it is... but as important as it is to come up with better ideas... it is also important to know how and why we have come to be in the sittuation we are in... make no mistake... there are lots of people who have been warning about this happening for a long time... but no one listened... i just wanted to make the case that if wrong choices are made there are always people who pay for them... we are paying at the pump right now for decades of wrong choices... sorry if i hijacked the thread but i didn't start this disscussion... i am also sorry if my strong personal feelings about it forced me to make a response that probably doesn't belong in this forum...

 

ok I know I should have not responded to the political stuff and take full blame with my snide comment...SORRY!!!! Please if someone has info on the appleseed reactor system please get ahold of me....Im almost ready to go with it and need a little help.
Thanks

 

good luck with your appleseed... unfortunately i think there may be alot of us looking to do this soon...! be sure to let us all know how it goes...!

 

BTT.

I dont care who runs the country.

I wanna know about these appleseed processors and how there coming/running,
results of the product, was it worth it, etc...

Diesel Rod

 

Hi guy's Just found this forum, I've been hanging out at the alt fuel forum. I've been making and using biodiesel for 18 mo now, and LOVE IT!! My cost to make it is 31 cents per gal. Sure beat's $3 a gal!! As of today I am making 400 gal/wk from 34 resturant's. My first processer was an "appleseed". Early on I saw several flaws and spent some time experimenting.......... I now use a compleatly differant system. With the "appleseed" you can only make 1 batch per day. With my design I can make 50 gallons PER HOUR with little labor!!! I've posted pictures In the gallery section and have pryor post's in the arcives. If any body wants any help just ask. Maybe I can help. FABMANDELUX.

 

looks interesting too. i am in the process of making a system from scratch using either stainless or poly tanks with recirculation and cone bottoms...no of that stirring stuff. i have studied several systems, some up close and personal. i dont like the appleseed set up because i see a lot of extras to make the job easier and safer for the vehicle. i am currently doing small batches to determine the best temps, mix rates and time allowed and most importantly washes. i have found 3 washes with suffiecnt drying time produces the cleanest fuel with the least amount of methanol left and moslty the least water...anyways not using it in my 2004 but in a tractor and pressure washer and soon a 1991 7.3 IDI and IDI is key!...by the way if you think your being environmentally conscious; think again...it takes over 50 acres of soy to make 500 gals of fuel...thus if we all start doing it there goes every spare spot of land in the U.S.!...its all about money and i'm not above telling why i do it!

 

I'm building a appleseed right know with a buddy. The "book" we have says to use 20% methanol. I think that works out to around $1.00 per gallon. How do you do it for .31 cents?? Do you do a titration test after?

Also do you have (or can you make) a write up on you set up for us? That would be great.

 

titration BEFORE mixing and althoug i have tried recipes down to 12% meth it doesen't work out; i've also use the 2 stage process with HSO4 (95%); although I don't like the results as well. Buy a buret for your titration and a ring stand, it'll be worth it in the llong run for prescision of your titrations.

 

Yes,20% is right. In our batches we use 25gal wvo, 5 gal methanol, 1.75 lbs koh.

As for the system I use: I use a 60 gal tank, mounted horz, raised on a wheeled frame. An opening was cut in the top 12" wide and full length, and a cover made to fit. Installed a 4500 watt 240volt water tank element and thermostat in one end approx 6" from bottom of tank. On the same end I welded a 2"/ 6" pipe to the BOTTOM of the tank LENGTH WISE, this has a "Mollasses Gate" to pour from. I then fabed a trough 12" wide 36" long and 6" high out of 16ga sheet metal, inside is another trough made from some scrounged 1/16" punch plate screen. The trough's are inclined at about 60%. a 5 gal bucket hanges from the end to collect any junk in the oil. Under the trough is a slot, this is where the CLEANED, HEATED{150deg} oil drops into the 30 gal plastic MIX barrels. I then made a mixer out of some 5/8" re-bar i had lying around. It fit's inside the rim of the barrel, on this is an old 1/4hp fan motor mounted vert/with the shaft extended to within 6" of the bottom,on the bottom of the shaft I welded an old impeller from a 302 ford water pump!

