<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some Australians have turned to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/fuel" rel="" target="_blank" title="cooking up their own diesel"><span>cooking up their own diesel</span></a><span> in the back shed just to </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/petrol-prices" rel="" target="_blank" title="avoid paying for petrol"><span>avoid paying for petrol</span></a><span> as the fuel crisis drags on.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Known as biodiesel, homemade diesel is typically made from cooking oil mixed with other common household ingredients (which nine.com.au has chosen not to name).</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A string of social media videos from Aussies claiming to have made DIY biodiesel have started circulating online, promising it's an alternative to $3 per litre diesel.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>LIVE UPDATES:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-live-updates-april-1-donald-trump-latest-world-news-headlines/b278c5bf-bd0a-4bfa-8d33-52238e106fdf" target="_blank"><strong><span>Trump says US will be leaving Iran within three weeks</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Adjunct Professor Richard Brown from Queensland University of Technology's Faculty of Engineering confirmed it was possible to make biodiesel at home, but said the average Aussie probably shouldn't try it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The recipe is pretty simple and the ingredients, they're just things you can buy at the shop," he told nine.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"But there are a number of traps along the way, both for your own health while making it and also potential damage to the car."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/fuel-shortage-rising-petrol-prices-biodiesel-aussies-making-diesel-from-cooking-oil/3c203d33-f5c5-415c-8f9e-4edf636f64aa" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Some of the ingredients that can be used to make biodiesel at home are dangerous and can cause damage to the skin and eyes.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>If accidentally ingested, they can cause major and lasting internal damage.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>One ingredient has even "killed a lot of people", Brown revealed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>NATIONAL:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/dezi-freeman-update-police-tracked-car-to-hideout-on-rural-property-before-the-manhunt-ended-in-hail-of-bullets/ceab03c4-6d99-4417-9e9f-ee674d52548c" target="_blank"><strong><span>Fugitive Dezi Freeman 'shot up to 20 times' during stand-off</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="player__video-container"><img alt="" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/2uj-FrHWxjUrcrthtDEzEq8VeYs=/750x0/https%3A%2F%2Fvms-network-images-prod.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com%2F2026%2F03%2F763936%2Fpickerimage.jpg"/></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Homemade biodiesel can also do significant damage to modern vehicles' sophisticated emission treatment systems.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There's a few dangers, and getting it exactly right is not completely simple," Brown said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He urged everyday Aussies trying to lessen the sting of the fuel crisis to consider driving their cars less rather than trying to cook up their own DIY biodiesel in the back shed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Because while some educated farmers can and do make the stuff, it's not the kind of skill you can learn from a TikTok video.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia's biofuel industry is growing and could offer motorists around the country a more environmentally friendly fuel source in the future.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It already has the ability to produce up to 110 million litres of biofuel per year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>FUEL CRISIS:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/petrol-prices-australia-three-month-fuel-excise-cost-passes-senate-in-bid-to-fight-high-prices/e8e6621c-5e61-44f2-ad60-e89df51c88a9" target="_blank"><strong><span>Servos cut prices as fuel excise reduction passes Parliament</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Currently most of the raw products used in biofuel production are exported overseas because it's too expensive to make here.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The biofuel industry is pressuring the government to help fund more domestic production in the future.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the meantime, it's best to leave cooking up biofuel to the professionals.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY:</span></strong></em><span> </span><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><span> </span><em><strong><span>and</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a></li><li><em><strong><span>Sign up to</span></strong></em><span> </span><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a></li></ul></div></div>