Quote Originally Posted by duskylim View Post
Hi carebear:

Whether a BIODIESEL contains methanol (methyl alcohol - CH3OH) or ethanol (ethyl alcohol - C2H5OH) depends upon the exact process used to make it.

Most BIO-DIESEL's are either methyl or ethyl ESTERs.

That is they are blends of a very strong base (usually sodium hydroxide NaOH) added to an anhydrous absolute alcohol (that is a water-free alcohol) and a fatty acid - the "bio-oil" (coconut, rape seed, soybean, etc.) of choice.

Either methyl or ethyl alcohol will do. The choice is up to the manufacturer.

On a small scale (backyard operation), it is however easier to make biodiesels using methanol vs ethanol.

Note: In Organic Chemistry, an ESTER is a combination of an acid and an alcohol.

So ethanol can be used in the making of bio-diesel.

Sincerely,

Dusky Lim
now i understand it more. thank you sir dusky for the fruitful info.

idol

truck and roll