Official News page 8

REAL LIFE NEWS: BIODIESEL IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

by Hazed

Worried about rising fuel prices? Want to do your bit to help the environment? Well, don't, whatever you do, try to create your own biodiesel fuel in your garage.

That's what a man from Northamptonshire, England tried recently, with disastrous consequences: a devastating explosion which levelled his garage to the ground and injured him severely.

He collected used cooking oil from his local Chinese takeaway and was attempting to turn it into motor fuel. While it's possible to use the oil in diesel vehicles without any preparation, it doesn't do the engine much good, so it's normal to treat the oil with alcohol and other ingredients before use. That's apparently what this chap was in the process of doing when he had his little mishap.

It's likely that the explosion would have been caused by alcohol fumes building up in the garage, a process that would have been enhanced by the hot weather over the weekend in question. Firemen were sent to deal with the smoking wreckage, and a spokesman from the Oxfordshire fire brigade said later, "Firefighters would like to urge members of the public to take extreme caution if undertaking such chemical mixtures in their own homes."

It's quite legal to make your own biofuel in the UK, and it's tax-free up to the amount of 2,500 litres per year (that's about 660 US gallons). So given the current prices, and the fact that so much of the pump price is duty that goes to the government, you can see the temptation. But frankly, I am not sure it's worth the risk!

Fed2 Star index Previous issues Fed 2 home page