How to make gasoline at home: features and nuances of technology

Oil refineries produce fuel. But the cost in liters at gas stations is so daunting that car owners often ask how they can make gasoline at home. Every year, heaps of waste are released into the atmosphere. And if you put them to work, select a unit for distillation, then you can completely try to make methanol (methyl alcohol) on your own.

What is methanol and how to make it

Methanol is a poisonous colorless solvent with the taste of drinking alcohol, the octane number of which is 150. Essentially, it is the same fuel. Although it differs from motor gasoline in that after filling:

Increases engine power by 20%, service life several times
Does not emit harmful components when the engine is running. This means it is an environmentally friendly product.

How to make gasoline from methanol in artisanal conditions? It is possible using moonshine or denaturation technology (adding naphtha, kerosene). The process of methanol distillation is a step-by-step process, which differs from the distillation of moonshine. The output should be clean fuel with the least amount of water. During production, it will be necessary to install cleaning filters to the unit that will remove excess liquid from fuel alcohol.

Ethanol is a solvent. It will wash corroded dirt from the fuel lines into the cylinders. This means that the filters will serve as a separator of debris and water from the fuel tank. Step-by-step steps for making homemade gasoline from methanol:

Selection of initial raw materials for making mash (wheat, corn, millet, Jerusalem artichoke).
Combining foods with sugar to begin the fermentation process, then fermentation to produce alcohol.
Selection of a unit made of stainless steel or iron. To obtain 3 liters of gasoline in 1 hour, it is enough to select thin copper tubes of the following dimensions: width - 30 cm, length - 50 cm, height - 20 cm, diameter - 75 mm. A capillary tube from a used refrigerator is suitable as a faucet, and a pressure reducing valve is from a gas cylinder.
Installation of a mixer with a reactor horizontally for heating.
Connecting the structure to a water supply system divided into 2 streams. One will go into the refrigerator through a faucet and hole. Another is to enter the faucet through a faucet with a hole.

Water will flow through the hole, begin to cool, and turn into condensate and synthesis gas. Natural gas connected to the pipeline goes into the mixer, mixes with water steam, heats up to t +120 degrees. using a torch

It is important to adjust the faucet immediately. This will maintain optimal pressure in the condenser. You can't close it completely. It is enough to open it slightly for water to start flowing. When the temperature in the reactor reaches +250, you should open the tap a little more so that gasoline flows out in a thin stream. Still open slightly in case of leakage of fuel with gas impurities.

The unit is connected to a gas burner and adjusted to high performance. It is important that the least amount of steam is formed in the mixer, and that there is practically no water left in the fuel at the outlet. You can check the content with an alcohol meter. A pressure gauge is attached to the hole on the condenser to keep the pressure under control within 10 atm.

Tap water contains chlorine. This means that it will instantly lead to poisoning of the catalyst of the second reactor. That is why many craftsmen pour distilled water into the installation (reactor). The gas also contains sulfur impurities and active organic compounds. To achieve better results, it is better to use monoethanolamine gas purification.

Is there an everlasting log?

In reality, this is not a log, but an ordinary metal tank (pipe), welded on both sides. On top along the entire length there are holes in it for steam to escape. The pipe itself also has a hole that can be closed using a valve after the entire volume is filled with water.

You can use cold, but hot will heat up faster. How the device works:

The tank is placed at the very bottom of the stove. On the left, right and top they cover it with ordinary logs. The stove is lit.
When heated to a high temperature, water vapor begins to escape from the pipe.
It enters the burning coals, mixing with air. The specific heat capacity of such a mixture is 2 times greater than that of ordinary air. Water vapor has a heat capacity of 2.14 kJ/kg·K, and air - 1 kJ/kg·K.

The results of such an experiment, according to the statements of those who conducted it:

Black soot comes out of the smoke. This is explained by the reaction of carbon particles with oxygen.
The flame becomes more intense, with long tongues.
Wood burns longer: 1 hour 40 minutes. compared to 1 hour 10 minutes. when burning without an eternal log. Time increases by 40%.

Homemade gasoline options

Producing real fuel is a complex, costly process. First, oil is extracted and then redirected for processing. It is hardly possible to produce high-quality gasoline at home. However, there is enough fuel for heating or refueling a chainsaw.