I dump 60 gal of waste oil in the tank, takes about 45 min to heat the first batch. When the thermometer reads 150 deg I pour about 1-2 gal down the trough, if there was any water in the batch it will come out first. I then slide a 30 gal open top barrel under the slot and fill to 25 gal[i have a mark on the outside of all my mix barrels]. Then i set the mixer into the barrel and turn it on. When the oil is "up to speed" I add the meth-oxide, then I let it mix for 30 min. While it is mixing I add another 25 gal to the tank.At the end of the mixing cycle [30 min] the heat is up to 150 deg and I repeat the process all over again. We normally do 400 gal at a time, The next day I pump off the top 25 gal of biodiesel into a 1'000 gal settling tank. This 400 gal of biodiesel is left alone for 1 week to settle, then it is filtered to 2 microns and put into my main 5'000 tank. No, I don't titrate any more at all!! I gave up on it when i found that by mixing all the oil's from all the resterant's my titration results where ALWAYS within an ounce or two!! If you would like to see the equipment I did post it in the galleries here. Good luck,and if you need any help just ask.FABMANDELUX.

 

Yes,20% is right. In our batches we use 25gal wvo, 5 gal methanol, 1.75 lbs koh.

As for the system I use: I use a 60 gal tank, mounted horz, raised on a wheeled frame. An opening was cut in the top 12" wide and full length, and a cover made to fit. Installed a 4500 watt 240volt water tank element and thermostat in one end approx 6" from bottom of tank. On the same end I welded a 2"/ 6" pipe to the BOTTOM of the tank LENGTH WISE, this has a "Mollasses Gate" to pour from. I then fabed a trough 12" wide 36" long and 6" high out of 16ga sheet metal, inside is another trough made from some scrounged 1/16" punch plate screen. The trough's are inclined at about 60%. a 5 gal bucket hanges from the end to collect any junk in the oil. Under the trough is a slot, this is where the CLEANED, HEATED{150deg} oil drops into the 30 gal plastic MIX barrels. I then made a mixer out of some 5/8" re-bar i had lying around. It fit's inside the rim of the barrel, on this is an old 1/4hp fan motor mounted vert/with the shaft extended to within 6" of the bottom,on the bottom of the shaft I welded an old impeller from a 302 ford water pump!

I dump 60 gal of waste oil in the tank, takes about 45 min to heat the first batch. When the thermometer reads 150 deg I pour about 1-2 gal down the trough, if there was any water in the batch it will come out first. I then slide a 30 gal open top barrel under the slot and fill to 25 gal[i have a mark on the outside of all my mix barrels]. Then i set the mixer into the barrel and turn it on. When the oil is "up to speed" I add the meth-oxide, then I let it mix for 30 min. While it is mixing I add another 25 gal to the tank.At the end of the mixing cycle [30 min] the heat is up to 150 deg and I repeat the process all over again. We normally do 400 gal at a time, The next day I pump off the top 25 gal of biodiesel into a 1'000 gal settling tank. This 400 gal of biodiesel is left alone for 1 week to settle, then it is filtered to 2 microns and put into my main 5'000 tank. No, I don't titrate any more at all!! I gave up on it when i found that by mixing all the oil's from all the resterant's my titration results where ALWAYS within an ounce or two!! If you would like to see the equipment I did post it in the galleries here. Good luck,and if you need any help just ask.FABMANDELUX.

 

This is a great thread, very impressive~…I have enjoyed reading this one

 

Sorry, I know that a test should be done before also. I was wondering if he has ever done a "check" test after.

 

I checked out the pics, very neat and clean set up. I have seen alot of "hippie" set up's on the web and they look like a real mess. No offense hippies

I'm curious, do you let it settle for a week in place of a water wash?

Also how much do you pay for the methanol? Around here it's $5.00 a gallon, wouldn't that make the price of the finished product $1.00 per gallon? (not .31 cents?)

 

I buy my methanol In Portland Or. Cost? $o.23 per pound in 300 gal totes, works out to $1.38 per gal. Cost of KOH is $ 0.45 per pound. I also made a "still" to recover the Methanol from the Glycerin, our recovery rate is a steady 25 percent of initial amount. No I do not wash, if allowed to settle I avoid problems with emulsification. Both my 1'000 settling tank and my main tank have the outlet's about 4" above the bottom. Once a week I drain from the BOTTOM of the tank, and add it to my next batch. I just checked my records and found out I've made 16,000 gal to date[ in 18 mo ]!!! So far I have had NO PROBLEMS with any engines. I have a 1'000 acre ranch and run it in the following; D-6 cat, HD-6 dozer, Ford 9'000 wheel tractor, 96 Ford 3/4 ton 4x4, 91 dodge Cummins, International wheel loader, 2 6cyl irrigation pumps, 18hp yanmar pump, 38ft sail boat, 50ft power boat/w 8v92 detroit diesel [700 HP!!!!]. Any other questions? FABMANDELUX.

 

It seems you have a good system running for you. I can't wait to get ours up and running. I wonder if you can post your pics and write up in the articles/specs section? Thanks for all the good info!