Newbie here! I've noticed that most of the biodiesel sites give a general description of how biodiesel is made and step-by-step procedures for making it. Where can I find more in-depth and technical information about it?

 

Try here first: http://www.biodieselcommunity.org
Or here: http://www.biodiesel.org/
Or here: http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums
Or here: http://www.me.iastate.edu/biodiesel/...iodiesel1.html


FABMANDELUX.

 

Here are a few

http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/mainpage/

http://www.localb100.com/
Girl Marks book "Biodiesel Homebrew Guide" is available here and highly recommended

http://www.journeytoforever.org/biod...make.html#2svo

 

Thanks, that should get me started.

 

Follow fabmans instructions
for every 25 gallons of wvo
5 gallons of methanol
3 lb on Potassium Hydroxide
heat oil to 150

mix methanol and Pot seperate for about 1/2 hour ---no sparks no breathing
add to hot oil and mix for hour---move to holding tank for seperation time

 

How much seperation time, assuming one is not interested in washing the fuel?

Where does that hydrocyclone deal fit into the mix...or does it?

 

Evening Scott: The first seperation is to remove the Glycerol, and is complete in about 12 hours. Then I let the biodiesel "set" for 30 days, which allows the soap to fall out of suspension, and the excess Methanol to evaporate.

I no longer use that system. Now I use the Hydrocyclone to remove the glycerol within about 30 min, then remove the Methanol by vacume, which allows the soap to drop out. After the soap is removed I use Magnesol to finish cleaning the Biodiesel.

By removing the Methanol I've upped my Methanol recovery rate to 35 - 40 percent, and use less Magnesol.
FABMANDELUX.

 

Great info Don, Thank you!!

I don't see anything in you gallery that I recognize as a vacuum chamber. Did I just miss it?

On your initial set up, after the the 30 days did you just draw the fuel off the top straight into the tank, or was there an additional filtering step before it's burned?

 

You didn't see it cause I haven't posted them yet


Yes, I do filter the bio after settleing. First through a 5 micron, then a 1 micron filter. My main tank has a bottom drain for water and "slime" and the main outlet is 6" off the bottom.


FABMANDELUX.

 

Why are you still using magnesol with the vacume? Should the 15lb of vacume remove the rest of the water almost instant? Hmmm.
Found my new vacume pump in my dads junk..I mean back yard. Pulls 30lbs...FREEBEE
So far my cost has mainly been in chemicals and pvc.

 

Ah, grasshoppa. One must take ALL of the junk out, if one wants to make ASTM fuel
[ and it's INCHES of vacume]

FABMANDELUX.

 

Whoa, that's way, way, way too much KaOH. A really good way to make soap if you have water present.

Methanol is usually 22% by total volume of oil and 4 grams lye per liter of new oil oil, or 4 grams of lye PLUS 1 gram per ml added in a titration.

My last batch of Bio was 120 L (little over 30 gallons) only used 23L of methanol (IIRC) and 600 grams of NaOH (little over a pound).

150F is awful close to vaporizing methanol, 130F is usually considered a better reaction temperature.

 

Kennedyford got that formula from me, It's the one I've been using for over 3 years, and 8,000+ gallons of Bio. The 4 gms Lye called for in the JTF site has been proven to be too low over and over again. The true base amount should be 5.5 gms/ltr FOR NEW OIL. Not all oils need the same base amount, they can vary by quite a bit, with "used" oil sometimes needing more gms/ltr.

The 5.5 gms/ltr does not apply for using KOH.
KOH requires the use of a base amount of 7.5 gms/ltr. It also depends on the purity of the KOH, mine is only 90 percent, so it requires more yet.

My oil is a "mix" of cannola, corn, soy, and olive oil. I run all my oil through a "rotary" pre-cleaner, de-waterer, then into a 400 gal main heating tank where it is heated to 150 deg F. once the heating cycle is complete, it goes through another "de-waterer" then to the 75 gal open mix tank. After only 30 min of mechanical mixing it is pumped through a Hydrocyclone to remove the glycerol. It then goes into the Methanol recovery tank where the Methanol is removed by vacume, and reclamed. The Biodiesel then goes into a 12 hr cooling cycle, after cooling, the soap is filtered out, and then into another mix tank where it is mixed with 1 percent Magnesol for 30 min. After the 30 min mix the Magnesol is filtered out and the biodiesel is ready for use.

As for the 150 deg temp, I've found that if you use 130 deg, the addition of room temp Methanol causes the "mix" temp to fall to low, and requires more mix time. I made 300 gallons today and will put it into the main storage tank for use tomorrow, with no wash water to dispose of.
FAABMANDELUX.

 

What has this cost some of you to make??? what do you figure you're saving per gallon.

 

I built my own equipment for less than $200. I've made over 8,000 gallons in about 3 years. My cost is $.38 - $.42 per gallon, and I smile every time I pass a service station

FABMANDELUX.