Apologies for cross-posting
Biodiesel is a clean burning, vegetable oil-based alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. The EPA recently determined that inhaling petroleum diesel exhaust from large trucks and other sources over time can cause cancer in humans. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, essentially free of sulfur, and results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter compared to emissions from diesel fuel. In addition, the exhaust emissions of sulfur oxides and sulfates (major components of acid rain) from biodiesel are essentially eliminated compared to diesel. Biodiesel can be used in diesel engines with no major modifications. The Ecology Center has been running our recycling truck fleet on biodiesel for 18 months. Homebrew Biodiesel Intensive Class -------------------------------------------- This in-depth biodiesel class will teach you in four sessions the ins and outs of making biodiesel. It will start with a demonstration, but most of the sessions will consist of hands-on 'lab' work. There will be a strong emphasis on quality testing and quality control, safety equipment, understanding of the chemistry involved (from a non-technical layperson's perspective) as it pertains to troubleshooting and quality control. Students will make many batches 'on their own.' We will make ethyl, methyl, NaOH and KOH biodiesel, and do an introductory session on two-stage processes. Day 1: Saturday, November 9, 2002 The first class will be a demo, and a hands-on session with the entire class practicing titration on a variety of oils and will result in students making small batches, and a full-scale batch. There will be an introduction to settling/filtration/testing. Day 2: Saturday, November 16, 2002 Our biodiesel intensive continues with day 2 focusing on safety equipment and use, quality testing, more titration, and more hands-on practice working with a couple of different processors. Also an intro to washing and an intro to ethanol biodiesel. Day 3: Saturday, November 23, 2002 Day 3 will focus on washing and troubleshooting, 'wash problems', dealing with 'bad batches', glycerine purification and disposal, deacidifying extremely bad oil (two different processes), intro to two-stage processes, and more student practice of all of the above. Day 4: Saturday, November 30, 2002 Day 4 will introduce straight vegetable oil (SVO) conversion, taught by local SVO users, and a continuation of the biodiesel class including processors and equipment design, part 2 of two-stage processes, plus more practice. Drop-ins are OK but there might not be time to catch you up. It's recommended you take the entire course, especially if you don't have any exposure to homebrew biodiesel. Go to the 'making biodiesel' section at journeytoforever.org for background information. The 50-page text is available for $4 (photocopy costs). At the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Avenue, near Dwight Way, Berkeley From 10 am - 3 pm Cost: Sliding scale $15 - $50 per class, no one turned away for lack of funds Info: 510/548-2220 x233 [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Sell a Home with Ease! http://us.click.yahoo.com/SrPZMC/kTmEAA/jd3IAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
