tom davis wrote: >In making testbatches of biodiesel, what safety precautions need to >be taken to protect yourself from the sodium methoxide and the gases >generated from the reaction? Do I need gas masks or just a cloth >mask anything to keep the fumes out of my eyes and lungs?
If you start here: "Where do I start?" http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html#start ... (and you should) you'll find plenty of safety advice as you go along. For instance: >Organic vapor cartridge respirators are more or less useless against >methanol vapors. Professional advice is not to use organic vapor >cartridges for longer than a few hours maximum, or not to use them >at all. Only a supplied-air system will do (SCBA -- Self-Contained >Breathing Apparatus). > >The best advice is not to expose yourself to the fumes in the first >place. The main danger is when the methanol is hot -- when it's cold >or at "room temperature" it fumes very little, and this is easily >avoided. Don't use "open" reactors -- biodiesel processors should be >closed to the atmosphere, with no fumes escaping. All methanol >containers should be kept tightly closed anyway to prevent water >absorption from the air. > >We transfer methanol from its container to the methoxide mixing >container by pumping it, with no exposure at all. This is easily >arranged, and an ordinary aquarium air-pump will do (the same one >you use for washing the biodiesel). The methoxide is mixed like this >-- Methoxide the easy way, which also happens to be the safe way. >The mixture gets quite hot at first, but the container is kept >closed and no fumes escape. When mixed, the methoxide is again >pumped into the (closed) biodiesel processor with the aquarium >air-pump -- there's no exposure to fumes, and it's added slowly, >which is optimal for the process and also for safety. See Adding the >methoxide. It's all hot-linked, everything you need, including details on safe test-batch processors. Best wishes Keith ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/FGYolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 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/
