Thanks to all for their help to me and so many others on this list.
Now I have 2 more questions...
1. If you are storing biodiesel in large quantities (500 gallons or
more), do you need to have a vented container or not? The legal and
practical answers would be helpful.
You need US federal and/or state specifics on that, I don't have
them, though probably there's some information in the Extremely
Useful Archives:
http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
Information Archive at NNYTech
Probably the NBB is also worth checking.
2. If you wash your biodiesel, drain the water, and heat the washed
biodiesel to drive off any excess water, are there any concerns
about biodiesel fumes?
Some mild concerns have been expressed. Some people heat it to 100
deg C, 212F, I don't know why - waste of energy, all it needs is
warming to 45 deg C or so, 113F, it hardly fumes at that temperature,
if at all. Then let it cool, in a covered, vented container. If you
can leave it in the sun so much the better - the longer it takes to
cool the better. This doesn't settle the water content, it evaporates
it, so you're not left having to drain from the top and leave the bit
at the bottom.
Anyway there's no need to heat it unless you're in a hurry, longer
settling times at each and every stage help a lot, and after draining
the last wash it will clear on it's own. There'll still be water
content, about 1,200ppm or so, but it's anhydrous to that extent - if
you do get it lower than that it will simply reabsorb that amount.
Does it do any harm? I think not - look at all the work being done
with diesel-water emulsions to improve combustion and mainly to
decrease emissions. Water in suspension and water in solution are
different animals.
As for the fumes from hot biodiesel, I don't know how toxic they
might be - certainly nothing approaching methanol fumes, and far less
of them anyway. Since there's really no need at all to expose
yourself to methanol fumes, isn't this a bit of a non-issue? I think
of all the cooks especially in Chinese restaurants around the world
standing over their woks stir-frying jolly good stuff, in many cases
the "right" temperature is when the oil catches fire: MUCH hotter
than you'll ever get your biodiesel when dewatering it.
HTH.
For whatever religious observance is appropriate to you... Happy end
of December.
And to you Ross, thankyou.
Best wishes
Keith
Thanks again!
Ross
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