How to Make Your Own Bio Diesel

 

To produce diesel, you first have to collect some waste vegetable oil (usually available free) and filter it of any debris. Then its quality has to be evaluated by “titration,” a simple chemical test that determines the amount of lye and methanol required to convert the vegetable oil to biodiesel. (The quantity of chemicals varies depending on the quality of the feedstock oil. If you add more than the required amount of lye, your mixing tank could end up filled with gel-type soap. If you use too little lye, only part of the cooking oil will convert into biodiesel, with a large layer of glycerin settling to the bottom of the mixing tank.)

Once that’s been determined, these two chemicals are carefully mixed together in a sealed container. (The resulting mixture, called sodium methoxide, is caustic, and requires safety precautions such as protective goggles and gloves.) read more

Top Fuel Efficient Cars

The previous post had to do with the government's choice for the best fuel efficient vehicles. This is my list for the best fuel efficient cars. My list is divided into three parts; the first consists of cars that are hyper efficient but may sacrifice some of the modern conveniences and technology. The second category consists of vehicles I consider status hybrids. The "Look at me! I care about the environment" cars. The third category is a list of the efficient cars that manage to do their job and look cool doing it.

(city/highway)

Part 1

Buying a modern hybrid car and thinking it will save you money is just plain wrong. It would take you 10 years or more to recoup the premium you had to pay for the hybrid. If you really are in the market for a vehicle that will start saving you money today, go with one of these. 

1) 1st generation Honda Insight (2000-2006): Arguably the best performing hybrid car ever to go into production. Two Seater bare-bones hyper efficient car. (61/70)

2) Chevy/Geo Metro (33/39)

3) Any pre-2000 domestic or Japanese lightweight car. ex. Honda Civic (27/34), Dodge Neon (25/37), Chevy Prism (27/34), Ford Escort (24/34)

4) pre-2000 Volkswagen Passat (32/45), Volkswagen Jetta (33/44)


Part 2

I would categorize these as the Holier Than Thou cars. Vehicles that are purchased almost exclusively by people as status symbols in an effort to show how much they care about the environment. As demonstrated above you aren't going to save yourself much, if any money by purchasing these vehicles. However, they do get great mileage and credit should be given to the engineers for coming up with these impressive systems.

1) Toyota Prius
2) Nissan Leaf*

*I include the Nissan Leaf in this category solely for the reason that I do not see it as a practical car. The time it takes to recharge and lack of charging stations makes it impractical for anything but short commutes. However, as prices drop and more charging stations become available I foresee this vehicle leaving this section.

Volvo's Radical Ideas for Cleaning the Air: The Versatility Concept

The need for improvement has spawned some pretty interesting innovations. Volvo, for instance, is taking the concept of personal environmental responsibility several steps further than the norm with the PremAir radiators installed on many of its current models. These "smog eating" radiators, which are coated with a catalyst that transforms ground level ozone into oxygen, represent yet another incremental step toward lessening the automobile's impact on the environment.
This passive catalytic system is limited in its ability to convert ozone to oxygen by the amount of polluted air that passes through the radiator during driving. But what if a more active approach was possible, one that would not only clean up pollution created by the car being driven but the emissions of nearby cars as well?

It sounds like the stuff of an environmentalist's dream but it's closer to reality than you might imagine. Such a system is provided in the Volvo Versatility Concept Car, this automaker's latest concept vehicle. Here, the Volvo Ambient Air Cleaner (VAAC) determines when surrounding pollution levels are high enough and then filters hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from the air, neutralizing the equivalent of up to three other cars' worth of emissions in polluted urban areas. read more