How To Titrate Your Biodiesel Homebrew

Step 1: Safety First

You are working with some chemicals and vapors that could be dangerous if handled incorrectly. During the titration process, it is very important for you to wear the proper safety equipment and work in a well-ventilated area. Make sure to wear rubber gloves and safety glasses when handling the Isopropyl Alcohol and Potassium Hydroxide.

Step 2: Get The Oil

Take a small jar and grab a sample of the well-mixed oil from the transfer tank of your processor. You only need enough oil to fill the bottom of the jar. It doesn't matter if the oil is heated or not for the titration process.

Step 3: Prepare To Titrate

Use the syringe and add 10 milliliters of Isopropyl Alcohol to the second empty jar. Household Turmeric works as a great indicator and will tell you how much fatty acids are in the oil that need to be neutralized. Add a couple shakes of Turmeric into the second jar along with one milliliter of your well mixed sample of oil.

Step 4: Potassium Hydroxide Solution

Grab the third syringe and take exactly 10 milliliters of your Potassium Hydroxide Solution and slowly add it to the oil, alcohol and turmeric mix. Keep swirling and dropping in the Potassium Hydroxide until the solution turns red and stays red. You will get a deep red color right where the drop falls each time, but all of the liquid needs to turn red and stay red to know you're done.

When the solution turns red, read the value on your syringe and subtract that value from ten. This represents the "extra" amount of Potassium Hydroxide you need to add later in the biodiesel making process.