BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter’s W. A. Callegari Environmental Center will host a one-day comprehensive workshop on how to make your own biodiesel fuel from used vegetable oil April 28.

“This is an advanced workshop and different from the workshops we offered in the summer of 2008,” said Bill Carney, LSU AgCenter environmental educator and director of the Callegari Center in Baton Rouge.

The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 5 p.m., with a break for lunch, Carney said.

“It will be very hands-on,” he said. “We’ll actually make biodiesel during the workshop and demonstrate the three phases of the process – reaction, washing and drying. The participants will be trained on how to turn a waste product into quality biodiesel.”

In addition to learning the chemistry of making biodiesel, the class will see the different kinds of equipment required to turn used vegetable oil into quality biodiesel.

“People can make biodiesel in their backyards for as little as a $1,000 investment,” Carney said. “Or they can spend up to $10,000. The average is about $2,000 to $3,000. But they shouldn’t invest in any equipment if they don’t have a reliable source of used vegetable oil.”

Participants also will learn how to troubleshoot if they run into problems making their own biodiesel, Carney said.

Cost for the workshop is $50, and participation is limited to 30 people. To register, call Sondra Rodriguez at 225-578-6998.

More information about the workshop is online at www.lsuagcenter.com/callegari, including directions to the Callegari Center, which is off Nicholson Drive south of the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

Rick Bogren