[Biofuel] Permits and lots of other problems
Hi everyone, I am currently in the process of helping to start up a biodiesel production faculty on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois. We were making good progress to setting up to a capacity of 1000gallons a day. Unfortunately we have had a recent run in with the cities inspector. They have automatically assumed that biodiesel production it is a very dangerous affair and have sealed our building off in addition to mentioning that we have lack of several permits (which we actually have). What make the situation very difficult is the fact that either the inspector or the town we are in has any knowledge of biodiesel and its production. In addition the inspector himself is a very unfriendly and difficult person to work with especially when I comes to the site at which we are located. I was hoping that someone might have some knowledge of where I can find information with regards guild lines or laws and regulations on running a biodiesel production facility. By that I mean information on a federal or state level that directly addresses things like methanol storage (which we have only a very small amount of), biodiesel storage, and any other information on things like the use of certain processing equipment to fire safety. I have been looking the last two days almost all day and have been very limited partially because it is the weekend and the fact that I cant get a hold of anyone and because of the fact that everything I find has no relation to biodiesel. Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS! ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] Methanol Recovery?
Hello everyone, I am scaling up the size of my processing units to make about 300-400gallons of biodiesel a day. Right now I do not do any methanol recovery however at the larger scale it makes a lot of finical sense to get back the methanol. I have had a lot of trouble finding somewhat larger devices for recovering the methanol. I was wondering if anyone has experience in this field. The internet mentions methanol recovery but no sights really go into methanol recovery and biodiesl. Any help would be appreciated. am open to either homemade designs or ones that can be purchased. Any useful links or links to pictures would be great. Also is it be to recover methanol form the glycerin, the biodiesel or both? ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
Re: [Biofuel] Clogged filter
Hey dont worry about the filters thats exactly what is suppose to happen. In my diesel benz I had to replace my fuel filter because they had completely plugged up. I decided to break one of the filters open and inside was a mushy, muddy type gunk. Thats the residue that biodiesel cleans out of the tanks. My filter got plugged up using b100 after the first full tank of biodiesel. Dont forget filters are made to filter, so if they get dirty just replace them a little more often and be happy their doing their job. No need to be conced espically if the fuel is to spec like you stated. Theo Hello everyone, Last week, a person I known went with his truck to a local dealer for a check up. In there, they discover inside the diesel filter a strange mud that looks like a aquous phase with suspended solids in it. The mud plugged the fuel filter and it has to be replaced. This person used, for 2 months, B20 on his truck (Volvo), and he said to the local dealer that in fact he had tried some biodiesel in his vehicle. The dealer said to him: that's why your fuel filter his in bad shape, the fuel was contaminated.To me this is nonsense since the biodiesel he used meet the EN 14214 fuel specifications.I think that the origin of the strange mud, could be from the water acumulation in the fuel tank and lines, combined with the cleaning action of the biodiesel. What do you think? ___ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
[Biofuel] good news, but solid glycerin problem
Hey everyone, Great news! I finally put 5 gallons of homebrewed BD in my old benz and it loved it. I also finally made a 15 gallon batch in my processor and it came out great. My Problem is that on my processor I have a cone on the bottom of a 55-gallon drum where all the glycerin settles. I planed for it to be liquid but it was solid. I used 52.5liters of oil, 8.5g of lye per liter, and 20% methanol for my last batch and was wondering what I can do so it doesnât solidify. I was thinking maybe draining it somewhere between 3-5 hours after I stop mixing instead of the next day. Any feedback would be great. Thanks again, Theo Chadzichristos ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] I just cant firgue out which one is right
HI everyone, Well Iâve run into a problem I just cant figure out. I did a lot of small test batches varying the amounts of NaOH in each. My titration gave me 1.25 ml extra per liter. So I did a batch of 5, 6, 7, 8, and finally 9 grams per liter with 20% methanol by volume just to see what would happen. Each one made a nice split which doesnât make me feel so good about my titration anymore. After washing the test batches, the batches with 5, and 6 grams per liter were a slightly dark orange in comparison to the more yellow color of the batches with 7, 8 and 9 grams per liter. I figure I didnât use enough NaOh for the first two in order for the reaction to go as far as the other three did. The real problem is how do I know with of the last three batches is the best? They all seem really good and I canât tell the difference between them. The ph of the last three after washing was right around neutral. I am thinking of purchasing a hydrometer to check the specific gravity of the final three products and seeing which is in the range of .85-.90, which I read, is the range that biodiesel should be in. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks again, Theo Chadzichristos ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] Orange an not so clear biodiesel
