I've seen several different base percentages for KOH in making reactions. The fuel meister sayes 4.5g/L, I have another biodiesel book that says 9g/L, biodieselcommunity.org says 7g/L. I made a test batch using 500mL of oil and 4.5g/L plus amount needed per titration and I got 2 seperate layers. Dark glycerin layer, and a cloudy lighter upper layer (been reacting 7 hours or so) I'm wondering if it wasn't enough KOH? It was flake KOH and the bag didn't say purity, the packing slip had something about 90% on it. What do you think?
Try another test batch using 7g/l plus .7 for only being 90%, so 7.7 g/l plus your titration. You will find it produces a better product.
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95" Extd Cab F250HD 4x4 DRW, /86"6.9 T19 GV o/d 3.73 axles, Hypermax Pulse turbo, intercooled / Modified Hypermax ram air induction, PowerShot 2000 LPG system "first design". Ride rites @ all 4 corners, Dana 50 mono Beam up front, Ford 10.5" in rear with 4 wheel disk brakes. Other Truck, 1983 IHC "S" with 14ton NoMar wrecker body, 30,000 GVW, 229"wb with a 340hp Detroit 6V92TA, Eaton 13spd RTO9513, 3.70 ring & pinion and LPG kit. Alcoa 22.5x8.25 with Michelin XVE 255x70x22.5
Yup. What he said. I switched to KOH, use 7.7 base and never looked back. What a difference. Good separation, excellent conversion. Now I just have to finish my condenser so I can recycle the methanol.
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08 F350 King Ranch LB, SRW, Black&Gold/373 gears, 20" tires, everything but a backup camera. Adding Firestone air bags & Tork Lift tie downs. Still Stock & liking it.
01 F350 4x4 off road pkg, auto w/373 gears, Lariet SRW Midnite blue. Dueler AT tires, 4 inch HOG SS exhaust with 5 1/2 " tip. Rancho 9000 shocks, Firestone Air Bags, HOG guages, Lance 1130 camper and 19' Lowe Roughneck
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both From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank (where the 9 gram figure is) and Fuelmeister's info are garbage...
Mark
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Yeah I know, I've read all the posts, but my brother went out and bought the fuel meister before I read any of this otherwise I would have made our own. He saw it on Trucks and got the itch to buy it. I think we can make it work though, just have to figure out the shortcomings and go from there. We have already made a barrel with a heating element to heat the oil up to 120deg's. It's pretty trick with a float safety switch and a temp controller. We have also added a Chemical pump to recirculate methanol from the bottom of the meth-oxide tank to the top to make sure all the KOH gets dissolved. Was also thinking about adding a coil of stainless tubing inside the reaction vessel and get a cheap water pump and water heater to keep that heated. Would also add some insulation to the plastic vessel as well. It made me sick when I went to US Plastics website and saw the same tanks the Fuelmeister came in for under $200 with the stands!!! I will try the 7.7g/L and report back results. Also what is everyone doing for a titration. I was using the PH indicator, but it's really hard to tell much of a color change after it turned basic. I ended up using PH test strips to figure out when pH was between 8 and 9. I've read about phenol Red, is this a better way?
wow that sounds slick- your equipment. What did you use for a float switch? can you post some photos- it's probably relevant to the WVO peopel also.
anyway, at the Biodieselnow.com production forum, there's a few threads where people talk about how to improve their Fuelmeister (same situation where someone bought it before doing the research or whatever). Firerooster is one poster who figured it out (he's also working with REALLY nice oil which is hard to mess up, but he got good results). There's a major 'sticky' at the top of this page which you've probably seen: http://forums.biodieselnow.com/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=47
and there's another post or two buried in the forum where there's more information about how to fix the process they teach, and improve some equipment.
Mark
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Homebrew biodiesel crazy:
...several years with a couple of different 6.9's... now running a (gasp!)1998 GMC 6.5 van... don't shoot me.
I've run a few more test batches using the 7.7g/L base. I always get good separation, but the bio is always real cloudy and doesn't clear up until over a week later, and then it's not real clear. Is this where the waterwash comes into effect? Is the cloudiness soap? The specific gravity of what we are making is in the .86 range which is BioDiesel supposedly. I have switched to the Tumeric for ph indicator, it gives a definitive point when it switches color. At which pH does the Tumeric switch? should I maybe be adding some more of the titrant solution after the color change?
The float switches I used we of the Gems brand. They were "borrowed" from my brothers place of employment. I will post a pic when I get one.
Sorry if these answers are in Marks book, but I won't receive it till this Sat, so I'm asking now. Brother really wants to make some of this, even though we can't really run it here in WI due to the temps. We have done some testing in the freezer, and the stuff gels solid at around 31 deg's even with antigel. We will have to wait till spring to run it I guess.
On a positive note, our local state Senator herd from the business owner that we get our oil from that he was giving it away to be made into fuel. He wants to take a look at the operation!! Now I just have to get it working!! (Hurry up mark's book [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] )
Yeah, water washing and the final drying will clear up your fuel. Unless you have "bad oil" and are already adding a lot of catalyst a lil extra won't hurt anything. Its when you start adding large amounts of NaOH (especially) or KOH that soap formation and washing become more difficult. Also, the more catalyst you are using the more important it is that your oil be as free of water as possible as it will make soap. You will enjoy the book.
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2000 F-250 Super Cab Longbed
Bright red, they call me "Clifford"
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... On a positive note, our local state Senator herd from the business owner that we get our oil from that he was giving it away to be made into fuel. He wants to take a look at the operation!! ...
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I hope you are going to get "the right attention"...I personally would NOT want it at all. Too many miserable people around, especially polititians.
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Yeah, water washing and the final drying will clear up your fuel. Unless you have "bad oil" and are already adding a lot of catalyst a lil extra won't hurt anything. Its when you start adding large amounts of NaOH (especially) or KOH that soap formation and washing become more difficult. Also, the more catalyst you are using the more important it is that your oil be as free of water as possible as it will make soap. You will enjoy the book.
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I used 2.3 mL in the titration, so I added 10g (7.7g base + 2.3g from titration)KOH to 1L of oil. Would this fall into the catagory of "alot of catalast?"
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...I used 2.3 mL in the titration, so I added 10g (7.7g base + 2.3g from titration)KOH to 1L of oil. Would this fall into the catagory of "alot of catalast?"
[/ QUOTE ]I used 2.3 mL in the titration, so I added 10g (7.7g base + 2.3g from titration)KOH to 1L of oil. Would this fall into the catagory of "alot of catalast?"
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No, this is really good oil! I've titrated batches at over 7!
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The Green Monster: 2001 F250 Powerstroke, 2WD, ZF6 transmission. Bully Dog GT Tuner set in tow mode. MotorSilk boric oxide added to engine, transmission and diff. Showing 30mpg on the freeway running home brew biodiesel. NTZ 1/2 Micron bypass oil filter. Dieselsite Coolant filter and Caterpillar ELC next on the list. 4" open turbo back exhaust.
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