Petroleum products are found everywhere. This is garbage under people's feet (synthetic fabrics, polyethylene, plastic, rubber tires, rotten wood). From them, diesel fuel can be extracted for internal combustion engines if it is subjected to pyrolysis or heating under oxygen-free conditions. Recyclable materials will release carbon dioxide when burned. This means it will not harm the external environment. The output will be fuel no worse than gasoline from a gas station.

1 kg of bottle plastic yields 1 liter of fuel. You can make homemade gasoline in artisanal conditions from coal by heat treatment, old tires, rubber waste, crude oil and gasification. Some craftsmen have learned to extract gasoline for internal combustion engines. Good synthetic diesel fuel is produced by distilling plastic bottles and rubber tires.

Afterword

How can you degrease the surface of glass or metal products at home?

If we use non-oil resources as a source for obtaining fuel, then the prospects for both the environment and the very presence of the fuel and energy complex do not look as depressing as they currently are.

As alternatives, technologies for processing liquefied gases, vegetable oils from a number of non-food grades, ethyl alcohols, but most importantly, hydrogen, which does not leave behind CO and CO2, can be used.

A separate direction is the creation of economical and compact batteries and an electric motor working in tandem with them.

So far, the chemical improvement of gasoline is underway, the environmental requirements for it are being tightened, but, as a result, the price is increasing. That, coupled with the increase in the planet's population and the access of an increasing number of people on all continents to the benefits of civilization, which undoubtedly includes universal motorization, the prospects for the industry remain uncertain.

Making gasoline from coal

European countries, not having oil reserves, have long started producing gasoline from raw coal. Also in the pre-war years, Germany produced fuel thanks to the Ruhr coal basin with its large deposits of brown coal

How gasoline is separated from coal

Oil and coal have identical chemical compositions (hydrogen, carbon compounds), which can simply be replaced. This means that as the number of hydrogen molecules in coal increases or hydrogenates, oil will begin to be released first, then gasoline will be released through processing.

The separation of fuel from oil is possible in two ways: Fischer-Tropsch, Bergius by synthesis and gasification of fuel or liquefaction (hydrogenation).

The higher the octane number, the better the gasoline?

DIY turbine for a gasoline engine at home

As stated above, using fuel with an octane rating lower than that specified by the manufacturer harms the engine and increases fuel consumption. Based on the opposite, some car owners believe that its fuel with an inflated octane number benefits the engine. There is even an opinion that the engine should be periodically “pampered” with fuel whose knock resistance is higher than required. However, in reality this is not the case.

A high octane number means the combustion process occurs more slowly.

If a low-compression engine designed for 80-octane gasoline is supplied with 95-octane gasoline, the air-fuel mixture will ignite when the piston has already passed top dead center and continues to burn even when exiting through the exhaust valves. As a result, efficiency decreases, fuel consumption increases, and carbon deposits form on the pistons, valves and spark plug electrodes. But the problem doesn't stop there.

Gasoline with an excessive octane number leads to overheating of the exhaust valve seats and discs. With prolonged use of such flammable valves, they burn out and the engine requires complex, expensive repairs. Therefore, it is necessary to use only the fuel for which the engine is designed.

Manufacturers of some modern engines have provided the ability to operate on fuel with a slight difference in knock resistance - AI-92 or AI-95. The octane number of these varieties differs by only 3%.

This is achieved through the use of electronic octane correction. It works by changing the moment of sparking. If the octane number is too low, the spark plugs ignite the air-gasoline mixture a little later. If it is too high, a little earlier. The moment of sparking is set automatically. The electronic engine control unit, which receives data from the knock sensor, is responsible for this.

What is hydrogenation

Hydrogenation is a technological process for producing synthetic gasoline from brown coal. The stages are as follows:

softening coal, mixing with a fatty viscous liquid (fuel oil, tire oil) to obtain a paste-like component;
placing the paste in an airtight container;
adding solvent and catalyst to enrich coal.

Under the influence of a temperature of +500 degrees, high pressure of 200 atm, coal turns into a liquid state, then into a vapor state. It is spun in a centrifuge to remove coke and undergoes a distillation and hydrogenation process to obtain the final product.

