BioDiesel

[gramps]

I have seen a couple comments about using biofuel or vegetable oil in a diesel and based on my experience, would offer a comment or two.
First, I have been making biodiesel for my own use from used vegetable cooking oil for 2 1/2 yrs..  There is no conversion necessary to run biodiesel in a diesel engine.  Just make sure it is good quality and go for it.  Actually, the first compression fired engine that Rudolph Diesel designed and built in Germany in the 1800's ran on peanut oil.
Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) is another matter entirely.  There is an expensive conversion involved.  Some people have used SVO in the new high pressure common rail fuel systems, but any savings on fuel will be offset and then some by the repair bills.  The early '80 model Mercedes diesels are very popular for this conversion...they are bullet proof.
I became interested in the biodiesel thing from a low cost fuel standpoint.  My out of pocket cost is about $1.10 per gallon, depending on methyl alcohol costs.  However, my labor cost makes up for the difference.  I built my  reactor and I am rebuilding it again to stream line the operation to cut down on the time involved, but I am not there yet.  It is a fun project.
There is a lot of missinformation out there and a lot of scams..so if anyone is interested, do your research.  If interested, I can supply some websites that have excellent info.  I am not connected to any of them in any way.
Moderator.....If this is not a proper subject....delete it, I won't be offended.

[jackelope]

Moderator.....If this is not a proper subject....delete it, I won't be offended.

i sure don't see anything wrong with it. i think it's cool as hell that you're making your own. does it stink as bad as the pump stuff? pretty much every diesel liberty that comes into my shop is burning it, and it stinks something awful.

[cohoho]

Hmmm, let me think- A good way to bring the bears into camp and start licking the tail pipe, Hummm, ideal here for sure....  course some will state that is baiting and go into another thread all together about how bad and unethical that would be.....

Curious to the cost of making a "Reactor"?  A $1.10 would be sweet for the truck....  Do you have problems getting enough recycled veggie oil for the process to begin?  Do you mix it or run straight after the refinement process?  How does storage effect it, say like 90 gallons at a time in tank of vehicle?  I'm sending you a PM if you don't mind, really curious to how it is done and the huge benefits it offers, besides, it might be the alternate reason to get the wife's permission to build my dream garage....

[gramps]

This will take me a while, but I will try to briefly describe how to make a batch.  Also had some PM's that I will answer......Jackelope...I haven't noticed a smell worse than #2, actually smells better...like what was cooked in it.    I run anywhere from 20% to 50% bio in normal #2.  I don't burn any or make any in the winter cause it will gell at much higher temps than #2 and my shed where I make it is unheated.  I hope to change that before this winter and will burn 20% during the winter.  On two occasions I have burned 100% in the cummins and did not notice any difference in power or mileage, but was empty both times headed down the highway.  I have also, on two occasions headed east of the rockies with 2   4wheelers in the pickup, 100 gallons of bio, a 26 ft camper and gear and ran 50% until I ran out.  Had no problem with the mountain passes.  Biodiesel has about 119,000 BTU's per gallon and straight #2 has about 129,400 BTU's, so a little less power and mileage would be normal.  My rigs are past warranty, but that is an issue with more than 5% or so.

My initial interest was from a cost of fuel view point and I was trying to read up on it when I noticed a local enviromental group was gonna have a meeting.  I was suprised they even let me in the door. The speaker was a man from a near by town who made biodiesel and I built my set up somewhat like his.   
Making bio is referred to as 'home brewing'.  When it is made, it is actually a chemical reaction that takes place between the vegetable oil and an alcohol..most people use methyl alcohol..and a catalyst, which can be NAOH or KOH.. both concidered 'lye'.  The alcohol and the lye are very dangerous and some very deliberate care must be taken to avoid injury, fire or death....no joke.
I hear that  used cooking oil is hard to find now and I have seen ads in the paper and online for people looking for oil.  I collect small quantities from some people who have small businesses that don't generate much, but it works for me.  I can burn it a hell of a lot faster than I can make it.  These people were paying someone to take it  away and they thought it was a good deal when I told them I would take it away and not charge them to do it.
The war department is calling so I will hopefully be back after a while.

[Armadillo]

Great subject. I heard the first tank you run through your vehicle requires you to replace the fuel filters afterwards as biodiesel is a great solvent and will remove all the crud outta your tank and clog up the filters. I dont know if thats true but it sounds plausable. Also converting requires the rubber fuel lines to get changed to Viton lines Ive heard. Other then those two worries Ive got I would be all for biodiesel in my truck. It tends to smell like french fries lol

[jackelope]

there are NO conversions necessary to run bio-d in your diesel rig...at all. and i have never heard of changing fuel filters either.

