Vegetable Oil as Fuel

The Three Ways to Use Vegetable Oil as a Fuel Diesel engines that are found in cars, trucks,
generators, boats, buses, trains, planes, pumping stations, tractors, and agricultural equipment can all run on fuel from vegetable oil. Pure vegetable oil, lard, and used cooking oil work just as well as diesel fuel.

 

 Biodiesel:-

The most conventional method of running a diesel engine on vegetable oil fuel is to produce a fuel called biodiesel. Biodiesel is made by combining 10 to 20 percent alcohol with 0.35 to 0.75 percent lye and 80 to 90 percent vegetable oil. A very reliable reaction can be made with 80 parts new vegetable oil, 20 parts methanol, and 0.35 parts lye. These ingredients are mixed together for an hour and left to settle for eight hours.After the chemical reaction is complete and the new products settle out, you have biodiesel fuel and glycerin soap. The fuel is yellow to amber in color and flows like water. The soap is brown in color and has the consistency of gelatin. The soap settles to the bottom, allowing you to pump, siphon, or pour off the biodiesel

Veggie/Kero Mix:-

• The second method for using vegetable oil in a diesel engine is to simply “cut” the oil with kerosene. This method is best suited for emergencies, heavy duty engines, and warm temperatures. Although it is possible to mix other petroleum products with vegetable oil, kerosene is most suited for the diesel engine. Depending on ambient temperature, the blend of kerosene to vegetable oil will be anywhere from 10 percent kerosene and 90 percent vegetable oil to 40 percent kerosene and 60 percent vegetable oil. 
  
• A fairly reliable blend is 20 percent kerosene to 80 percent vegetable oil. The effectiveness and reliability of the veggie/kero method is increased by starting and cooling down the diesel engine on diesel fuel or biodiesel fuel. This can be accomplished by installing an extra fuel tank and switching to the veggie/kero mix when the engine is warmed up.

Straight Vegetable Oil:-

• The third method for running a diesel engine on vegetable oil is to use straight vegetable oil. As with the other methods, you can use either pure vegetable oil or used cooking oil. To ensure the reliability and longevity of your diesel engine, the engine must be started and cooled down on diesel or  biodiesel fuel. This also requires the use of an extra fuel tank and a valve to switch between the tank of diesel or biodiesel fuel and the tank of vegetable oil. Think of it as a startup tank  and a running tank. The key to running a diesel on straight vegetable oil is to heat the vegetable oil at every  tage—in the fuel tank, fuel hose, and fuel filter. The vegetable oil must be heated to at least 70°C .
• Most diesel engines have hoses that carry hot coolant. This coolant can be channeled to heat the vegetable oil hoses, tank, and filter. You can make simple modifications to the coolant hoses. These modifications combined with some extra fuel and oil hoses, an extra fuel tank, and an electrically operated switch will allow you to run your diesel engine on straight vegetable oil.