Biodiesel is a vegetable based alternative to petroleum for diesel engines.  Biodiesel is a high performance fuel that can be used in all diesel engines to significantly reduce emissions.  Biodiesel is made from 80-90% vegetable oil and 10-20% alcohol. 

Running a vehicle on Biodiesel is not the same as running it on vegetable oil.  It is also possible to run a diesel vehicle on vegetable oil but there are some complications and modifications that need to be made to the vehicle.  Some of the links on the resources page give more information about SVO conversions for cars. (SVO=Straight Vegetable Oil, not the same as biodiesel!)

Running a vehicle on Biodiesel does not require any special modifications, [As long as it's a diesel vehicle to start with! -Ed]  it can be poured right into the regular fuel tank and mixed in any proportion with regular petroleum diesel.

Unfortunately the BBC does not sell to the general public.  If you live in the Berkeley area you can become a member of the co-op and take part in our bulk buy program,  which involves buying biodiesel in large quantities in order to reduce the price for members.

If you live in the Bay Area there are several sources of biodiesel nearby.

Membership in the BBC is by necessity limited to people living in or near Berkeley, California.  The collective hosts new member meetings on a monthly basis.  You can come to the meeting to find out more about the collective even if you do not intend to join.

Berkeley Biodiesel Collective Intro Meeting!

Usually the first Monday of the month -- please email berkeleybiodiesel@yahoo.com to confirm.

In response to the great amount of inquiries we've been getting, we hold introductory meetings every month. Our monthly meetings are very business oriented and not geared towards new members, and other meetings throughout the month are committee specific, so we hope to provide a clear, fun jumping in point with this.

The next few presentations are scheduled for 7:30pm on March 3rd and April 7th, 2008, at the BioFuel Oasis, 2465 4th Street @ Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA.

These presentations are for those who have never had any contact with the coop, and are new to Biodiesel or know about biodiesel but are new to the area. We talk about biodiesel for those who are new to it (emissions, types of vehicles, commercial availability, FAQs etc.). We will also try to answer any questions you've got about biofuels and the local biofuels scene. Then we will talk about what our coop does, its history and vision. And, of course we will talk about how to get involved with our coop or other regional events/groups.

If you want to get involved but you can't make the coming meeting, write us so we can let you know about other occasional events/opportunities, or mark your calendar for the next month's meeting.

Any other questions please write to us at this address: berkeleybiodiesel@yahoo.com

Peace, The BBC

The process of making Biodiesel from vegetable oil involves a simple chemical reaction called transesterification.  Vegetable oil is mixed with alcohol and catalyzed by the common household chemical lye (sodium hydroxide). 

WARNING: The chemicals involved in making Biodiesel can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly.

There is a lot of information available on-line that can be found by following the links on our Resources page. 

In addition, the Bay Area is blessed with some hard working individuals that offer demonstrations, workshops and full fledged apprenticeship programs in making biodiesel.  These workshops are announced on the NorCal Biodiesel Events List: Sign up for the NorCal Yahoo Newsletter for a comprehensive list of biodiesel and SVO classes and workshops in Northern California .

In general, no.  BUT:

Some car manufacturers use rubber hoses for their diesel fuel lines that are adversely affected by biodiesel.  If biodiesel is used in these cars for an extended period of time the fuel line hoses should be replaced with hoses made of a material that is biodiesel resistant, such at Viton.

Biodiesel acts as a better solvent than standard petroleum diesel and it will "clean out" deposits in your fuel tank and they can get stuck in your fuel filter.  It is often necessary to change your fuel filter a couple times when you first make the switch to biodiesel.

Biodiesel can gel or crystallize in cold (freezing) temperatures and cause problems starting or running your car . Fuel can be blended with 'dino' diesel, or other anti-gel additives to keep it liquid. Cold weather gadgets designed for traditionally fueled vehicals, such as engine block and fuel tank heaters, are helpful for cars running Biodiesel in cold weather.

See Resources page...