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BioDiesel

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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.

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