Biodiesel

Discussion in 'The Chatterbox' started by sparky5693, Sep 20, 2008.

  1. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    Some of you know, i've recently picked up a new hobby, producing biodiesel. Biodiesel is a direct replacement for any engine that runs diesel fuel (it can also be mixed with standard diesel with no adverse results). It's made primarily from waste vegetable oil (think mcdonalds).

    My primary use for the fuel will be to heat my house this winter, as my home is heated with a "fuel oil" furnace. I must admit though, the thought of a diesel vehicle is sounding better and better. Currently, I can produce fuel for around a dollar a gallon.

    Here's some pics below. Sorry about the quality, as they're from my cell phone.




    Here's the entire unit. The left tank is for the waste oil and holds 60 gallons. The right tank is for my methoxide, which is the chemical mix that starts the reaction that produces the biodiesel, that tank holds a max of 20 gallons.
    [​IMG]

    Here's the main controls. The left panel is for the left holding tank. One for the circulation pump, and the other for the heating element (from a hot water heater). Since I have a friend helping me, I labeled everything. The right panel is for a timed mixer on the right tank.
    [​IMG]

    The pumps that make the machine work, along with some of the plumbing, and valves. You can also see where the heating element is located. The filter is a 5 micron, and is onnly used once fuel is completed. For some of my plumbing we used clear tubing so I could see the fluid passing through. The color here isn't good, as I was trying to break a nasty emulsification (suceeded).
    [​IMG]

    Inside the main tank. This was a small batch, as I was working with a questionable oil. In this picture, the oil is still emulsified. The pump sucks the oil from the bottom, and back into the top. This is my method for stirring.
    [​IMG]

    This is the inside lip of the large tank. After the main reaction is completed, and the by product has been drained out, the fuel must be washed to remove any soap that was produced. Water is lightly misted across the top of the fuel. Since oil is heavier than water, it sinks to the bottom, and brings the soap, and any small particulate with it. The addition of water must be gentle to keep the soap from either foaming or further emulsifying in the fuel. At the top of this picture, you can see the misters on the inside lip of the tank. They are connected with clear tubing, which has a fitting to attach to a garden hose. Add a few quick bursts of water, let it settle to the bottom, and then drain off.
    [​IMG]

    My makeshift laboratory, used for the testing of fluids, and the addition of chemicals. My potassium hydroxide, and methanol aren't in the pic. I used an old discarded child's pool table. It works perfect, and the plastic top makes it easy to clean spills.
    [​IMG]
     
  2. Gillette_Man

    Gillette_Man New Member

    Sparky "The Tool Man Taylor"!

    I don't know what's more impressive, your contraption, or that the pics came from a cell phone! Very, very cooL!! If I missed this, I apologize, but where do you get your oil?


    :signs107
     
  3. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    It all comes from restaurants. It's the used oil from their deep fryers. This test batch came from a TGI Friday's. Most of these restaurants have to pay to have their old oil hauled away, so they're ecstatic when I ask if I can have it. It seems a moderately sized restaurant has around 150 gallons of this waste a month. My local McDonald's claims 200... Man I hope I can get that one.

    All made from waste vegetable oil, potassium hydroxide, methanol, and water.
     
  4. Gillette_Man

    Gillette_Man New Member

    Beautiful! It's a win-win situation all around! The restaurants get their old oil hauled away for free, and you heat your home for just pennies! This is the kind of recycling this country needs more of. We are such a wasteful Nation, it is embarrassing sometimes.
     
  5. Michael

    Michael Duke of Kent

    Bobby, you should offer to take the oil for half the price others are charging. :D
     
  6. Damon

    Damon Member

    Does the garage smell like french fries?
     
  7. Duckster

    Duckster Wabbit Season!

    $1/gallon... awesome!!

    I'd get a diesel vehicle for sure if I could produce fuel for a dollar a gallon. You also get to produce exhaust fumes that smell like french fries. :)
     
  8. soapbuddy

    soapbuddy Mistress of Lather

    Since different restaurant use different frying oils, how do you know how much potassium hydroxide to add? Do you test every batch?
    How do you get rid of the methane when you are done?
     
  9. redorchestra

    redorchestra New Member

    you could also pump heatingfuel oil directly into your diesel car. But you will get fined if caught. They dye fuel oil so that they can tell. Is it legal to drive with this fuel? Since you are not paying a fuel tax.

    And where do you get the methanol?
     
  10. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    Actually, some offered me money to collect it, but I don't want to get into the legality of getting paid. If I take it for free, and use the end product for personal use, it's just much simpler than the few bucks i'd get.... but a person certainly could make some extra cash just picking it up.
     
  11. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    Actually, the raw oil smells pretty nasty, but once it's inside the machine it's all sealed, except for a small vent line that I run outdoors. The smelliest part is when I run the oil through some basket filters (they sit inside a barrel)
    After the chemical reaction, a by product called glycerin, (technically glycerol) is created. The glycerin would contain the methanol that wasn't lost in the chemical reaction. I'm saving mine up, as it can be distilled to remove the methanol, which can be reused to make more biodiesel, the remainder of the glycerin will be composted. I've been told that the distilled glycerin can be used as a cleaner, or to even make soap, but that's probably more than i'm looking to get into right now.

    The heavier the restaurant has used the oil, the more acidic it becomes. To determine how much KOH (potassium hydroxide) I need, I do some testing.
    Titration.... I add 10mL of alcohol to a beaker, then add 3-4 drops of my indicator solution. I then add 1mL of my oil and stir. Gradually I add a solution of potassium hydroxide and water to the mixture (via syringe). When the ph hits 8, the indicator solution turns my mixture pink. Then there's some quick math. Let's assume i'm working with 40 gallons (151 liters) of oil, and it took 4 mL of solution to reach the proper ph...
    Here's the formula. X= the amount of solution I used, in this case, 4.
    151x(7 + X)=1661grams KOH (potassium hydroxide)
    The KOH is dissolved into methanol. The methanol used would be 22% of your oil, so that would be 8.8 gallons.

