Hey all,

I have successfully made BioD with red devil lye and have also failed miserably with the different drain cleaner lyes. All of my local stores have now run out of red devil lye. I am looking to change over to KOH. Through work I have come across a supplier who carries KOH flakes made by Occidental Chemical (www.oxychem.com). Has anyone here used this with success?

Ben

1986 F250HD 6.9L C6 trans 4X4 4.10s Limited Slip Body is Shot!

 

Hi Ben, I still have'nt figured out why more people don't use KOH! I switched 6 mo ago and will never go back. It mixes quicker, has less fumes, makes far less soap, and the glycerol is a liquid down to 20 deg F!! A no-brainer to me.

FABMANDELUX.

 

Is KOH used in the same ratio as lye? I'm building my 'appleseed' today and hope to run my first batch later this week. I'm thinking, why not run it with KOH from the start? Easier mixing, fewer fumes, better output.... Why mess with lye in the first place?? Since I'm looking at 100 - 120 gallons per month, simple sounds real good to me!

 

Nope: 1.4 times more KOH is required.

FABMANDELUX

 

Thanks FM! I'll hafta start checking out suppliers here in east TX and see what kinda cost difference I'm looking at. The lower gel point for the glycerine would make it much easier to work with - I could leave a batch in the processor and not worry about things getting too thick to work with.

I also appreciate your input on the PVC stuff. My storage barrels are on the other side of the shop, so I'm running pipe from my drying/blending barrel to the storage drums I'm using. 3/4 inch PVC would be a LOT cheaper than black iron pipe!

 

Dave, where in east texas are ya North east south east?? Also If you could take some pictures of your process(making your processor) and post em up, i cant seem to find any good instructions online on how to make an apple seed processor. Also where did you get our fuel lines and how much did they cost you? I see that we basically have the same truck, so im assumng cost will be in the same area as well. Good luck with your first batch and let us know how it goes, i still have yet to start mine were in the middle of selling a house so money is tight but once its sold were free and ill be adding new fuel lines and then start my Bio process! Im really looking forward to it!

 

Thanks for your replies.

Fabman, you have said you buy your KOH and methanol from the same supplier. Who is that? Do you have any spec sheets and data sheets on either product? I have found a supplier close to home (SE, MI) with 99% methanol for $130/drum and a different supplier for NaOH $0.58/# in 50# bags. I am awaiting the pricing on the KOH along with data sheets. I am just trying to compare suppliers so I do not end up with 25 gallon of glop in the bottom of my reactor.

Bassproguy, go to www.biodieselcommunity.org for information on processor build, titration, bubblewashing, and links to biodiesel forums. They have been a great resource for me. All I had to buy for my version of the "appleseed" reactor was the pump! Everything else I was patient and scrounged around for.

Thanks again,

Ben
1986 F250HD 6.9L C-6 4X4 4.10s

 

Hi Ben: I get my supplies from Cascade Columbia Distribution in Portland Or.
They gave me MSDS sheets on both, but I have no idea where I put them...................
FABMANDELUX

 

BPGuy - I work in Tyler and live about 30 miles east of there - a town called Overton. For my bioD project, I used the website that WBW pointed out. There are great pictures and suggestions, as well as line drawings and shopping lists. I simply printed out the entire section marked 'Appleseed Processor'. I've been preparing and shoppng over the past several weeks; here are some thoughts:

Convert Maria Alovert's shopping list/parts list to a straightforward parts list broken down by pipe sizes and pipe types. Easier to go down the aisle at Lowe's with this kind of list.

I purchased a 50 gallon water heater on sale at Home Depot. I had considered a used one, but after looking at the crap that builds up in one of those puppies, I just couldn't do it. I spent $200 and got a new heater. Both of the 240 volt elements were removed; the top hole was plugged with a PVC 1" pipe plug, and I installed a 1350 watt 120 volt element in the lower hole. The element cost me $7 at Lowe's.

Tractor Supply has the gray-pipe PVC barb fittings and the barrel bung adapter you'll need for the standpipe washtank project. TS is where you'll also find the bushings needed to adapt the pump's straight threads to pipe threads. PVC and less than a buck each.

I purchased two of the 'clear water pumps' called for in the plans. These came from Harbor Freight. They were NOT $24! The current catalog price is $29, not including shipping. You buy them off the shelf at the store, and the price is around $34 a pop. I also purchased the one year extended warranty that kicks in after the OEM warranty expires. ($5 each) Total cost was $93.

I found the 'cross fitting' at a plumbing supply house in Tyler. A little over $5.

I buy my methanol from David's Garage, a performance car place just north of Tyler on the way to I-20. He sells it by the 55 gallon barrel for $120. There's a $30 barrel deposit, so my first purchase set me back $150. I'll use new fryer oil from Sam's for my first batches of bioD. After I get the process down, I'll switch over to used oil.

The fuel lines on my truck came from an Performance Diesel Service - they're just the stock hoses and o-rings. Nuthin special. I'll change my primary filter (a Racor unit) and my secondary filter before running my first tank of bioD, and then again at my next oil change (5,000 miles).

My current plans are to brew 50 gallons of bio in two 25-gallon batches this weekend. I'll mix this with 50 gallons of #2 diesel, giving me 100 gallons of B50. It'll take me about a month to burn this. My next batch will be B75, and that's where I'll probably stay for awhile. Since I burn about 120 gallons/month, using B75 instead of B100 will save brewing two additional batches each month.