High titration oil... and how to deal with it... - Diesel Forum

taxmame · 11-17-2006, 03:07 PM

I have a source for oil that I have been using and lately I have been getting oil that titrates in the 8-9 range with NaOH. Is there anything that I can do to get the titration number down? I have read about acid washes but have never really seen a how to and a what to use. My separations are good I just am getting low yields out of my batches. (40 gallons of oil and 35 of bio in the end) Any inputs are welcomed...

Im fairly new at this. I have made probably 300 gallons of fuel that was good by the 27/3 test.

22% meth, NaOH, agitation for 1 hour at 120+* separate for 24 hours, wash 3-4 times until water is clear and dry. Filter to 5 micron.

Spencnaz · 11-17-2006, 06:50 PM

35 gallons of biodiesel out of 40 gallons of WVO is 87.5% yield. This is a very good yield indeed!

Are you aware of the fact that you will not get 100% conversion of a given volume of WVO into biodiesel?

The biggest consequence of high-titration oil is that it will take more hydroxide to neutralize the FFAs in the oil. This will of course drive the cost of the batch up.

I'm kind of a snob when it comes to oil, I wont make biodiesel with KOH if it titrates above 3.5, but I've been spoiled by the high quality of oil that I big up from a local Chinese eatery (which reminds me, I have to make a pickup tonight, maybe I'll order take out too :P).

taxmame · 11-20-2006, 01:39 PM

I need to find some chinese restaurants for oil...

I am working on the mother load of oil though. There is a college about 20 miles from my house and they are required to change the oil every other day or at a titration number of 4 whichever is first. Man that would be great!!! Hopefully it will pan out. The only thing that I am afraid of is that I wont be able to handle the volume of oil that they are creating...

Thanks for the input Spencnaz!!

nchappy · 11-20-2006, 08:28 PM

i get mine from a microbrewery. greasy food, but they use good oil and frequently change it. try a few different places, you never really know who uses good oil and changes it often unless you check.

smartfly10 · 12-03-2006, 01:14 AM

I use the nasty oil to pre-heat the WVO,settling and wash tanks and heat the garage. Got an old firebrick lined wood stove, dumpster dive for and old beckett oil burner gun and built a preheater tube with a 1000w water heater element to get the WVO up to about 160F. With a 1.25 GPH nozzle and 200PSI on the pump I'm probly pushin over the 300000 BTU/h mark. Makes the stove get red around the edges in about 10 min. ;} And the smoke from the chimney "tastes like fried chicken"!!!

I need heat for the process and a two stage acid-catalized, base-catalized process just isn't cost effective on a small scale. If I was runnin 5000GPD in the processor I could justify the expense of the proper acid handling and metering systems but at 100 gal/week I have to pour the acid by hand and it more than double the process times.

jmargerum · 12-26-2006, 09:32 PM

To keep costs down, you need to look into a 2 stage process.

Stage one is Acid Esterfication

Check out this link
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/foru...rm/f/629605551

I have been using a 2 stage process to handle oil that titrate @ 21!!!
No issues what so ever, actually uses less Meth, and less caustic.

Do the research, if you need help PM me.

I have actually been using this process on oil that titrates 4 as well. Higher yeilds, with less materials.