1. Home
  2. Autos
  3. Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels

Learn to Make Your Own Biodiesel - Part 1

By Christine & Scott Gable, About.com

4 of 10

Measuring the Lye

Weighing lye on a balance for BD makingphoto © Adrian Gable
The most expensive piece of equipment we use for making homemade biodiesel is a good quality balance. You can also use a high quality electronic scale, but it's important that it is precise. Accurately measuring the appropriate amount of lye is critical to a successful biodiesel reaction. Having a measurement that is off as few as a couple grams can make the difference between success and failure.

For our normal batch we use 53 grams of lye.

4 of 10

Explore Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Autos
  3. Hybrid Cars & Alt Fuels
  4. Types of Fuels
  5. Biodiesel
  6. Homemade Biodiesel
  7. Measuring the Lye for Making Biodiesel

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.