Direct release into a stream is ill advised, no matter what it is that
you're processing. Better for you to apply it as gray water irrigation
upsight from any drainage and let the soils filter it further, all the while
getting some utility out of both the large volume of water and any
contaminants it holds.
You'll want to do several things prior to release. 1) Use potassium
hydroxide as your catalyst to reduce problems in later co-product
treatment/disposal. 2) Use a process that produces the highest conversion
rates so as to reduce the amount of soap that might end up in a wash.
Acid/base is recommended. 3) Allow as long a period as possible to let the
glycerol cocktail settle out after the transesterification stage.
Twenty-four hours in a well insulated tank to maintain an elevated temp is
not unreasonable. 4) Pass the biodiesel fraction through an
evaporator/distillation process prior to washing to remove the majority of
the residual methanol. Pot distillation is not sufficient.
These steps will reduce the amount of contaminants that are introduced into
the wash water. From there you'll need to pursue treatment steps that remove
the soap. The easiest is to introduce magnesium or aluminum sulfate, which
will convert the soluble soaps to insoluble greases and permit their
removal. The next stage would be to precipitate the potassium or sodium
sulfate if the level is too high for soils to absorb in a sustainable
fashion (bio-accumulation / bio-loading).
Realize that some soils can benfit from the potassium and/or sulfate. You'll
need to become familiar with the soils around your facility and what their
needs are. You may also need to orchestrate the planting of specific
plants/crops that can achieve a maximum uptake of whatever "nutrients" you
place on the soils. This will further reduce the possiblity of bio-loading
and run-off into any drainage/hydrology.
Todd Swearingen
----- Original Message -----
From: "tommy newman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 5:23 PM
Subject: [Biofuel] washing water
i have already posted a message in relation to this
matter and the answers i have gotten do not suffice. i
aim to bulid a biodiesel plant which would produce 1
cubice metre of biodiesel every 2 hours, which would
result in the same amount of wash water being
produced. What i want to know is wheather this wash
water if released into a nearby stream would cause
problems if it pH is neutralised, or what is the the
consistency of this water.
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