Cleaning coolant liquid (propylene glycol )

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Lavabo

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Hello
i know i will have advice for not use used coolant back in engine.
Im interested un the chemical process of removing oil from coolant , specifically propylene glycol (in VW)
Ive spill power steering oil in my coolant pan i was removing for a job. At least i will keep it to clean metal part as aluminium.

I know i can filter the fluid, but for the oil it seems a bit emulsified in the coolant, I think glycol is easily diissolved in oil.

Then i thought i could try to filter the fluid through a tshirt filled with Milkweed seed pod. Ive used those pods last year to clean an oil spill in my garage and it works liek a charms. Those fiber are hydrophobic but they absorb oil. my only concern is thatif glycol is dissolved in oil, i will lose it.

According to some tests, 155 g (5.7 oz) of milkweed fiber can absorb a total of 7 L (1.8 gal) of oil at a rate of 0.23 L (0.06 gallons) per minute, twice as fast as competing products made from polypropylene.

Last question, whats the best way to get rid of used collant after? is there an easy chemical process that neutralize ethylene/ propylene glycol ? or the only way is to bring it back to disposal center?
If Milkweed adsorb oil with glycol, then i guess it could be burned to hight temperature?
 
If you put oily coolant in your engine it may attack your rubber hoses, it may not cool as well, and it'll look as if you've got a blown head gasket.
 
If I were to write a troll message, this would be my gold standard to copy.

Properly dispose of the contaminated coolant and replace it with new.

Originally Posted By: Lavabo
Hello
i know i will have advice for not use used coolant back in engine.
Im interested un the chemical process of removing oil from coolant , specifically propylene glycol (in VW)
Ive spill power steering oil in my coolant pan i was removing for a job. At least i will keep it to clean metal part as aluminium.

I know i can filter the fluid, but for the oil it seems a bit emulsified in the coolant, I think glycol is easily diissolved in oil.

Then i thought i could try to filter the fluid through a tshirt filled with Milkweed seed pod. Ive used those pods last year to clean an oil spill in my garage and it works liek a charms. Those fiber are hydrophobic but they absorb oil. my only concern is thatif glycol is dissolved in oil, i will lose it.

According to some tests, 155 g (5.7 oz) of milkweed fiber can absorb a total of 7 L (1.8 gal) of oil at a rate of 0.23 L (0.06 gallons) per minute, twice as fast as competing products made from polypropylene.

Last question, whats the best way to get rid of used collant after? is there an easy chemical process that neutralize ethylene/ propylene glycol ? or the only way is to bring it back to disposal center?
If Milkweed adsorb oil with glycol, then i guess it could be burned to hight temperature?
 
Given that today's coolant lasts 5 to 10 years and is $15 or so a gallon, why not just change as per owners manual.

For my Ford diesel (with two isolated cooling systems) they check the coolant out in each with a test strip. At 30k and add a special additive if the test indicates the need for it.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
If I were to write a troll message, this would be my gold standard to copy.

Properly dispose of the contaminated coolant and replace it with new.

Originally Posted By: Lavabo
Hello
i know i will have advice for not use used coolant back in engine.
Im interested un the chemical process of removing oil from coolant , specifically propylene glycol (in VW)
Ive spill power steering oil in my coolant pan i was removing for a job. At least i will keep it to clean metal part as aluminium.

I know i can filter the fluid, but for the oil it seems a bit emulsified in the coolant, I think glycol is easily diissolved in oil.

Then i thought i could try to filter the fluid through a tshirt filled with Milkweed seed pod. Ive used those pods last year to clean an oil spill in my garage and it works liek a charms. Those fiber are hydrophobic but they absorb oil. my only concern is thatif glycol is dissolved in oil, i will lose it.

According to some tests, 155 g (5.7 oz) of milkweed fiber can absorb a total of 7 L (1.8 gal) of oil at a rate of 0.23 L (0.06 gallons) per minute, twice as fast as competing products made from polypropylene.

Last question, whats the best way to get rid of used collant after? is there an easy chemical process that neutralize ethylene/ propylene glycol ? or the only way is to bring it back to disposal center?
If Milkweed adsorb oil with glycol, then i guess it could be burned to hight temperature?


This is a joe bloe connaisseur advice!!!
 
Originally Posted By: Lavabo
This is a joe bloe connaisseur advice!!!


Thanks, it's also the correct advice.

So you are set up to perform a vacuum distillation of the glycol? I'll warn you that glycols are notorious for forming azeotropes, you will get carryover to some degree or another.
 
So...

If you're not going to put it back in the engine, what are you going to do with it? Just an academic question?

If so, then yes a multiple vacuum distillation is what you would do. By no means perform the distillation at atmospheric pressure, that will degrade the glycol. However, you do run the risk of distilling out the additives in the glycol so I would not have confidence that it would be suitable for use once you are done. You would want to find some sort of scavenger for removing the last traces of the power steering fluid, whatever the composition of that fluid may be.
 
thank you for your input

It was at first a curiosity question, since we live in a world of buy and trash! There is always a way to reuse stuff instead of trashing it...

then i thought i can use this with phosphoric acid to treat and clean metal part,and maybe use it to in my oil mix to protect from corrosion wich is chainsaw oil (phosphoric acid), diesel and (melted) parafine. I could replace the diesel with PG as a surfactant, since diesel in the mix is used for this purpose.
Heated, then applied on metal with brush (not sprayed) to prevent winter corrosion.

Also, since i distill my own alcool (ethylic) from home rhum, i keep the tails wich are about mix of alcool including PG, and use it as winter windshield washer. But here im thinking about Propylene, not Ethylene G, wich i dont want it to be sprayed.

Im not equipped with vacuum distiller, i have a fractionnal (vigreux) column and some basic equipement for distillation ... i was not looking to distill antifreeze but hey .. i bet i can adapt a vaccum pump, my friend have one in his lab !

So the Pg is dissolved in the oil then? it cant be separated in a centrifugal rotation tool then i guess. Im i right?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
You should contact molaKule.

Lavabo,

MolaKule is one of the BITOG users DEEEP into mixology and industrial uses.

Welcome to/ Bienvenu a BITOG !
 
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
You should contact molaKule.

Lavabo,

MolaKule is one of the BITOG users DEEEP into mixology and industrial uses.

Welcome to/ Bienvenu a BITOG !


Dunno. He doesn't often answer MY stupid questions, so I'll be quite hurt if he answers THIS one.

Still, I suppose it MIGHT have some obscure technical interest (obscure, that is, to a Joe Blow that isn't a connoiseur) to compensate for its evident transcendental pointlessness.

PS I don't think French is going to help.
 
Last edited:
Thank you but i wont contact molaKule for such a low interest question

Why cant we stand to the technical point instead of chattering about rules and dont dos ... answers may help other that have other similar ideas

I feel it was like bullying , if i want to put back coolant in my engine and blow my engines its my business, that was not the point, anyway i still have a spare ALH engine in the garage floor. its gone be in my Westfalia 1973 to replace my AHU, but maybe its gonna be electric... still thinking

But for the oil as i said ill test as soon as i have spare time with milkweed .... as im not equipped (yet) with vacuum distill

thank you Pandus for the welcome

what do you mean? ---) PS I don't think French is going to help.
 
How much oil?. If it isn't a quart, just a skim it off with a spoon or a spatula or something. Use the milkweed fluff. Get the most you can. Re-use it. Consider it water pump lube.
grin2.gif
 
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