    The methanol KOH mixture is called methoxide, and is some pretty nasty stuff. Fortunately, I never have to touch it.

    It is completely legal to use in my car (or anyting else), with no fees paid to the government. It would be illegal if I sold it. My reading tells me that it doesn't void vehicle warranties, and actually burns cleaner, and is less polluting than dino diesel.

    I've been buying the KOH, and methanol from a local chemical supply company called chemsolv. KOH comes in 80 pound bags, and methanol comes in a 55 gallon drum.

    I can complete the entire process in about 24 hours, but most of that time is spent in the wait phases, while i'm off doing something else. It's probably 15 minutes of "hands on" work.
     
  12. soapbuddy

    soapbuddy Mistress of Lather

    Just an FYI....

    From the state of New York's Biodiesel Fact Sheet:
    Risk to Neighbors and Environment


    A byproduct of the biodiesel reaction is glycerol. Glycerol should not be dumped on the ground, into a septic system or into any surface waters. An accidental spill of the glycerol may impact surface waterways such as streams, rivers, or lakes.

    Concerns include disposal of wastewater containing free fatty acids that have a high biochemical oxygen demand, or BOD, that can remove oxygen from water bodies and harm aquatic life. It is illegal to put anything other than domestic wastewater into a septic system. Do not put any biodiesel or chemical byproducts into a septic system.

    The best way to dispose of the glycerol is through a wastewater treatment plant. Any hauler with a dumping permit (i.e., septic tank cleaners) should be able to take the glycerol. Also, you should contact your local waste water treatment facility to verify which chemical types and amounts can be put down the drain. You may be liable if your discharge affects their system. Keep in mind that glycerol is a fatty acid. If you pour it down the drain, it may solidify and clog your drain system.

    The glycerol from the home brewer's reaction will not be of the proper purity for sale as a foodstuff or raw material for soap or cosmetics.
    It is illegal to dispose of any pollutant into a storm drain, ditch, sewer, stream or the ground.

    Mixing and "cooking" (reacting) of the components will cause a foul odor which may impact your neighbors.
     
  13. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    Once the methanol is distilled from the glycerol, it is no longer glycerol.
    There's a pile of recipes online for things to do with it, ranging from making firelogs, soap, and even strong cleaners. Mine will be composted... after the methanol is removed.

    Other Uses and how to purify the glycerine
     
  14. soapbuddy

    soapbuddy Mistress of Lather

    Glycerin produced during the biodiesel process is crude and unrefined. Crude glycerin produced in small scale biodiesel operations typically contains unreacted oil, catalyst, methanol (if not recovered during processing) and some biodiesel. Glycerin and biodiesel are generally considered as environmentally friendly, but the catalyst and methanol contained in crude glycerin are not. Your alternatives for disposing of crude glycerin may be limited. It is not safe as compost, nor is it safe as feedstock.

    Is the methanol re-captured? Do you have a ventable glycerol storage container until you have a large enough load to do a methanol distillation batch?

    Methanol is a neurotoxin, and can be toxic in small amounts. It can be absorbed through skin, as well as lungs, ingestion, and contact with the eyes. It attacks various internal organs, particularly hard on the eyes. Overexposure to vapor can cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, disorientation, etc. Also highly flammable.

    Many small scale biodiesel producers end up with a glut of crude biodiesel glycerol (CBG) and it ends up dumped down the drain, into landfills, in the woods, burnt, and worse. This is not considered acceptable by the responsible biodiesel community.

    As you can see I have done some research on this subject. :)
     
  15. mastermute

    mastermute FatBoy

    Methanol is not part of glycrol/glycerine. But the glycerol from a biodiesel reactor will almost certainly be contaminated with unreacted methanol, KOH/NaOH and unwanted fatty acids (especially if the feedstock is WWO), rendering it useless for food purpouses to both humans and animals. The first step is to distill/reclaim the methanol. Still, it may not be harmless at this stage.
     
  16. moviemaniac

    moviemaniac Tool Time

    Sounds like a great idea to save money, Bobby! Thanks for the pics and the inside-view :)
     
  17. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    I at least got you thinking :)
    All of my glycerol/glycerin is being stored until I have what I deem a sufficient quantity to distill. All of mine has been saved up in a large stainless steel drum. There will be zero waste products released into the environment until i'm positive it's safe. I contacted waste disposal in my county, and they have no problems accepting the glycerin, assuming it passes their tests to be methanol free, but I really want to use as much as my byproduct as I can. The land where i'm setup is a huge orchard, complete with ponds, and livestock. There's no way i'm letting my "little project" jeopardize any of that.
     
  18. Will

    Will Nevermind

    I seen this on Mythbusters... I am so getting a Mercedes diesel.
     
  19. Queen of Blades

    Queen of Blades Mistress of Mischief Staff Member

    Moderator Supporting Vendor
    You sure that wasn't Dirty Jobs? ;)
     
  20. sparky5693

    sparky5693 Administrator Staff Member

    Administrator
    If we're thinking about the same episode, they actually ran straight vegetable oil in that car.... just ran it through a coffee filter. I'm not sure that would work in our colder climate, but it was still pretty cool.

    The first diesel engines were actually made to run on vegetable oil, but they switched over to petro diesel because it was less expensive.
     

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