DIY biodiesel

[swede]

Hi everyone,
I just recently started a job as a heavy duty diesel mechanics instructor at a college. As one of the exercises for the students we had a fellow come down for a biodiesel demonstration and I must say, I was impressed at the simplicity of the process. If done correctly it can be a cost effective alternative to fossil fuels. The variety of materials that the biodiesel guy had made fuel from was impressive. Some materials lend themselves only to a warm climate, but there are some that work well in a cold climate such as here in manitoba. A few of the more typical materials used were new and used corn and canola oil, which with the correct additive you can safely operate to -30c. Some of the most surprising sources were pressed in an oil seed press, used coffee grounds, yield around 5% oil by wt. and another very interesting prospect was using weed seeds from an edible grain/oilseed cleaning plant. The weed seeds had been removed from the edible grains as part of the cleaning process and were otherwise simply a waste product. This is a very ingenuitive use of a product that has already used all of the energy input of producing an edible product but does not divert food from the market like using new oilseed harvest.

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Hi Swede,

I went to a tech college for a weekend bioD seminar a few months back. Great, I'd do it again as a refresher. I've got a processor under way, a variation of an apple seed using a 55 gallon drum & also working on my wash tank.

Great job in exposing your students to this.

Dave

[Bicycle Bob]

Very interesting. On the wet coast, the equipment operators start up and shut down on regular or converted bio-diesel, and then run straight, filtered and heated, waste vegetable oil all day.

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Yep, that's called a two tank system. But since I have a Kubota 3 cyl. diesel & a Dodge Cummins it would be more practical for me to just make bioD.

Until this VX landed in my lap, I was looking for a diesel daily driver as well.

A friend of mine runs 2 tank systems in an 81 VW Rabbit & an 84 MB. He loves it.

Smells like fries & no one dies!
Dave

[Bicycle Bob]

I told my farming friend about the pressed weed seeds, and he says that they are used for cattle feed here. Too bad people still eat animals- it increases our land use by several times.

[Dave's Civic Duty]

I gave up eating animals over 11 years ago. I hear you on that one. My cholesterol went from borderline to all my number totaling 164 the last time I had it checked at the Cleveland Clinic.

I never really eat that much even as a kid.

Happy New Year,
Dave

[rmay635703]

Interesting thread, I believe the best way of making Biodiesel is using a solid catalyst where you add nothing and take nothing out, just electricity.

Anyone remember what the catalyst was? I believe there is one company using it but only on massive installations.

Making that system DIY would remove the chemical concerns out of making Biodiesel.

[Dave's Civic Duty]

Really, I've never read anything on that. I even get the Biodiesel Magazine & never was enlightened on that process.

Very interesting, do you have any links on that?

Thanks,
Dave

[Christ]

The only way I know is to replace the glycerine (glycerides) with alcohols (ehtyl or methyl, depending on your skill/preference, mostly)

[Bicycle Bob]

I've heard of the lye and alcohol method, which leaves glycerine behind, and a method with enzymes; never a solid catalyst.