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Learn to Make Your Own Biodiesel - Part 1

From Christine & Scott Gable, for About.com

9 of 10

The First Minute of the Mixing Process

Agitation of veg oil and sodium methoxidephoto © Adrian Gable
We took this picture to show you what the first minute of the reaction looks like. As you can see, it's a muddy, cloudy-looking mixture. As the beater spins for the first minute or two, you may actually hear a load on the motor and it will slow a bit. What's happening is that the mixture is thickening slightly just before the main chemical reaction starts to take place, as the glycerin begins to separate out from the vegetable oil. At that point you may hear the motor pick up speed as the oil thins out and the separation continues.

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