Making biodiesel at home

First of all, it is important to initially understand the difference between the same oil and biodiesel fuel itself. Vegetable oil (SVO), waste vegetable oil (WVO) and similar animal fats are naturally capable of powering a diesel engine, but they are not biodiesel fuels per se. In the first option, modifications to the engine itself are indispensable.

At a minimum, a system of coarse and fine filtration of vegetable oil waste will be required. The option is not very good for the motor

In the first option, modifications to the engine itself cannot be done. At a minimum, a system of coarse and fine filtration of vegetable oil waste will be required. The option is not very good for the motor.

It is preferable to produce this biodiesel from SVO or WVO oils. The process is more complex and involves "breaking down" the chemical structure of fats or oils using methanol and lye

It is important to take the necessary precautions as both methanol and lye are toxic substances

The process of making biodiesel from SVO, in its most basic terms.

-Heating the oil;

-Adding a certain amount of mixed ingredients of methanol and alkali, they will facilitate the chemical process known as transesterification;

-The result of this process will be that two products will ultimately be released, namely: biodiesel and glycerin, which will separate and settle to the bottom of this mixture;

-The final stage is drying of methyl esters of fatty acids. Since water itself leads to the development of microorganisms in biodiesel and promotes the formation of free fatty acids, which subsequently cause corrosion of metal parts.

Store for no more than 3 months.

Producing gasoline by gasification

The Fischer-Tropsch or gasification method is step-by-step:

Coal raw materials are combined with water. Placed in a sealed steam vessel.
Heats up to t + 350 degrees and is subjected to pressure of 30 atmospheres.

The process produces synthetic gas, which is placed in another sealed vessel filled with a catalyst (iron, cobalt). The fuel comes out and is cracked to produce diesel fuel.

Gasoline can be produced by thermal treatment of coal. Although it is difficult to produce in artisanal conditions. You will need equipment similar to a blast furnace. The method is identical to the pyrolysis process. Coal is placed in a vessel without oxygen, subjected to temperature +200 degrees and a decomposition process with a transition from a solid to a gaseous state.

Adding water to regular fuel

Water can be used as fuel for your car as part of regular diesel fuel. This is another assumption that was put forward by “home” inventors. It turned out that when you add a small amount of diesel fuel to a bottle of water, the resulting mixture burns. Moreover, less soot is released, and the combustion process becomes more violent.

Also, during the burning process of a piece of paper dipped into the resulting mixture, a cracking sound appears, but this only indicates the evaporation of the liquid. In addition, shaking does not dissolve the diesel fuel in the water. There will be no homogeneous mixture here. Over time, diesel fuel, like oil or gasoline, collects on the surface.

A similar experiment was carried out with a tractor, into which diesel fuel and water, mixed in certain proportions, were poured. The unit started up and began to rattle, standing still. But that’s all the energy of such fuel is enough for. And there is a high risk that the engine will fail.

How to make gasoline from gas

You will need a unit like a mixing vessel to understand how to make fuel from gas. For example, made of stainless steel and metal. Into the vessel:

Water and propane-butane gas are added.
Heating occurs to t inside the mixer +120, where mixing of water vapor with gas begins to occur.

Gas already in mixed form:

fed into a reactor filled with a catalyst made of aluminum and nickel shavings;
heats up to t+500 g, forming a synthetic substance;
goes into the refrigerator, cools to t + 35-40 g;
fed into a sealed container with a catalyst made of zinc and copper shavings;
is subjected to pressure and t +270 degrees, forming synthetic fuel.

The resulting vapors are transferred from the container to the refrigerator. Subject to cooling and condensation under the influence of condensate. Gas and synthetic gasoline not dissolved in water enter the condenser. A synthetic product is drained from it. The gas can be sent back for recycling.

Properties of water as fuel

The formula of water is known to almost everyone - H2O. It contains two hydrogen atoms (H2) and one oxygen (O2). They are connected to each other by a covalent bond. Here it is worth recalling the essence of any fuel. These are substances capable of oxidation under the influence of an oxidizing agent, which is oxygen.

The function of an oxide in water can be performed by an oxygen molecule (O2). Hydrogen (H2) becomes a kind of fuel. When it burns, it releases 3 times more energy than when using conventional natural gas, and 2 times more than when burning gasoline. It was these properties that formed the basis of the idea of using water instead of fuel.

