Alrighty! Whos making AND using BD?

[higgins]

[ QUOTE ]
Im not making or running YET!

But I am slowly building up the materials and supplies to start. Im not exactly set up for playing with chemicals being that I live in a college aptarment complex with nothing resembling a garage other than my race car trailer.

My plan is to stick to the Dr Pepper type method until I get home in a year, then onto the larger batches.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are going to take this the wrong way and go off on me, but I mean this with the best of intentions. You have been one of the most vocal and seemingly informed posters about this subject, yet the above quote indicates that you have never even taken the step to make this stuff. I think it is irresponsible to post in such an authoritative manner as you have here about a subject that despite your claims of safety, can indeed be dangerous and in fact you have never even made any. I think at the least you should add a disclaimer to your posts that you are gathering and posting information based on something other than your personal experience handling and making this product..................Hig [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[damodt]

Well now having an X and if ya didn't make your own BD, would you rather have the Yukon?
[ QUOTE ]
I think about the fact that I now have one tractor and two cars that don't rely on those damn arabs and their oil, and how cool it is to be driving at 70 MPH knowing that I made that stuff powering me - there's nothing more exciting.



[/ QUOTE ]

RIGHT ON! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[mannytranny]

Houndog, do you hang around that biodiesel.infopop site?

[Houndog]

You know - my Yukon is a really great truck and in wonderful condition. The whole reason my wife and I decided to get the Ex was for the fact that I can make fuel for it. Now that we have owned it for awhile, I absolutely love this new Excursion. We bought it for one reason and now we love it for so many more - ie size, weight, power (wow). We have three bloodhounds and they fit much better with all of our stuff, than in the Yukon.

Yes Mannytranny - Those boys over at the infopop site are a wealth of knowledge. I never even post much - I just sit back and read, to learn volumes of information. To them, it's more than just making fuel to get from point A to B, it's an artform and a mission to perfect the process.

[jdkline]

Are you guys referring to the Biodiesel Now website when you say the infopop site? I ahve registered there,and frankly, haven't seen all that much useful in the week or so I've been there. I have made biodiesel and it is fairly easy to do. You just have to be cautious with the methanol and methoxide in particular. Methanol is a deadly poison if it is swallowed or inhaled, and it can also be toxic through absorption. For that reason I will not work with methanol or methoxide without gloves or anyplace indoors without an SCBA or a ventilation hood. I think if you are careful outdoors you can get away with just being cautious and keeping the chemicals in sealed containers as much as possible. The biggest potential I see for problems and the only biodieseler I know of who's actually gotten hurt is a result of methanol's low flashpoint. I especially see danger with using a power drill to stir as many recipes recommend if the container is not completely sealed seeing as how you can even see an open blue flame in those old electric motors. As soon as I locate a good WVO source, I plan to start making bigger batches and hopefully start running the 6.9 on B100. I can probably run it year 'round here with some minor precautions. Even 32* in the morning is a cold one down here.

[rvassar]

[ QUOTE ]


You are going to take this the wrong way and go off on me, but I mean this with the best of intentions. You have been one of the most vocal and seemingly informed posters about this subject, yet the above quote indicates that you have never even taken the step to make this stuff. I think it is irresponsible to post in such an authoritative manner as you have here about a subject that despite your claims of safety, can indeed be dangerous and in fact you have never even made any. I think at the least you should add a disclaimer to your posts that you are gathering and posting information based on something other than your personal experience handling and making this product..................Hig [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]


Hig,

I haven't made a single batch. Yet. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

I have a BS in Geology, with emphasis in aqueous geochemistry & environmental geology. I worked for several years as a "wet bench" lab chemistry tech, as well as a hydrocarbon remediation engineer. Feel free to ignore any advice from me.... at your own peril. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

The poster you're replying to may have a similar background. A general knowlege of chemistry is all that is needed to be able to identify the risks associated with the various trans-esterification processes. I think you're being a bit hard on the guy.

Rob

[Dak]

To those that are making:

Do you have any REAL WORLD data on cost per gallon to make, assuming that you are using WVO? I have a free source for WVO, but when I look at the cost for methanol/ethanol and LYE it seems as if the cost per gallon will be near $1.50 a gallon, methanol recovery would lower it (although start-up cost would be much higher) and/or if you knew soemone that would buy the glycerin...

Don't get me wrong... I've been researching this for quite some time and even have 5 gallons of WVO laying around to try and make some BD. Right now, don't have the time to play/experiment even if it costs .50 gallon to make as some claim.

Even if it costs the same as #2 around here to make, I like the idea of running it. Not only are you cutting our dependance on foriegn oil as previously stated, but you are using WVO that would normally make its way to some landfill...

