Bio--Filtered Vegetable Oil

[powerstrokin_1]

With the rising costs of #2 fuel I am seeking alternatives as most of us are. I know a guy that has been producing Bio for several years for personal use and he has offered me some as well. I just have some questions regarding its use. The Bio that he is producing is used vegetable oil that he puts into a large plastic tote and allows to settle several days and then it is filtered to the next tote and heated and allowed to settle and so on until he has the final product after two weeks. He does not use any type of catalyst. He has been running it in his JD tractor,Dodge Cummins and a VW Jetta with no problems for several years now. Would it be safe in my Powerstroke and at what percentages of mix?

Thanks in advance for your replies!!!

[vegistroker73L]

Get a heated two tank system and you can run it 100% no problem.

[OMCUSNR]

Originally Posted by powerstrokin_1

With the rising costs of #2 fuel I am seeking alternatives as most of us are. I know a guy that has been producing Bio for several years for personal use and he has offered me some as well. I just have some questions regarding its use. The Bio that he is producing is used vegetable oil that he puts into a large plastic tote and allows to settle several days and then it is filtered to the next tote and heated and allowed to settle and so on until he has the final product after two weeks. He does not use any type of catalyst. He has been running it in his JD tractor,Dodge Cummins and a VW Jetta with no problems for several years now. Would it be safe in my Powerstroke and at what percentages of mix?

Thanks in advance for your replies!!!

If he's not transestrifing the oil he is NOT using BIO(diesel), he's using Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO). Lets not confuse people any more than they already are.

Bio diesel (BIO) is a fuel very similar in chemical properties to petroleum based diesel fuel. It is bio degradable and non-toxic. It has had the FFA's (free fatty acids) removed from its base stock and runs very well in a normal diesel engine. Its gel point is slightly higher in temp than #2, and depends a bit on what feed stock is used. Its viscosity is similar to #2, and requires no heating to use. It is an excellent solvent, and will clean any deposits from the fuel system (its also a great parts cleaner). It can attack natural rubber components, so if used in an older diesel, the fuel pump and hoses should be upgraded to viton. It also has a shelf life, since it is bio degradable. It should be used within one year of manufacture, and should be kept clean & dry.

Made right, and stored right, BD is an excellent fuel and one that shows great promise for freeing us from foreign oil.

OMC

[powerstrokin_1]

Please explain the transestrifing process that you refer to? Will the product that he is producing be fine to run in my truck with no modification at 75%?

Thanks

[OMCUSNR]

Originally Posted by powerstrokin_1

Please explain the transestrifing process that you refer to? Will the product that he is producing be fine to run in my truck with no modification at 75%?

Thanks

Here's the long-winded version: Biodiesel production - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Basically, mix lye & alcohol together to get about 20% of the volume of raw oil you want to process, and then add it to the oil. This will precipitate the Trans Fatty Acids out of the oil in the form of glycerol, leaving you with "biodiesel", which is chemically very similar to petroleum based fuels.

As long as the process is done correctly, and decent quality control is followed, you should have no problems using it in your truck at B-75 (75% bio to 25% petro), until temperatures start to dip below 30* f. Once it starts getting cold, it will be necessary to lower the concentration of bio to help prevent gelling.

There are several guys here making bio, and there are a couple of automated type processors on the market. Many make their own processors. There are several other web sites that will help you get started.

OMC

[powerstrokin_1]

Basically he is doing all of the steps except adding the methoxide to the WVO. He does heat it and it settles out but it can not be seperating the glycerin and the esters without the methoxide right? His method takes about two weeks from start to finish on a batch. From what I have described about his product will it run in my truck at 75% mixture and not cause any problems?

[powerstrokin_1]

As far as systems go how do you make a good processor? How about the Beach Bio B-60 system?

[OMCUSNR]

Originally Posted by powerstrokin_1

As far as systems go how do you make a good processor? How about the Beach Bio B-60 system?

Google "appleseed processor" there will be tons of info. Also, look for Maria Alovert or "girlmark". Stay away from anything that has a plastic tank involved. They make a BIG mess when the plastic melts.

And unless he's reacting, he's using WVO not BD. Many here do the same. I have problems with it for environmental reasons.

OMC

[rsr911]

General blending discussion: General Blending Discussion - Forum Powered by eve community

I run 50/50 thru 90/10 WVO to Kerosene. Might add a little RUG (regular unleaded gas) for better cold starting this winter. Older IDI's are much more forgiving running WVO from the discussions I've read but there are guys with trucks like yours who've done it successfully.

Biodiesel is the safest bet but time consuming, a little complicated, and requires special equipment.

Whichever route you go put a filter in line before the engine filter before you start, I can almost guarantee it will clog a few times on you in the early going. WVO and BD both clean a lot of gunk left behind by regular petro diesel and this gets caught in the filters. After about 1000 miles it's less of an issue but the prefilter is good to catch anything not caught during settling and prefiltering thus saving your expensive OEM filter.