Actually, biodiesel is no more "flammable" than peanut oil or olive oil.

My objection to home made biodiesel is in the following terms (and yes
I have made and used biodiesel).

It involves the production and use of Sodium methydroxide - a
particularly nasty and dangerous poison.

It involves the use of methanol or "dry gas", a fairly dangerous
flammable liquid, and unless the biodiesel "still" is made correctly,
each batch of biodiesel results in a fairly large amount of it going to
waste (about 20lt of methanol to 250lt of biodiesel). In order to
recover the methanol the reacted biodielse must be heated and the
methanol vapour captured and distilled - an inherently dangerous
process. Wasting th emethanol is a waste of resources.

The production of biodiesel leaves a byproduct that is noxious and
difficult to dispose of.

The amount of energy that needs to be put into agitating the biodiesel
"mix" or in heating it if you are south of the tropic of capricorn and
its winter is such that production of 200lt of biodiesel uses more
energy than production of 200ly of fossil diesel.

It seems to me that most people who sustain the biodiesel thing are
either bucks down, hooked on being "different" or have not thought
through the real costs to the planet of making their own fuel.

A far, far better alternative is to do the modifications to allow your
diesel to run on pure vegetable oil - see www.plantdrive.com

--

In Q, the Fire & Rescue Authority takes a very dim view of backyard
biodiesel manufacturing facilities (and any other process that uses
chemicals deemed to be dangerous).  There have been recent moves to
ban it but I don't recall whether it's at local (council) or state
government level.  I think maybe the latter.

Yep. But I did say few would do that, of course.

I haven't ruled out giving it a shot in the future, mind you.
If I do, it'll be done properly.

They were ripping him off if fuel cost more than 80¢ at the time. :)

Mine's less 2.5% of the negotiated total price on all bulk fuel paid
for within 7 days of delivery (and it's delivered on site by tanker at
no extra cost).  It's een that way for years.

The ATO provides an additional rebate of up to 38.143¢ per litre,
depending on the end use (half that for trucks over 20 tonne GVM
running on road).

They've recently applied a slight imposition in that you now have to
wait up to 3 months to get it back if the business income is less than
$1M p.a. (it's part of the BAS)... previously payable on each 2000
litre purchased (if you chose to claim it that way).

Small time users need not apply (presumably they're also the ones who
now pay for the road damage done by trucks).  :)

All of the foregoing now applies to petrol as well as diesel (since
July 2007 IIRC).

The Queensland Government also pays me an additional 8.3¢ per litre
for estimated on road fuel usage (12 months in advance -- reconciled
at the end of the financial year).

Now you know why I get to spend so much time in the office!  :)

That's fair enough too, but I note you are only telling Oz. Why not apply it
to Noddy and his band of whackos as well?

Roger

Is it just me, or can anyone else see the ridiculousness of this statement

--
Regards,
Noddy.

With all due deference to government ineptitude... there wasn't much
else you could put it in back in those days.  And even fewer users
who'd have wanted to (drive a 5 cylinder Merc that is).  :)