[Ford_Forgotton]

[ QUOTE ]
You are going to take this the wrong way and go off on me, but I mean this with the best of intentions. You have been one of the most vocal and seemingly informed posters about this subject, yet the above quote indicates that you have never even taken the step to make this stuff. I think it is irresponsible to post in such an authoritative manner as you have here about a subject that despite your claims of safety, can indeed be dangerous and in fact you have never even made any. I think at the least you should add a disclaimer to your posts that you are gathering and posting information based on something other than your personal experience handling and making this product..................Hig [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Like I stated in my post, I am NOT in a position to be playing with large quantities of chemicals while living in a campus dorm and not having a secure area other than my trailer.

I did NOT say that I dont know anything about chemicals, or that I have not ever mixed anything together before. Making Bio-D is supervised Junior Highschool level chemistry.

Before you work yourself into a frenzy that making Bio-D is enough to warrant a level 4 Biosafety containment facility, I suggest you look under your kitchen or bathroom sink and take a look at some of the warnings on those industrial strength cleaners. Pay specific attention to oven cleaners.

Im going to go stare at the Bachelors Degree in Bio-Chemisty hanging in the other room now.

[Houndog]

Dak -
I can give you a pretty good idea of the cost. I buy my methanol for $1.73 a gallon. An 18oz. container of Lye costs me $3.69 .

My batches consist of 40 gallons of WVO (free)
8 gallons methanol ($13.84)
28 ounces of Lye ($5.74)
--------
$19.58

My return is usually 41 or 42 gallons BD, so lets take 40 as a nice round conservative number. That would make my price per gallon, 48.9 cents.
I decided on 40 gallon batches because with the addition of the 8 gallons of methanol, that left me 7 gallons at the top of my reaction tank for mixing.
Now - I do spend $9.95 to fill my propane tank and I heat all my oil up to 140* before I mix. I seem to get about 3 batches out of that tank of propane, so $9.95 / 120 gallons of oil = .08 cents a gallon for heating purposes. So if I include that, my price per gallon just skyrocketed to 56.9 cents per gallon. My wife gets a little sideways with me when I answer like this because she says that my time isn't taken into consideration. I probably spend about 2 - 3 hours a week collecting oil, and 5 - 6 hours a week making BD. Once again - I will say if you are only looking at the cost per gallon for your WOW factor, that alone will not keep you going through all the messy grease traps- tank after tank.

Houndog

[teester]

Well, we (my chemist neighbor and me) made our first batch ever Friday! After hearing about how important titration was we decided to try and do it right. We used slightly used coconut oil mixed with bacon drippings and used 5g lye. It came out beautifully with separation starting in <5 minutes. Did a wash with 50/50 mix of water. It too started to settle out quickly and by 10 hours we had the 50% bio on top and 50% milky water on the bottom.

We were so excited to have finally done it, we made another liter shortly after the first brew! Saturday night we took a 5 gal bucket and added a drain to the bottom, picked up 5 gal "black!" oil from the local chinese restaurant and titrated it for brewing Sunday.

I would post some photos but the image button asks for a "URL" and won't let me browse my computer. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

[jdkline]

Guzzler,
You got to sign up for an account on the diesel stop photo hosting page. Then you cut and paste the url from over there. It's free and you can use your same account and password from over here. Or you can get an account on webshots or geocities or something. That's how the guys do it here.

[teester]

OOOHhhh. Thanks JD.

[DR.billZ]

METHANOL harmless?? If the methanol stays in the biodiesel, the biodiesel isn't harmless.
If you drink the stuff let me know when you go blind. Eye Doctor talking here.

Big difference between ETHANOL and METHANOL! In fact if you mistakenly drink methanol take a swig of whiskey or any drinking alcohol FAST! The drinking ethanol will take up the receptor sites before the methanol will(hopefully) and keep you from going blind!

[DR.billZ]

[quote


Hig,

I haven't made a single batch. Yet. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

I have a BS in Geology, with emphasis in aqueous geochemistry & environmental geology. I worked for several years as a "wet bench" lab chemistry tech, as well as a hydrocarbon remediation engineer. Feel free to ignore any advice from me.... at your own peril. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

The poster you're replying to may have a similar background. A general knowlege of chemistry is all that is needed to be able to identify the risks associated with the various trans-esterification processes. I think you're being a bit hard on the guy.

Rob

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know about that. What I learned in College is nothing compared to the knowledge I've learned in the REAL WORLD and I have a Doctorate degree....... a Doctor of Optometry. What I learned in Optometry school about Optometry pales in comparison to what I've learned in real pratice.

[teester]

I sure hope you aren't still "practicing". [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]