Okay, Someone walk me through the basics of making Biodiesel.

[Rex_Reimer]

I understand the basics of making the Biodiesel, but I still have some questions.

Once I get the used veggie oil filtered, what is the process for determining how much lye and methanol need added? Where do you get these supplies.

What about washing? Is it just misting to pull contamanents down to the bottom? Do you just drain the water out once it settles. (I don't want to mess with boiling it out.) Can I mist water over just the filtered veggie oil before processing it and get the same effect?

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OMCUSNR]

Rex,

Probably the best answer to this can be found @ www.journeytoforever.org They go through everything.

[mannytranny]

Ill do my best...

Take WVO or clean cooling veg. oil. No need to filter it anything past a paper towel. Any crud will drop out nicely with the glycerine.

Put in HDPE container. Add 20-25% methanol. Do a titration. This lets you know hoe much lye you need to add. You can estimate, but this will lead to excess soaps, and will make washing necessary.

Mix the methanol and lye. Pour into WVO carefully, as not to spill...Mix for a while. You can shake a 2L batch for a few minutes, but if you are doing a bigger batch, you otta mix for longer.

After a week or so of settling and breathing with the lid off, check for soaps. This will form on the top when the methanol evaporates out. Skim the soaps off the top. Wash in order to neutralise the mix, and get rid of soaps. Let settle more, and decant and put into tank.......

Best of luck

[teester]

Go to the site here for great info.
There are several chemist there, one named neutral who has been brewing for 20+ years and is very knowledgable. You can search for answers to your questions also.
Basically, we filter ours down to about forty microns using a reusable coffee filter from Walmart. Then we heat the oil(12 liters) to about 130F.

While it is heating, we mix 2400ml methanol with Red Devil Lye (make sure it is white and not clear or clumpy) per the titratration. You must do a titration correctly to make sure you don't have surprizes! Once you learn how to do it, it only takes 5 minutes!

We use 5g lye per liter of oil per mr neutral, who has done scientific tests and that is what he uses. Then you add the extra lye determined in the titration.

DO THIS PART OUTSIDE as exposure to methanol can damage your eyes! Add the lye/methanol mixture (methoxide) to the oil with the mixer running(we currently use a drill press and a 5 gal bucket with a sheetrock mixer)and let it roll at a speed just enough to form a vortex around the mixer for 45 minutes-1 hour. Cut a piece of cardboard or something to fashion a lid. Cut a slit in it and slide it around the shaft. This will help keep the methanol in.

Let it settle for a half hour of so and drain off the glycerine. Some say to let it set overnight, and that is fine if you aren't in a hurry. We found that in thirty minutes while the oil is still hot, most of the glycerine will settle quickly. To make this easy, we use a 5 gal bucket with a shower drain added to a corner with pipe fittings to neck it down to a 1/2" and glued a pvc valve on it. Prop something under the other side of this bucket to allow the glycerine to settle over the drain. Crack the valve just enough to have a stream about the width of a dull pencil lead, 1/16" or so. This will keep the stuff from mixing and allow a neat drain off.

Then take the biodiesel and mix it vigorusly 50/50 with water until it is all uniform and milky looking. Don't worry about gentle mixing to prevent emulsion, if you make it right it won't be a problem. If it does develop, just mix in 3:1 water to fuel and mix it thorougly again. We wash it three times normally and on the third time the water is clear. When you have clear, just like it went in, you have very good fuel! This washing process removes all the soap, glycerin, unreacted lye and methanol etc. If you don't wash it good, you may have it settle in your tank and then you are asking for trouble!

Next thing I did was to buy a hydraulic filter housing with a 10 micron filter and added a few pipe fittings and made a stand for it. The stand was made with metal used for garage door track support, available at HOme Depot, basically thin 90 degree shaped metal with holes in it for bolting. I built it to stand over a 5 gallon bucket and pour into it. I use a 90 and a 6" nipple turned up to add the fuel. Stick a funnel into it and pour! Works like a champ. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

Then when you pour it in the tank, wait until it gets to the engine and listen as it quietens down! I can actually order at the drive through now without shutting it off!

[ToddT]

one safety tip.... when handling lye (or caustic, Sodium Hydroxide), be sure to have some vinegar around. Just as the caustic is reacting with the fat of grease to make soaps, it reacts with the fat in your skin as well... and makes soap. That's why caustic is so hard to wash off and feels so slimy.

It is very hard to adequately rinse caustic. Get it in leather shoes and you could easily lose a toe!

If you get some on you, flush off the bulk of the caustic (lye) with water and then rinse with vinegar. This will neutralize the residual alkalinity as vinegar is mildly acid.

I have a plant full of blending equipment... mixers, heaters, scales. I have a nice lab for running titration. But, I'd rather just filter the big stuff out and go with the two tank system (heated veggie).

But, regardless of the style, its nice that we are doing it!