home biodiesel production has emerged. The Fuelmeister II from Cascade Bio-Diesel in Oregon is a new kit to automate this process from your basement

Retailing for $2,995, the apparatus takes up about 3’x3’x5’ and promises to make 80 gallons a day. Supplies (which include vegetable-based oil, methanol, lye, tap water, and electricity) should only cost 70 cents per gallon and my neighbor claims (a proud driver of a biodiesel Volvo) that most restaurants will provide the oil for free. The waste produced is easily biodegradable. They also sell storage tanks and fueling stations for your garage.

Biodiesel can be used by nearly any fossil-diesel engine without any modification. If you don’t mind your basement (and car) smelling like a MacDonald’s, this kit should pay for itself in about 2 years. At 80 gallons a day, you could fuel your entire block or heat your home.

Source: Cascade Bio-Diesel