 |
residential
weekend course
how to make biodiesel |
Produce
your own cheap, carbon-neutral diesel – no need for alterations
to your engine. This course covers everything from small home-made
plant, to the chemistry involved in biodiesel production; supply
of used cooking oil and other chemicals; vehicle considerations;
Environment Agency and VAT law; and plant design and construction
using readily-available materials. There will be plenty of opportunity
to ask specific questions, and to discuss your own project and those
of other participants.
-
what
is biodiesel?
-
environmental
benefits of biodiesel
-
theory:
two ways of making biodiesel, using two different reactions
-
biodiesel
v. pure vegetable oil
-
ingredients:
supply of used cooking oil and other reagents
-
vehicle
considerations: the functioning of a diesel engine; fuel quality;
engine requirements
-
health
and safety: handling of flammable liquids; minimising the risk
of personal injury
-
Environment
Agency: the ‘Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control’
document; charging structures; criteria for ‘low-impact
plant’
-
Customs
& Excise, and VAT law
-
practical
sessions: plant design and construction using readily-available
materials; making biodiesel
-
course
participants receive a copy of our book: How to Make Biodiesel
more
on biodiesel
| how
to book: |
|
if you can't open
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|
| arrive: |
|
Friday
evening at 6.30 for dinner at 7.30 |
| depart: |
|
Sunday
after lunch (served at 1.00) |
| directions: |
|
|
| what
to bring: |
|
pen
and notebook; towel; work clothes or overalls; boots; money
for possible trip to pub (meals and bedding are provided)
NO DOGS PLEASE |
| let
us know: |
|
if
you are vegan or have any food allergies |
| accommodation: |
|
3-4
people sharing single-sex rooms |
| sat
evening: |
|
either
a trip to the pub, or (depending on the weather) a bonfire.
General hanging out and socialising. |
| prices: |
|
£190
high-waged; £160 waged;
£130 student / unwaged
Refundable up to two weeks prior to course (minus £30
admin fee)
No refunds for cancellations within two weeks of course
|
| discounts:
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| car
sharing: |
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mixing the
ingredients to make biodiesel from different batches of oil; you
will also test the pH of various oils, and do a titration to establish
the amount of catalyst needed to convert a particular batch of oil
to biodiesel

ingredients
and by-products: clockwise from left – wash-water, glycerine,
finished biodiesel, potassium hydroxide, methanol

classroom-based
topics include the environmental benefits of biofuels, the cost
effectiveness of different scales of production, the diesel engine,
storage, supply of oils and reagents, Customs and Excise, Environment
Agency |