Bio-Diesel

I suppose I never explained what I am doing here in the land of wood and water (i.e., Jamaica). It must be obvious now that I am a Peace Corps volunteer and have been here for just under a year (July 3rd we arrived). One project I am working is a bio-diesel project at the 4H. A previous volunteer, now serving in Guatemala, started the project which uses waste vegetable oil (WVO) to produce bio-diesel in 1-liter batches. To upgrade this process our goal is to produce the fuel in 35-gallon batches. We wrote and received a grant from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) for $1.8J million (about $25,000 US). The processor is unique in that it will attempt to use alternative energy to produce the fuel. A solar pre-heat box and solar water heater will be used to heat the WVO to approximately 55ºC; and a solar panel will be used to run the pumps that will mix the chemicals (WVO, methanol and caustic soda) and wash the fuel. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the process yet as we have had the funding for three months and have been unable to make any purchases. This is mainly due to the bureaucratic red tape. Needless to say we are a bit behind schedule. As we progress I will keep making updates.