Learn how to make biodiesel & build the equipment to do it!

"Not a Gas Station:

A History of the BioFuel Oasis and How to Create Your Own Biodiesel Filling Station"

By Jennifer Radtke
110 pages, $15 plus shipping
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Please note, this book is about starting a biodiesel filling station that retails biodiesel.  It is not about producing/making biodiesel.

The book is a personal account of co-founding the BioFuel Oasis, a biodiesel filling station in Berkeley, California.  It combines the entertaining stories of starting the Oasis with the practical information to start your own station.

The table of contents is reproduced below:

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Create, Don’t Replicate

PART I: Biodiesel Basics
Why Diesel Engines Rock!
Starting a Diesel Engine
Diesels in the EU
Running Your Car on Biodiesel or Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO)
Benefits of Biodiesel
Cautions of Using Biodiesel in Your Vehicle
Overview and Chemistry of Making Biodiesel
Main Reaction
Side Reactions – Making Soap
Cleaning the Biodiesel
Homebrewing Resources

PART II: How I Fell in Love with Biodiesel
Biodiesel – Nectar of the Gods
Baptism by Oil
March 18 Speech
Not at a Gas Station!
Birthing the Business
A Biodiesel Fairytale
Journey to the Emerald City of Ames, Iowa, August 2003

PART III: Beginnings: Excitement, Idealism, and the Best Laid Plans
Timeline of the Oasis
The BioFuel Oasis Vision
The Anti-Gas Station
Integrity
Community
Short Concentrated Hours
Above Board
Creating Your Own Vision
Questions to Ask Yourself When Visioning
Cooperation, Not Competition
Location, Location, Location - Summer 2003
Business Type
Sole Proprietor
Partnership
Corporation
Non-Profits
Get Professional Advice
Business Plan
Day-to-Day Operation
Your Market
Financials
Just Do It
Funding
The Nitty Gritty Paperwork
Employer Identification Number from IRS
Fictitious Business Name (FBN) Statement
Credit Union/Bank Account
Seller’s Permit
Web Domain
Logo
General Liability Insurance
California DMS (Department of Measurement Standards of the Department of Food & Agriculture) Variance

PART IV: Red Tape: Fall 2003 to FALL 2004
Zoning – August 2003
Opening – December 9, 2003
Building Permit – January 2004
Hazardous Materials/Toxics Department
Fire Department
Business License
Weights & Measures
Tips for Understanding and Working with Bureaucrats
Our Pump Grand Opening – November 13, 2004

PART V: Running the Business
A Day at the Oasis
“Marketing”
The Press
Biodiesel: Our #1 Product
Why We Don’t Make the Fuel We Sell
Fuel Procurement
Where to Get Fuel From
Fuel Quality
Making Biodiesel Issues
Storing/Handling Biodiesel Issues
Testing Biodiesel
Frozen Biodiesel, No Thanks
How do You Check a Delivery for Gelling?
Running Out of Fuel
Lessons Learned Around Fuel Procurement
Merchandise
Burn-out
Our Customers
Becoming a Women Owned & Worker Owned Cooperative
No Bosses!
Making Decisions, or How to Have Productive Meetings
Why Are We All Women?
More New Members
Getting Along
Taxes on Biodiesel
Accounting/Financial
Cash Register
Monthly Profit & Loss Statements
QuickBooks
Balance Sheets
Budgets/Planning
Income Taxes
Payroll service
Getting Rich
Our Truck
Big Spill Disasters
Two Lessons Finally Learned
"Change the Fuel Filter" Mantra
$150 Consultants
Fuel Filter Changing Workshops
Event Series: Biodiesel, Driving Still Sucks
Future Dreams
Afterword

Appendix A: Business Startup Checklist

Appendix B: Equipment (including Diagrams)
Tanks
Containment
Plumbing
Public Pump
1 Micron Filters
Biodiesel Handling, Storage, and Compatibility
Plumbing for Beginners
Proper Storage of Biodiesel

Appendix C: Fuel Filter Changing Instructions
Volkswagen TDIs (1996-2006) Fuel Filter Changing Instructions
Mercedes (1978-1985) Fuel Filter Changing Instructions

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