Hello, I made my first 1-liter test batch of biodiesel last night using brand new peanut frying oil. Everything seems to have turned out normal, as far as I can tell. The separation and the glycerine looks just like the picture on biodieselcommunity, however, the biodiesel is very cloudy, unlike the BD in the picture. Also, this morning I noticed a white precipitant, soap, I presume? Even if its not perfect, I think it turned out great to be my first batch. On the KOH, I finally stumbled across some soapmaking sites that sell KOH in small quantities. I look forward to making more BD soon.

 

Congrats on the first batch. Hopefully some of the biodiesel enthusiasts (which should be ANYONE who drives a diesel) will chime in and explain the cloudiness and/or the soapy substance (I can't). Eventually, I'll get into it myself. Again, congratulations.

Steve

 

Sounds like an incomplete reaction. What was the base amount of KOH you used in your test batch?

 

The base amount that i used was between 7.5g/liter and 8g/liter. I might also mention that I think the oil was still too hot when I added the methoxide and some of the methanol probably boiled off. Impatience never pays off. I did do this outside, by the way.