Homebrewed Biodiesel

[JHZR2]

Also, if youre getting serious about this, id suggest you obtain the ASTM standards for qualtifying biodiesel quality, and perhaps have a petroleum lab perform analysis...

You could likely get a cheapo old SRI GC with FID detector and characterize fuel quality yourself... though that will eat into your savings a lot.

But fuel QC is a big issue!

JMH

 

[Bio-T]

So far I have not disposed of any glycerol. I am going to try and make bar soap later this year. I did heat some for one hour at 170F to boil off any methanol and I use it in a spray bottle to clean. Glycerol is a fantastic degreaser.After this second batch, I will start disposing of it. You can use the glycerol in a garden or compost pile. (Potassium, good where lime is needed) The glycerol does contain methanol but when dumped like I stated, it does evaporate in the open with no problems. The beauty of this operation is that everything I do is biodegradable.
The only thing I have to dispose of is the wash water. No real heavy end or slop. If there is an emulsion, it is really soap. The wash water used for the washing of the biodiesel is really like running laundry wash water on the ground. Also I live on 1.5 acres, with woods, so no problem with disposal.

The glycerol is really a hazard to breathing because of the methanol contained in it. So when composting or using in a garden, stand up wind when working with it. The methanol will evaporate and the glycerol will become a good fertilizer.

 

[Bio-T]

The most important thing is to make sure the final wash water is the same PH as the tap water you are putting in. (No inexpensive way to check the PH of the biodiesel that I know of, portable/digital PH meters don't work for this that I have found) Then you know you have removed any acidic portion of the process (mainly soap). Then next is to make certain that you use a good drying process. When that is complete the filtering process is critical, IMO. I am only filtering to 10 micron before filling the truck, but I am using a 2 micron filter on my truck.

I will test a batch later this year. I am curious how close I am coming to ASTM standards.

 

[Bio-T]

I have 2 riding lawn mowers. I put 90ML (3 oz) of biodiesel in my 13HP Tech. in my John Deere. This was to 5.7L (1.5 Gal) of gasoline. Then I did the same to the 10HP Briggs in my Dixon. I have run both over 2 hours each. Nothing unusual except they both seem to have picked up slightly higher RPM at idle. Neither was earth shattering news, but just interesting. I will pull the plugs after the next tank full with the same mix.

 

[GMorg]

I often have to adjust pH of phenol and phenol mixes. I follow the pH of an aqueous phase that is in equilibrium with the organic phase. If you use water with very, very low buffering capacity, you can add the water to a sample of organic, mix, allow to separate and measure the water's pH. For a quick assay in the 6.5 - 7.8 range, you can use bromothymol blue from an aquarium shop. Yellow is acidic, blue is alkyline, and green is neutral. If you are color blind, you need another method.

 

[Bio-T]

I do measure the wash water that has separated from the biodiesel. That way when the PH of the wash and tap water are the same, I know I have washed/bubbled enough and time for the dry cycle.
40 gallons of biodiesel net from 2 batches so far. More to come in the following months.

 

[Bio-T]

After burning 20 gallons of 100% biodiesel in my 95 PSD I have not noticed one bit of difference. The engine runs/sounds the same. Mileage was not measured. The only difference I have noticed is Flying J stops are now to use the Facilities instead of refueling.

 

[GT Mike]

Any difference in cold startup smoke, particulate emission, or overall exhaust smell?

I'm waiting on a UOA too!

Running B100 should help keep the oil a lot cleaner, as far as I see it.

 

[OriginHacker21]

Wow - just read this thread. I'll have to hand it to you BIO-T - that is just awesome. Do you have a rough estimate on how much money you have saved by doing this? The environmental impact is the best out of this entire project...

 

[Bio-T]

The cost right now for me to make bio-diesel is about $1 a gallon. With the pump price hovering about $2.789 in my area, I save $1.789 for each gallon of bio-diesel I make.

The real incentive now is that refineries are only making 15ppm Sulfur diesel. This is a lighter diesel that is close to kerosene. The only 500 ppm sulfur diesel is now the Off Road diesel.

So with the 15ppm, the lubricity is lost. However a lubricity requirement is in place for the low sulfur diesel. But the requirement is the bare minimum and the refineries are not exceeding this minimum. So a lubricity additive is really needed now in diesel engines. Bio-diesel meets this requirement. Also FP-60, Schaffers Diesel Treat and others will help with lubricity.

 

[02supercrew]

Bio-T

Thanks for the informative thread, and the other thread about bio diesel supply.

I've been watching this thread from a distance for quite some time. Mean while I've been collecting parts.

