He Makes His Own Biodiesel

He Makes His Own Biodiesel ENERGY Alternative Fuels 26-5-29 In 1998, Tom Leue, Ashfield, Massachusetts, turned his family's maple syrup business into a manufacturing plant for biodiesel. However, his product, Yellow Brand PREMIUM BiodieselÖ, is still sold only as a parts cleaning solution since he has not been able to get approval for highway fuel use by the appropriate people from the Environmental Production Agency. What makes Leue's business work is the fact that he doesn't have to buy vegetable oil. He uses cooking oil from restaurants and sometimes even gets paid to haul it away. "I have a 200-gal. tank with a pump and long hose mounted on the back of my Ford diesel pickup. Restaurants contract with me to haul away their used oil," he notes. Leue makes use of some of the equipment he used in making syrup. He made most of the other equipment he uses, including pumps for moving oil and other liquids around. He uses a batch system, making 20 gal. of biodiesel at a time. "We fill a tank with oil, and then pump in a methyl alcohol and lye solution," he explains. Once a reaction between the two liquids has occurred, what remains is methyl ester (biodiesel) and a solution of water, glycerin and alcohol, otherwise known as glycerol. Every gallon of oil yields a gallon of finished biodiesel. He packages the biodiesel in 5-gal. containers for sale as parts cleaner. So far, he's not found a market for the glycerol byproduct, so he's working on a system to burn it. "It's high in water, so it doesn't burn easily. Once you get it going, though, it produces a steady heat," he says. While he can't sell his biodiesel as car or truck fuel, Leue is legally allowed to burn it himself, or sell it for off-road use. He uses it in his tractor, as well as his pickup and car. He usually burns it straight, rather than mixing it with petroleum-based diesel fuel. At this time, Leue is considering the possibility of franchising his Yellow Brand Biodiesel product name to others. He says there is no "correct" way to build a biodiesel factory. But if you'd like to see what his plant looks like, you can take a "tour" at his Website. A 5-gal. container of Leue's Yellow Brand Premium Biodiesel sells for $12.50, FOB Ashfield, Mass. Contact: FARM SHOW Folllowup, Homestead Inc., Tom Leue, 1664 Cape St., Williamsburg, Mass. 01096 (ph 413 628-4533; E-mail: tilapia@aol.com; Website: www.yellowbiodiesel.com).

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