Energy Independence: On Farm Biodiesel Fuel Production

For more stories and videos, visit http://cookingupastory.com Roger Rainville is ahead of the curve when it comes to reducing costs on his farm near Alburgh, Vermont. He's currently producing biodiesel for about $1.70 a gallon.

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[kingsnoofer]

The waste pellets that come out, are they useful as feed or perhaps burning in a pellet stove? Would they be a good mulch or compost?

[cookingupastory]

@kingsnoofer The pellets (meal) are used as a feed for the cattle - which was Roger's initial reason to try this (says around @1:50 ). The meal could also be used in compost, as a fertilizer.

[CaptKelp]

Great video - To comments. % are important, but how easy a crop is to grow and harvest and where - what kind of soil requirements a crop need are just as important. If you can grow it in poor soil the benefits are much higher with less yield. The land has use value. Poor soil produces 0 to $100 per acre. Great soil is in the $1000's per acre. You have to value this in the COSTS of the fuel. A lot of things beside just lb to lb yields make it a good or bad crop. Independence is a factor too.

[cookingupastory]

@CaptKelp Decades ago a portion of the farm was used to grow feed (fuel) for the plow horses and a similar amount of land is needed to fuel (feed) farm equipment. You also bring up a good point about land. When doing something like this, Roger highly recommended using your best soil, best land to grow the oilseed. Otherwise it may not be successful. Remember, you're not planting the entire farm in oilseed, just a percentage. I think self-sufficiency plays a big role here, too.

[Luieburger]

I run my VW Jetta on 100% canola bio-diesel. Runs slick as a whistle.

My parents farm canola seed, and run their VW Passat and ford F-350 on Bio-diesel. Those all run great. One winter we were having the toughest time getting an old blue ford tractor started. We put 100% bio-diesel in the tank with whatever was already in there, and it started right up.

[recycmatt]

what do u do with used motor oil after a oil change.like what u r doing. keep it up. thank god 4 people like u!

[going2sleep]

That was amazing. I never knew that you can make your own fuel. It would make sense for people that use so much fuel. It is economical.

[JoeHell67]

The original Diesel Engine developed by Rudolf Diesel was an engine fueled by

vegetable oil!

So your bringing the engine back to basics with Biodiesel!

btw. the oil out of that press, is edible...

[CaptKelp]

Cookin' your right - I forgot that. And that reminds that farmers - a long time ago - use to take some of there land - when they were young and use it for retirement.. Where I was from - New England - they use to plant a grove of Black Walnut or some other rare wood and in 50 yrs when they were old - it was worth something .

Captn'

[scienceviewfinder]

Wow great video.............yoy can use biodiesel in different ratios in cold weather. In my current google science project I'm looking at comparitive fuel/temp. ratios.

Watch my video project and see what u think?