Making gasoline from tires

Extracting fuel from rubber tires is profitable and exciting. You will need 3 metal barrels with lids, a blast furnace (heat source), a distiller, raw materials (waste).

Stages:

cut the rubber into small pieces;
take a fireproof container, connect a heat-resistant tube, immerse the prepared raw materials in it;
take the end of the tube into the second vessel, which has 2 tubes (for removing gases and receiving liquid fuel);
fill the third vessel with water as a condenser;
on the lid of a vessel with two tubes, place the first end 1-2 cm;
connect the condenser tube to the gas exhaust tube;
place the second condenser tube under the first vessel and connect it to the gas burner;
place the tube from the first vessel in a pipe of the largest diameter, because water will flow through it for cooling;
light the main burner so that water begins to flow into the cooling circuit and the rubber turns into steam.

When passing through the pipe, the gas will cool, flow into the second vessel in the form of condensate, and flow through the outlet tube to the bottom of the condenser.

When the rubber in the first vessel runs out, turn off the water and burner.

Of course, you cannot get high-quality fuel from tires. But for refueling a chainsaw or heating a room, prepared gasoline is quite suitable.

Attention! The method cannot be used in closed rooms, apartments or private houses. In the process, smoke and fumes will rise into the air.

Why is it still not drowned with water?

Intermolecular water bonds arise and break much more easily than intramolecular ones. Therefore, it was decided to use them in heat transfer processes. Chemists have experimentally found that the energy of intermolecular bonds of water ranges from 0.26 to 0.5 eV (electron volts).

The problem is that to obtain fuel from water, it must be broken down into its components. In simple words, it needs to be decomposed into oxygen and hydrogen, then burn the hydrogen and get water again. Cleavage is achieved by passing an electric current through the liquid.

When boiling, water does not break into individual molecules, but only evaporates. Heating from normal combustion does not cause any other reactions in the liquid. Moreover, this process also requires a lot of energy, which could be used usefully. Eg:

burning 1 kg of dry wood with a moisture content of no more than 20% gives about 3.9 kW;
if the wood moisture level rises to 50%, then only 2.2 kW is released from 1 kg.

The decomposition of water to produce actual combustion requires significant energy expenditure. Much more of it is needed than will be released when the recovered elements are used again as fuel. An approximate ratio can be given:

100% of energy is for splitting;
75% of energy comes from burning recovered components.

It is the fact that the reverse reaction of released hydrogen and oxygen releases less energy that is the reason why water is still not used as a fuel for cars and other things. Economically, this method turned out to be unprofitable. It is more feasible to make fuel from garbage. It can be liquid, gaseous and solid.

Is there a "water" car?

In 2008, in Japan, a “water” car was presented by Genepax at an exhibition in Osaka. The fuel could be a glass of tap or river water, or even regular soda.

The device split the liquid into hydrogen and oxygen molecules, which began to burn and give the car energy to drive. Today it is known that the Genepax company went bankrupt and closed within a year.

Security measures

Methanol is the strongest poison. If you accidentally swallow 30 ml, it can be fatal. When working with liquid, it is important to follow safety rules, wear a respirator, and avoid contact with eyes and mouth.
The process of making ethanol at home is similar to moonshine brewing. Assumes using a torch. Experiments should be carried out away from flammable objects and materials.
It is unacceptable to use open fire sources when producing fuel from oil.

Of course, producing gasoline at home is difficult. More likely, you will end up with fuel derivatives that will not run the vehicle. To obtain a pure homemade product you will have to work hard. It is important to have not only technical skills and the necessary equipment, but also patience and ingenuity. It is recommended to first read professional literature about the intricacies and nuances of this production. In addition, the business may become unprofitable and even illegal. To produce surrogate fuel in large volumes, finance will be required to purchase expensive equipment and raw materials. The costs will be no less than buying regular gasoline for your car at the nearest gas station.

Octane number and dilution

Do-it-yourself rubber dye: 10 means for blackening tires that can be made at home
I still want to talk a little about diluting the original gasoline. That is, how do we get the octane number equal to 92, 95 and 98, which are used now.

