Bio-diesel

[Boston]

I've been meaning to brew up some bio diesel and see how easy it is, or isn't. Heating it up sounds like the hard part although the bio diesel sites seem to prefer doing some things the hard way like the titration method of determining PH over the simple litmus test. Not sure why that is yet but I'm working on it.

I finally talked to a few of the local eateries and I can get ahold of about 50 gallons a week WVO ( waste vegetable oil ), some lye and isopropyl later and I should be good to go.

now to pick up some 55 gallon drums and figure out how to heat the stuff to the prescribed 130°F

kinda stoked to get started on this although I'm not sure where I'm going to put it all other than stash it in some barrels for summer when I tend to drive the diesel more.

its a 1990 Ford 7.3 IDI 1 ton extended cab 4x4 POS Toboggan that I scored for free out of a friends field

guess the ole Found On Road Dead maxim is close enough eh

[wardd]

old hot water heaters are much used

[bulk-head]

Hmm... Bio Diesel ? on A 400 hp pickup truck ????? Better to paint it rainbow colours with a huge thermometer painted down the hood then give it a custom license plate..."The Global Warmer" or pound that ridiculous American beast into scrap metal...why waist good Bio diesel on that embarrassing, in your face, who gives a dam, I want my freedom, "don't tread on me", I cant read the paper so I listen to FOX, American automotive folly.

[gonzo]

I don't think Boston is making a political statement. My truck is a one ton chevy, and yes, don't tread on me. When I get back from England, it will be waiting for me. Here I own a one ton diesel van-a ridiculous British beast.

[Boston]

I use the truck in my biz so its got a purpose although once its on a bio diesel diet I wont have any need of excuses.

anyway a water heater eh
hmmmm will have to go look that one up and see what the proper set up is
thanks

B

I'm going to start with small batches on the stove and work my way up
no idea what system to use yet but my chemistry professor buddy said to just learn how to make the stuff and then worry about a micro plant to process the stuff later

he's got one in his backyard and pounds out about 100 gallons a week with some of his students

I'm stoked to finally be converting this monster to BD

oh
going with the two tank system so I could run diesel, bio diesel or WVO

[gonzo]

The problem you will have in the winter is that biodiesel will solidify. Unless the tank is heated, the fuel won't flow. Even when it is mixed, the fuels may separate and clog the system. In the summer there should be no problem.

[wardd]

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html

[bulk-head]

Originally Posted by wardd

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html

Youre trying to find excuses to drive a 400 hp Yank tank. Wake up...energy is energy and has infinite productive uses. . It should be a crime to burn any energy in a grotesquely inefficient Yank Tank.

[Boston]

Originally Posted by gonzo

The problem you will have in the winter is that biodiesel will solidify. Unless the tank is heated, the fuel won't flow. Even when it is mixed, the fuels may separate and clog the system. In the summer there should be no problem.

rumor is I can mix it with K-1 ( kerosene ) and it will keep it in solution

no idea if thats true or not but I've been doing my share of reading lately and I'm just about at the point where I"m dangerous as one of my friends likes to point out whenever I'm on a learning curve

[Boston]

ya
its 170 hp and about to be a green machine so the net CO2 is close to zero
there is some debate concerning carbon neutral fuels and CO2 production but most revolve around its comparison to fossil based fuels rather than simply as a study of how much CO2 the plant consumed vs how much CO2 is produced when the fuel is burned

cheers
B

[Carteret]

K-1 is a very good mix for Bio Diesel. If you google the msds for K-1 you will see that K-1 and Diesel #1 (winter fuel) are virtually the same fuel.

[kroberts]

Originally Posted by bulk-head

Youre trying to find excuses to drive a 400 hp Yank tank. Wake up...energy is energy and has infinite productive uses. . It should be a crime to burn any energy in a grotesquely inefficient Yank Tank.

So what's your alternative?

In any American farming environment, there are only three brands to get: Ford, Chevy or Dodge. The 1-ton load limit is the weight the trailer puts on the 5th-wheel hitch, and the trailer is 30-40 feet long and filled to overloaded with round bales. The truck is usually licensed for 22000 lbs gvwr and even that number is more of an average. I don't know what sort of truck you're thinking of, but I guarantee that truck can't keep up during harvest. I've seen what passes for "heavy duty" in foreign trucks, and that is a push cart with an extra set of handles.

I knew a guy who bought the heavy-duty Toyota truck thinking it was better. It was more expensive anyway. That truck was trash in the first year, completely useless in the middle of the second one.

[gonzo]

bulk-head: piss off. If you can't contribute to the thread in a constructive way, go join a protest march or something.

[Boston]

ya I haul some seriously large loads sometimes with it, used every ounce of axle weight on the truck and a two axle trailer not long ago and ran it from St Joe's Missouri to Denver

quite a long way at max axle and it held up just fine. You wont catch a foriegn passenger truck getting away with that when its 20 years old let alone when its new

Anyway I'm going to see about storing this fuel somewhere as I can collect a lot more than I can use just from the two places now that are offering it to me. Once I get the hang of brewing the stuff I'd just assume do it in larger batches say, 55 gallons at a crack a few hundred gallons in a day if I can. There are some funky fuel storage laws but I think I can get away with at least storing the WVO since its not classified as a fuel. Its only once its processed that they consider it fuel.

Ward
interesting site
I read on one of those sites that no one has yet been killed or even severely burned brewing there own yet
yet being the key term

I think I'll just stick the stuff in some 55 gallon drums for now and once I get a few hundred gallons saved up then go for it

stuff needs to settle anyway

cheers
B

[Marine Nut]

Biodiesel ?


My take (yes, means little to nothing, but I am probably better researched than you)------------ It's a "moving target"......Read into it as you like..

Add "home brew" to it and you are talking zero certainty as to anything.

"DinoDiesel" -- It will be around, and the fuel of choice, until they bury me and everyone else reading here..........

IMO, it has a long ways to go before anyone knows just how good it can get with all of the new tech to do with CR fuel systems and the various emission regulations driving (forcing) new technology.

Cheers...