The LSU AgCenter will conduct a one-day comprehensive workshop on how to make your own biodiesel fuel from used vegetable oil on Nov. 12 at the W.A. Callegari Environmental Center in Baton Rouge, La.

“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.

The workshop will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m., with a break for lunch.

“It will be very hands-on. We’ll actually make biodiesel during the workshop and demonstrate the three phases of the process — reaction, washing and drying,” Carney said. “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. The equipment will be on display.

“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-$3,000. But they shouldn’t invest in any equipment if they don’t have a reliable source of used vegetable oil.”

Participants will also 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 15 people. To register, call Ronda Clark at (225) 578-6998.

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