The octane number characterizes the resistance of gasoline fuel to detonation; in simple words, it can be described as follows: in the fuel mixture (gasoline + air), which is compressed in the combustion chamber, the flame spreads at a speed of 1500 - 2500 m/s. If the pressure when the mixture ignites is too high, then additional peroxides begin to form, the force of the explosion increases - this is a simple detonation process that is in no way beneficial for the engine pistons.

It is the fuel's resistance to detonation that is measured by its octane number. Now there are installations that contain a reference liquid - usually a mixture of isooctane (its number is “100”) and heptane (its number is exactly “0”).

Then, at the stand, two fuels are compared, one obtained from oil (gasoline mixture), the second from isooctane. They are compared, if the engines operate the same, they look at the second mixture and the number of isooctane in it - thus obtaining the octane number. Of course, this is all ideal, laboratory tests.

In practice, detonation can be caused by many other engine malfunctions, such as incorrect throttle position, lean fuel mixture, improper ignition, engine overheating, carbon deposits in the fuel system, etc.

To summarize, now alcohols, ethers, alkyls are used as additives to increase the octane number; they are very environmentally friendly, as well as additives for. The ratio in the composition is approximately the following: the composition of Catholic cracking (73 - 75%), alkyls (25 - 30%), butylene fractions (5 - 7%). For comparison, tetraethyl lead was previously used to increase the octane number; it perfectly improves fuel, but it causes severe harm to the environment (to all living things), and also settles in the lungs and can cause cancer. Therefore, they have now abandoned it.

What do we get after distilling oil?

At the end of any production cycle, the manufacturer receives the final product. In this case, fuel. It is important for any plant to be able to determine the quality of the final product

The property of gasoline such as detonation resistance is very important.

Detonation is a process where fuel is quickly processed, in other words, burned inside the car. At the end of this process, energy is generated that makes the car move and all its internal systems work.

Detonation is characterized by the formation and occurrence of shock waves. This process has an extremely negative impact on the fuel system of the car and engine. Sometimes it even leads to burnout of pistons and exhaust valves.

To determine how detonation is occurring in your car's engine, pay close attention to the following signs. They appear when something is wrong

after pouring fuel into the tank, an incomprehensible knocking sound is heard after some time;
Constant vibration is clearly felt when the machine moves. At the same time, the vibration noticeably subsides when the car is warmed up or parked;
The engine does not run as smoothly as it should. Exhaust gases become thicker and black in color. In the most advanced cases, the car may begin to smoke;
Unusual sounds reminiscent of “metal” appear. The reason for such sounds lies in the vibration of parts from the action of the shock wave during the detonation process inside the car.

How to avoid neglect of the detonation process? To do this, you should not choose fuel with a too low octane number for refueling. Neglecting this simple rule, there is a high probability that the degree of possible fuel compression will not correspond to engine standards. The car will simply stop “recognizing” the gasoline the driver is filling up with. The following reasons can worsen detonation:

early ignition;
carbon deposits in the combustion chamber;
untimely manual gear change. Abrupt switching from “higher” to “lower”.

If you do not solve problems with detonation, the consequences for your car will be dire. For example, damage to the cylinder block gasket or damage to the piston system is possible. In advanced cases, you will have to replace the car engine.

Bibliography:

Gasoline - Wikipedia
Economides, M. The color of oil. The world's largest business: history, money and politics / Economides M., Olini R. Publishing house: “Olympus-Business”, 2004. 256 p.
PJSC "Tatneft" - Main portal "Tatneft"
RussNeft - www.russneft.ru

Quality control. Checking the fuel

There is a laboratory on the territory of each production facility. It monitors the quality of oil and products obtained from it. Every stage of fuel creation is subject to control, from the delivery of raw materials to the final mixture.

The final testing of gasoline in the laboratory takes three hours. Experts focus on color, as well as composition - the fuel should not contain water and impurities in quantities exceeding the norm. In appearance, gasoline should be clear and without sediment. Diesel fuel may have a yellowish color.

Kerosene undergoes the most serious testing. This type of fuel is used in aviation and therefore must be of the highest quality. The production is visited by a military representative who monitors the analysis of kerosene.

