Allow me to introduce the first Domestic Fuel contributing poster. His name is John Wells and he resides not too far from us here in mid-Missouri with his wife Jennie and baby daughter Jillian. He’s a graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in communications and and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Public Administration. For the past 11 years he has been video producer for Missouri state government and in his spare time he’s an avid outdoorsman which has led him to have an interest in biodiesel. So, that will be his main topic area for this blog and we welcome him.

A quick search of the web will land you several different options for brewing your own biodiesel at home. The process is relatively simple and can be done with some fairly inexpensive gear. While I relish the idea of all the waste cooking oil being recycled, it seems like there should be a more effective business model for the collection and brewing of used vegetable oil than thousands of individuals striking deals with their local restaurants and setting up stills in their basements.
There is certainly a market for biodiesel with millions of freight carriers, construction vehicles and buses than run on diesel. One area that citizens can demand change right away is in student transportation. A new book called Biodiesel America points out links between child asthma and school buses. No modifications are necessary for diesel engines to burn biodiesel, so this is a switch that can take place as soon as fuel is readily available. School districts might find that fuel no further than the school kitchen. JW

http://www.biodieselgear.com/index.htm
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html
http://www.biodieselamerica.org/

(The picture is of a homemade biodiesel processor taken from the journeytoforever.org site, which offers very complete instructions for home-brewing biodiesel. cz)