Comprehensive Homebrew Biodiesel Class March 13, 2004 At Biofuel Station, Laytonville, CA instructor: Maria "Mark" Alovert
Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made from any plant oil and other fats. It can be used in any diesel engine without modifications, and can be made easily in your backyard. Biodiesel greatly reduces emissions, is biodegradable, safe to handle, safe to transport and store once made, and has a very positive "lifecycle energy balance". It is currently produced worldwide on a commercial and home scale. Because it is so easy to make, biodiesel is a viable alternative for local, home-scale, farm- and village- scale energy production. Come learn the ins and outs of making biodiesel fuel from used restaurant fryer oil. There will be hands-on practice in making and testing small batches of fuel, as well as demos of equipment, techniques, a discussion of the biodiesel industry, co-operatives, and a related discussion of how 'homebrew' techniques can be used as part of a solution for community controlled energy. Optional textbook available for $7 (75 pages). Bring a notebook and safety glasses if you have them, and a potluck dish to share for lunch. The following day, at Yokayo Biofuels in Ukiah, is the first meeting of the Biodiesel Council of California, an alliance of consumers, producers, and distributors for sustainable B100 biodiesel (www.biodieselcouncil.org) The class will be held at Biofuel Station in Laytonville, Ca (Northern Mendocino County, off of Hwy 101) When: Saturday, March 13th, 2004 Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m Cost: $20-$50 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds $7 for optional 75-page textbook To register: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Kimber: 707-984 6818 Instructor contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For other upcoming biodiesel workshops and events, please see: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/norcal-biodiesel-events ****************** Previous classes have covered the following curriculum: Introduction/ overview: - Biodiesel and straight vegetable oil- two different fuels -Advantages and drawbacks of biodiesel fuel Biodiesel chemistry: - Biodiesel from virgin oil - Biodiesel from waste vegetable oil - KOH catalyst versus NaOH catalyst - Two enemies of the reaction: free fatty acids, water - Conditions and ingredients needed for reaction Safety: methanol, lye, and safety equipment Homebrew biodiesel demonstration: - how to make 1-liter test batches - washing intro Hands-on student practice: - Oil tests: testing for water content, - titration- testing for free fatty acids content - Students make liter batches - Failures and quality control: 'glop' (soap), soapy fuel, and poor conversion Troubleshooting and testing: -Acid value test (washed fuel) -Reprocess test (unwashed fuel) -Wash test (unwashed fuel) -cloud point/gel point -pH of unwashed fuel (rough indicator) -soap test and catalyst test (unwashed fuel) -Tests we don't recommend: specific gravity and viscosity Hands-on: students make full size batch Washing -bubblewashing/mistwashing -Using the wash as a form of feedback -Troubleshooting emulsification -Fixing emulsions Equipment (as seen at www.veggieavenger.com/media ): -Processor options: water heater-based, drums-based, generic plumbing for any tank you find -no-weld versus welded options -regulations, safety, and containment -Plastics and biodiesel -The problems with existing 'kit' processors -Wash tanks -Heating options -Standpipe tanks and dip tubes -Pump types -Circulating pump-based agitation, mechanical agitation -Passive methanol/catalyst mixing versus mechanical catalyst mixing -Carboy methoxide mixing systems -homebuilt bubblewash aerators -system layout for larger systems -5-gallon systems Glycerol: -Removing methanol -Free fatty acids recovery/glycerine purification -Making soap -Composting glycerine Brief discussion of advanced topics: -Acid-base two-stage method/pretreatment of free fatty acids -Methanol recovery -Additives -Ethanol biodiesel Conclusion: -The commercial biodiesel industry, the NBB, and biodiesel consumer activism -Decentralized energy production -Where to go from here? -Co-ops and homebrew 'cells' Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/