Hi everyone, Iâve been making a lot of progress but have run into some trouble. Iâve been doing a lot of semi-small batches before I do a larger 35gallon batch in my processor. I get oil that only needs between 2-3 ml to turn my phenolphthalein a light pink so it comes out to 5.5-6.5 grams of NaOH per liter of oil and I used 20% methanol by volume of my WVO. I mix for about 20 min and keep the temperature between 110-120 degrees F. After it settles for 24 hours I get a very distinct layer of glycerin and the rest is biodiesel. The glycerin is a solid jelly like paste. I washed it using the bubble method and the water was initially a milky white but eventually turned clear. My problem is that the clarity of the biodiesel is not the greatest. It is a slightly dark orange color with a ph in the 6-7 range(all I have is ph paper to test the final product). It did get clearer with washing but not by much. I still cannot see though my batches and I know good quality biodiesel is golden yellow color and very transparent. My stuff is defiantly not good quality yet. I think I need to add some more NaOH. I read somewhere that a orange color means the reaction did not go to completion and that more catalyst should be used. I would greatly appreciate any outside insight and I hope I provided enough of the finer details. Thanks again everyone, Theo Chadzichristos ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] Isopropyl questions and a few other questions
Hi everyone, Iâm done building my processor and gathering the last odds and ends before I go oil free. A lot of thanks to everyone for all the helpful email Iâve gotten from this list over time. Anyways Iâm having trouble locating 100% isopropyl alcohol. The highest I was able to find was 91% at a local Walgreenâs. I donât know if thatâs pure enough to do an accurate titration and feedback on that would be great. Also I picked up some Red devil lye at $5.50 for 18 ounces. Anyone know where I can get a better deal or buy in bulk? And lastly I found a chemical company who will sell me a 55 gallon drum of methanol for $2.60 a gallon. Seems a bit expensive but does anyone know where I could get a better deal. You can get a slightly better deal but only if I were to buy 4 drums. (I donât have the room). If it will help Iâm located in a suburb of Chicago. Thanks again everyone, Theo Chadzichristos ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] Questions with plumbing on the bd processor
Hi everyone, Well I finally put forth the effort to switch to BD and am putting the finishing touches on my processor. I will be using a pump for mixing and was wondering about pvc and hoses. Im trying to decide if I should plumb my processor with some pvc pipe or plastic tubing. I found low density polyethylene at the hardware store and lots of vinyl tubing. I think the vinyl is bad with BD if im not mistaken but is the low-density stuff ok? I know high density polyethylene is what a lot of buckets are made of and that stuff is ok with BD but what about the low density stuff. Also there was talk about people using pvc for plumbing on their processor but I had trouble finding stuff about it in the archives. Is pvc a better choice to use on my processor then the other types of plastic tubing? Thanks for the help. ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
Re: [Biofuel] Born Again: Help Portland, Oregon
Hey scott, Hey scott, I feel your pain ive been on the path of starting up myself. With regards to getting reaction vessels id stick to the metal ones. I myself just bought a welder and am fortunate enough to have a small supply of 55gal barrels and lots of good plastic containers to get started. I haven't found any metal reactors that are anywhere near cheap. I was sick and tired of just thinking how much I would have to spend on one though a company so I figured I could make one myself. The welder is the most expensive item if your gonna DIY but if u want to do things on a larger scale it will probably save u money in the long run. I have the ability to make some extra reactors then I need, and I was thinking of putting them on ebay or something but wasn't sure anyone would want one. I might do that if there is enough interest. With regards to the methanol I think you will find varying cooperation form each company. I found some that didn't want to waste there time with me but others were very eager for my business. It would probably help if you could get under some kind of a small business/company name then companies take you more serious. Lab equipment suppliers might know someone who would sell in smaller quantities but if not just keep looking. Best of Luck, Theo C Well, if anyone can help get me going, I'm all ears ... meanwhile, I'm still looking for good components for a system that will produce 4K gal per year: personal plus one other family. Here's what I've found: Supplier of relatively affordable cone-bottom plastic vessels: Wilbur-Ellis (Ag), Albany, Oregon (800)982-1099 30 gal $90 65 gal $180 100 gal $295 Stands $150 Pumps: Looking for air-powered diaphragm pumps ... for a whole lot less than $500+ (Grainger). There's got to be something cheap that will take the motor out of the equation. Any suggestions where to look? Appointment with Restaurant owner today: I'm not ready to handle their waste yet. I'll just ask them what they need to make life easier. How else can I grease the wheels and make this sustainable for the long-haul. Buckets, barrels, dump-station, whatever they need: my attitude is to help them. Does this mean I should be willing to take garbage? What is reasonable to ask them? To pour-off their WVO separately? Doubt it. Get what you get, beggar, patties, fries, spatulas, the works. Be a renderer? I'll find-out, the hard way. Methanol supply elludes me: Email contacts simply aren't working ... drum level orders are too small amount, apparently. Anybody out there? ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] (no subject)
Subject: [Biofuel] Free to good home: Methanol Dear brian , Im in a suburb of chicago and am intersted in your methanol drum. If you could post what city you live in so i can calculate the mileage from where i live. I woulndt mind driving a bit to pick it up but only with some reason. Thanks Theo Chadzichristos I still have a virtually untapped drum of methanol in Indiana, and will be moving to California in less than two weeks. I'm not going to want to try transporting it across country, and I do want to see it go to someone who will use it. If anyone wants it, let me know. I'm in central Indiana, about 35 miles north of Indianapolis. Brian ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] Whats the best way to heat wvo?
Hello everyone, Hope everyone had a happy holiday. I had a question with regards to heating WVO. Iâve decided to either use an electric immersion heater or use a kerosene pressure stove that will run on a variety of fuels including biodiesl. Does anyone currently use either of these methods for heating their oil? Iâve found many different types of immersion heaters but was wondering if anyone knows what would work best for 20-45 gallon batches since there are many many different models and these heaters are very expensive. Also the immersion heater has to be useable with a standard 110v outlet. The pressure stoves are much cheaper ($80.00) and make about 9000 btus according to the manufacturer. Will that be enough heat to warm the oil to the proper temperature in a reasonable amount of time? I am open to any other ideas or suggestions that may be better then these two methods. Thanks, Theo Chadzichristos ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] I need filters
Hi all, Ive been looking to find a inline pre filter for my diesel benz in which I can replace the filter element but have had trouble finding diesel fuel filters and was wondering if anyone knows where I can get one. Also I found some 100 micron strainers that i plan on getting to pre filter the WVO, does anyone have any experience with these? Also does anyone have any special filters to do a final filtering of the biodiesel before it goes into the tank (like 10 microns or less). Thanks, Theo Chadzichristos ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] Cleaning out the tank
hi all, I have heard alot of people saying that their filters and sediment filter in their tank clog up due to biodiesel use. Does anyone know if there is a way to clean out the dino gunk other then just letting the biodiesel clean the tank. In the spring im going to start making and using biodiesel and i thought it would be easier and cheaper to just drain and drop the tank and clean it out with some kind of solvent i.e. mineral spirits or gasoline. Does anyone know if this would work? I figured it would be a good idea because you could still keep the sediment filter in place. Even with a prefilter you would save time and some money because the filter elements would not have to be replaced in addition to not getting stuck on the side of the road from lack of fuel. ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
[Biofuel] Questions with using biodiesel
HI all, Iâve been looking for a post that people actually respond to, and it looks like I have finally found a good one. I have made blender sized batched of biodiesel successfully but I want to move to a larger scale. I have a 1976 Mercedes Benz 300d which I want to run on biodiesel. I know that higher concentrations of biodiesel will clean up all the junk from the dino diesel thatâs accumulated in the tank and probably clog up my filters. Thatâs not a problem because I can easily replace those. My main concern is screwing up my injector pump, injectors and all my fuel lines by using biodiesel since those are expensive parts to replace. I have read of others with Mercedes Benz diesels that run successfully on biodiesel with no problem but the 1976 model year was the very first 5 cylinder diesel that came out. The basic engine design stayed the same as the years went by but there were a lot of minor changes made to the engine as time went on. Iâm not sure if it is capable of using biodiesel without a lot of problems. If anyone has any personal experience or knows of anyone with a diesel this old I would greatly appreciate any feedback on whether or not they had any problems with any engine component because of biodiesel. Sorry about the length of the message and thanks for the time. Theo C ___ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