After laboratory tests, the fuel is tested in a special engine. The test fuel is compared with a reference one, which has an octane number of 100. Depending on how well the test engine performs relative to the reference one, the OC of the produced batch of fuel is obtained.

Octane number and dilution

I still want to talk a little about diluting the original gasoline. That is, how do we get the octane number equal to 92, 95 and 98, which are used now.

To summarize, now alcohols, ethers, alkyls are used as additives to increase the octane number; they are very environmentally friendly, as well as additives for freezing resistance. The ratio in the composition is approximately the following: the composition of Catholic cracking (73 - 75%), alkyls (25 - 30%), butylene fractions (5 - 7%). For comparison, tetraethyl lead was previously used to increase the octane number; it perfectly improves fuel, but it causes severe harm to the environment (to all living things), and also settles in the lungs and can cause cancer. Therefore, they have now abandoned it.

Receipt and types

Gasolines and other hydrocarbons (diesel fuel, kerosene, etc.) are obtained by distilling oil. There are several ways to obtain fractions from oil:

direct distillation (rectification);
cracking;
reforming.

Direct distillation

Direct distillation involves selecting different fractions by heating within certain temperature limits. Gasoline vapor collects at the top of the column and then condenses and cools to form liquid gasoline. Below the level of the column, fractions of naphtha, kerosene, and diesel oil are obtained, and the lowest residue produces fuel oil.

Oil distillation

Up to 100°C the first grade is obtained, up to 110°C - special, up to 130°C - second grade. But the gasoline obtained in this way has a low octane number, as a rule, no higher than 65-70. Its share is only 5-15% of the volume of oil.

As a result of direct distillation, diesel fuel is also obtained as a mixture of diesel oil and kerosene. It differs from gasoline in its narrow fractional composition and is used in compression ignition engines, that is, diesel engines. The ability to ignite under pressure and temperature is the main property of diesel fuel. To characterize it, not the octane number, but the cetane number is used.

Cracking

The name of this method comes from the English verb “to crack” - “to split”, “to split”. The method allows you to increase the share of gasoline fractions to 50-60%. It is based on destructive methods, that is, high molecular weight fractions are split into fractions with low molecular weight. Different groups of hydrocarbons, such as paraffinic, naphthenic or aromatic, decompose at different rates.

Cracking

In turn, the cracking process can occur in two ways: splitting under the influence of high temperature and splitting in the presence of catalysts (aluminosilicates). Thermal cracking occurs under pressure and at a temperature of 470-500°C. Catalytic cracking is more advanced. The catalyst converts some of the unsaturated hydrocarbons into saturated hydrocarbons, thereby increasing the quality. Of course, technologically these processes are more complex. But even with more advanced catalytic cracking, the octane number is not higher than 75-80.

Reforming

Reforming is a type of cracking where the raw materials are naphtha or low-octane gasoline. In this way, the octane number is increased after direct distillation of oil or after thermal or catalytic cracking. Gasoline is obtained with an octane number of 95-98, and with the addition of ethyl liquid (alcohols) it is brought to 100 and higher. This is also a complex technological process that has several types.

All about gas transport

Scientists from the A.V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of the Russian Academy of Sciences obtained motor fuel from natural gas. Using known technology, methane, which is about 94% in natural gas, is converted into synthesis gas (carbon oxides mixed with hydrogen). Methyl alcohol is made from it, then motor fuel. It is not possible to regulate the composition of the final product - a mixture of different, including too heavy, hydrocarbons is obtained.

INHS employees propose to produce synthesis gas in modified engines. The engine becomes a kind of chemical reactor that produces demethyl ether from synthesis gas and at the same time electricity. It turned out that it is much more profitable to obtain dimethyl ether from synthesis gas. This compound is an excellent diesel fuel that can be used as household gas, fuel for power plants, and a substitute for freons in refrigeration units. It is technically simpler and more economical to obtain than methanol.

Dimethyl ether can be used to make high-octane, pure gasoline. Scientists developed and implemented this synthesis at the pilot-industrial level. The synthesis of gasoline from methane without intermediate stages of producing methanol or dimethyl ether has also been proposed.

Octane number and dilution

I still want to talk a little about diluting the original gasoline. That is, how do we get the octane number equal to 92, 95 and 98, which are used now.