Biodiesel is a clean, renewable and domestically produced diesel fuel, which has many characteristics of a promising alternative energy resource. The most common process for making biodiesel is known as transesterification. This process involves combining any natural oil (vegetable or animal) with virtually any alcohol, and a catalyst. There are other thermochemical processes available for making biodiesel, but transesterification is the most commonly used one due to the simplicity and high energy efficiency. The high energy efficiency of transesterification is an important aspect of Biodiesel, which makes it favorable in the competitive energy market. The following is a transesterification reference guide that can be used to process Biodiesel on an experimental scale for classroom demonstrations. It can be done with basic equipment and common chemicals. Be sure to use extreme caution when carrying out this procedure, the methanol and catalyst are toxic, and give off potentially harmful vapors. Proper personal protection is imperative, including thorough ventilation. Links will also be given for more information on building more sophisticated small-scale (“homebrew”) biodiesel processors.
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