Anyone making fuel @home?

[Logic]

A local doing plastic pyrolysis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rwUkuaSG4Y

The net is full of videos.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Stills today can produce 200 proof on second pass

Some Russian homemade distillates don't even need a second pass to reach a minimum amount of ethanol by volume to enable it to be used as a motor fuel.

[Logic]

Biogas, methane digester:
https://www.maasenergy.com/how-digesters-work
https://www.biogassa.co.za/index.php...stic-digesters

Basically you want to poop in a bag!
A large bag so the organic waste sits about fermenting for around a month.
The other end of the bag needs to drain into std sewage systems IMHO, or its just a **** idea!

Other food and garden waste can also be added.
Then you would need a compressor to fill gas bottles if you want to run a car on it.
(or just use it @ home. cookers, water heaters, etc.)

Some filtering of other gasses is reqd, but nothing high tech.

[Piotrsko]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Some Russian homemade distillates don't even need a second pass to reach a minimum amount of ethanol by volume to enable it to be used as a motor fuel.

Lots of added processing then or low efficiency per pound of mash. Methanol starts at around 145f, runs maybe 10f, ethanol starts at something like 185f and has a bunch of other things immediately after so best to distill your fraction twice or loose volume from the edges of a center cut or thirdly have many semi toxic contaminates. Bootleggers white lightning has been near 200 proof for centuries but they arent getting all the ethanol possible, and they dont care. Time not being caught is kinda a high priority for them so getting that last wee bit....... they also aren't fussy if the product is mildly toxic. I suspect the same for the russians you reference.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

I suspect the same for the russians you reference.

I wouldn't really expect Russians to do something with utmost care, yet if I were brewing for drinking I would take some care that maybe I wouldn't if I were only brewing alcohol fuel.

I do remember back in my school days, a chemistry teacher explaining why it was dangerous to attempt brewing moonshine, which is still fairly usual in Brazilian prisons despite being a disciplinary fault, with some inmates being often reported intoxicated due to some methanol content on moonshine.

But anyway, if I were homebrewing my own booze, I would be careful, and I know about discarding the "head" and the "tail" in the cachaça brewing, as those tend to concentrate most of the impurities - which may include methanol.

[Piotrsko]

If you care, the head is methanol. The heart is around 200 proof ethanol, depending on the set up, tails are water, ethanol, odd mildly toxic volitiles with a vapor point higher than 190f / 86C

Got into distilling attempting to make non alcoholic beer as the alcoholic home made beer negates some of my diabetic medicine. Way overkill on theory, practice is looser.

[Logic]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

...my diabetic medicine...

Off topic but you might be interested in:
https://www.pterostilbene.com/

That was written by me, but 'edited' by a french speaking guy.
IIRC the research on it's anti-diabetic effects was more than interesting.
Blueberry beer anyone!?

[freebeard]

I read your link. Thanks.

[Piotrsko]

Thanks but isn't my particular issue. I stopped diy insulin,there is no recovery short of replacement cells being grown and injected. Perhaps 20 years on.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

If you care, the head is methanol. The heart is around 200 proof ethanol, depending on the set up, tails are water, ethanol, odd mildly toxic volitiles with a vapor point higher than 190f / 86C

I've been well aware of that. I still remember hearing about cachaça brewers in Minas Gerais state using the head and tails of cachaça distillation to further process into ethanol to be used as a motor fuel around 11 years ago. Gone are the days when it was still worth watching Globo, which is still the largest FTA TV network in Brazil...

Got into distilling attempting to make non alcoholic beer as the alcoholic home made beer negates some of my diabetic medicine. Way overkill on theory, practice is looser.

I know some industrially-brewed zero-alcohol beers had the alcohol removed after fermentation, but I don't know which exact method is used. But anyway, I know there is the so-called root beer which is non-alcoholic and not a beer at all, highly popular in the United States, yet mostly unknown elsewhere. Would it also be unsuitable to address your issue with the diabetic medicine?