[gramps]

Armadillo is correct in that it is a great solvent and will dissolve rubber and some other things.   On an older diesel, fuel filters plug ups can be a problem as the crud is cut loose in the tank and lines.  My TDI had 40K miles before any bio and i have had no problems or plugged filters.  I have not changed any lines yet and I do check often.The cummins had about 35K and no problems either.  I change the fuel filter once a yr, but carry a spare.
I used bio to disolve some of that glue that is used to hold body moulding on to a vehicle now days.  Had some stuff like 'goo-gone' or something like that and it did nothing in an hour, the bio took it right off.  It will also remove paint.

There are a gillion 'reactors' made out of hot water heaters..they are called "appleseed processors".  I was headed in that direction until I met the fella at the above mentioned meeting.  I made my reactor and wash tank out of 55 gallon barrels with removable tops.  The have a lid with a rolled edge and a gasket and clamp ring that is tighten down with a bolt.   I liked the idea of being able to open it up to clean or look.  My second batch turned to a very thick gel because I seriously miscalculated the amount of NAOH and I had to scoop it out.   One needs to drill some holes and weld in some pipe fittings to hook up a pump to circulate and mix the oil during the reaction phase and to move the liquid from one tank to another.
I make a batch that starts with 22 gal. of oil.  Water in the oil is a huge problem, so it needs to be heated to remove the water.  I welded a pipe fitting in the side of the barrels so I could use a hot water heating element for heating.  4500W @ 240V.   Some water removal is accomplished when the oil sits in the collection barrels also.  
A chemical test is run to determine how much NAOH is needed.  The more "used" or the longer an oil is used to cook food, the more NAOH wll be required.  This test tells how many grams of NAOH is needed per liter of oil.   The amount of methyl alcohol I use is 20% of the amount of oil or 4.5 gallons.   The amount of NAOH is disolved in the alcohol.   This takes a while and is done in a 5 gallon plastic container with tight fitting lids.   Handling this stuff is risky.  There is NOT a  respirator available for methyl alcohol fumes...only a hood over your head with a fresh air supply or a self-contained aparatus will be totally safe.   Not many home brewers use any of this.  Have adequate ventilation, wear gloves, apron, googles etc and be damn careful.   Methyl alcohol when in the blood stream turns to formaldehyde.   Fortunately....ethyl alcohol is the antedote..no joke..I keep some 100 proof handy and take a nip or two when handling this stuff just for safety sake...you know.

Will be back in a bit.

[gramps]

 I did not intend this to be a book...just thought it would be interesting given where the price of fuel is.
To try to finish.    The oil is heated to 130 to 135 F., the alcohol and dissolved NAOH(caustic soda..also nasty stuff) is slowly fed into the pump and mixed for 1.5 to 2 hours.   Then is is allowed to settle for 4 to 5 hours or overnite.   The glycerides(sp)(mono, di and tri) settle out and are drained out the bottom of the reactor and are a byproduct called glycerin.  This can be used to make soap or it works as a degreaser..as in greasy car parts.  It is water soluble.   There is excess methyl alcohol in this stuff... (so don't stand over it and breathe while draining it.)... that can be recovered by running it thru a 'still'.   Methyl alcohol is the highest cost ingredient at $5 to $7 per gallon.   I built a still later to recover some of this.   
What we have left will be the 'biodiesel' after it is washed, dried and filtered.   It has been chemically changed from a vegetable oil to a methyl ester.
It is pumped to another tank and washed with water to remove the balance of the glycerin and methyl alcohol.  Some methyl alcohol can also be recovered by running this thru' the still.  This can be 4 to 10 washes and takes longer than all the other parts of the process put together.  A fella in England has developed a way to wash it with out water, but I have not looked into that yet...has some advantages.... like no water to get rid of.    There are some simple tests to run to check the quality, but the official test costs about a $1K per test, so very few home 'brewers' have their fuel tested. 
I am confident in what I make that I am not risking a several thousand $$ fuel system to save a few $$ and because of that I won't burn anyone else's and won't buy commercial bio.    The testing standards are established(ASTM D6571) if you want to look it up....I am not sure if it is all tested, however.    NO OFFENSE... to anyone connected to a commercial operation.

Anyway, that may be more than you ever wanted to know.  I just love it when I see a Pryuis(sp) slowly disappear in the right mirror in a gray cloud that smells like french fries.  No offense to anyone that owns one either lol..lol  it is a family joke.