Originally Posted by
dcwhipple
Can you please help with a little more detail around the chemistry being off? They say 250ml methanol (about 1 cup, right???) and 6g NAOH (about 1 tsp, right???)
The solution DID completely dissolve into a clear liquid before I put it in with the oil. Took about 5 minutes of hard shaking in a closed mason jar.
Would also like additional detail on proper agitation as well as any suggestions on where to get a better test methanol source if HEET is no good.
Sorry for the basic questions...I was hoping enough research in advance would result in a positive result but I was obviously wrong.
Thanks!
It is really difficult to get close to accurate weight of a crystaline solid by measuring volume because you can't take the density (how tightly packed) into consideration. I also dont know how pure the lye and or HEET you used was.
You are correct that 250 ml is approx one cup
To measure the lie try a dixie cup scale:
Dixie Cup Scale - Collaborative Biodiesel Tutorial
remember to use distilled water for the standard weight (water from your faucet has to much junk in it so it is heavier than distilled)
go buy a cheap medication dispensing dropper to measure the water with.
Mexican Food places tend to use the oil for a long time and that causes a heavy buildup of FFAs. For that reason you really should titrate to get accurate an measure how much NaOH you need.
http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/titratingoil/
As far as proper agitation goes ya really need to shake the s*** out of it for for at least 5 mins.
Dont give up it is worth the effort and you will get there. Many here have tried several times before succeeding.