The one thing that I've haveing a hard time locating is methanol. The one thing I have a lot of access to is ethanol, E-100 and E-85. Could either be used in the biodiesel process. I'm sure that they can't but I'm not much of a chemist either.

Any suggestions on locating a supply of methanol in South Dakota?

 

[Bio-T]

I found a local CITGO Oil Distributor that sold 55 gallon drums of Methanol. I would check with the local Oil Distributors and see if they carry the Methanol and if not, can they order it. Also try a Farm Co-op. Methanol is used as a Racing fuel in some cars. So if you have a local Race Track, you may ask them where they get their Methanol (Racing Fuel) The cost is around $120-$145 per 55 gallons.

[ July 06, 2006, 09:01 PM: Message edited by: Bio-T ]

 

[Bio-T]

You can use ethanol for making bio-diesel, but I don't really know any particulars on doing it this way.

Bio-diesel made from methanol is called: fatty acid methyl esters

Bio-diesel made from ethanol is called: fatty acid ethyl esters

 

[02supercrew]

Bio-t,

What kind of filters are you specfically usuing to filter your WVO, and the Bio Diesel before dumping it into your tank?

I've heard that some are using coffee fitlers for filtering the WVO, but this seems like a really slow process for ~35 or so gallons.

I was thinkin of using a simple fuel barrel filter from a Farm and Ranch store for filtering my finished biodiesel.

 

[Bio-T]

I use the Goldenrod from TSC (Tractor Supply Co)
It has the drain at the bottom of the clear plastic bowl. Also on my 95 PSD I am using a primary filter, a Racor with a drain bowl. On my 01 PSD, still stock as of now.

 

[Shannow]

02supercrew,
before plonking down money for ethanol, make sure it's anhydrous, or you'll make an oily soap, not biodiesel.

In my "experiments", I've only been able to make ethyl esters using lab grade anhydrous ethanol, not commercial solvent ethanol.

 

[02supercrew]

Thanks for the info Bio-T.

I think that I'm going to probably filter most of my bio and wvo with filter socks in increments of 600, 200, 100, 50, and then 10-5 microns. Then I will still use a fuel barrel filter.

Shannow, I was a afraid of that, I'm a Engineer by trade, but my chemistry is pretty rusty. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Nebraskan]

Bio-T, at the winery where I work (Associate Winemaker), we have plastic 'totes' in the cellar that have aluminum frames around them and can be picked up with a forklift. Each tote holds 275 gallons. There is another tote like the ones in the cellar over at the barn that was provided by the people that deliver our diesel fuel for the vineyard. It also is a 275 gallon tote and holds used motor oil.

Perhaps a tote would be of interest to you folks? They are quite handy, have a large 6" (or so) opening in the top and a valve at the bottom for draining.

We also get a lot of other drums in from time to time that are enamel lined. One of the things we also use in the wine making process is a centrifuge, made in Germany. It is a continuous process centrifuge and processes about 1000 gallons of juice or wine/hour at maximum throughput. That would certainly speed up your separation issues a LOT! It is a continuous centrifuge in that when it winds up to speed, it stays there. When we need to "dump" the bowl, water pressure raises the Stainless Steel bowl and ports in the side of the bowl eject the solids to the outside of the chamber, which flow down and out a chute. Pretty slick really. It takes just a fraction of a second to raise the bowl in a dump cycle and then it drops back in place and continues to separate. The centrifuge is made by Westfalia and here is a link to a picture of one "similar" though not exactly like ours. http://unionequipment.com/Product.asp?pid=1469 Another consideration is a used cream separator. Those are basically small centrifuges that were great at separating the heavier cream from the milk. Saw those in action a LOT back in Nebraska!

One of our winery associate, Round Barn Winery and Distillery, also has a still for distillation of E+OH., As does St. Julian Winery in Paw Paw.

[ July 22, 2006, 06:45 PM: Message edited by: Nebraskan ]

 

[Bio-T]

The centrifuge is out of my range in price. The centrifuge used with milk has many cones and each cone has holes in it that are normally offset. The cleaning is done by hand. What a bugger to disassemble and wash.

Those 275 gallon totes are great for putting in the back of a pickup or small utility trailer and going around to collect WVO. They run about $100 each here.

I have never seen the enamel lined drums. I will check at the winery about 20 miles from here the next time I am out that way. Nice idea over the rust bucket I used.

 

[Nebraskan]

Enamel lined drums are most found at berry and fruit processing sites, such as those that make cherry pies, tarts, crisps, etc or process frozen fruit. Also used in the honey industry (my first experience with them) as honey needs to be stored in enamel lined drums for shipment to either the processor or to the USDA Government subsidiary warehouses.


IF you can use Ethanol E+TOH you can make it yourself legally if it is being used for fuel.