What do you do with all that leftover glycerin?

[Kwikkordead]

Just curious. I just bought a 1999 Ford PSD and want to do something in the alternate fuels. WVO is out. I've seen the damage done to the inside of the engine running that stuff. But Bio-D is a great candidate for me. Right now I am in the education and information gathering stage. I live in Seattle, WA. It seems like you could generate a sizable pile of the stuff if you were to make enough to power your vehicle.
Thank you for your time.

[TexasTDI]

Do a Google search for "glycerin soap".

[Ford_Forgotton]

here is a repost of a write-up I did earlier in the year.

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When making your own Bio-D, the entire chemical process is to remove the glycerides from the oil. You will get 2 distinct layers. Bio-Diesel, and glycerine.

What to do with the glycerine?

Here is some examples of what glycerine and glycerine based products can be used for:

It is obtained entirely from natural, renewable resources. glycerine is used as an ingredient in cosmetics, medicines, toothpaste, esters, liquid soaps, tobacco products, and food products. It is also used extensively as an intermediate in the production of polyester, polyurethane, and alkyd resin formulations.

Adhesives
humectant in water-based adhesives

Chemicals - Surfactants
glycerol esters

Chemicals - Textile
glycerol esters

Coatings & Inks
dispersant

Food Ingredients
In the production of food, it is used as a solvent, a moistening agent (for example, in baked goods), and an ingredient in syrups. In flavoring and coloring, glycerol acts as a solvent and its viscosity lends body to the product. With icings and candies, glycerine prevents crystallization of sugar. It improves the texture and allows the use of less sugar, in ice cream.

Lubricants & Greases
Glycerol can be used as a lubricant in situations where an oil would fail. It is recommended for use in oxygen compressors because it is more resistant to oxidation than mineral oils. Cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical manufacturers may use glycerol instead of oil for a lubricant; especially, when the products come in contact with the lubricant. In the textile industry, glycerol is commonly used in connection with so called textile oils, in spinning, knitting and weaving operations.

Miscellaneous Uses
glycerine has many other uses, such as in antifreeze fluids for automatic sprinkler systems, defrosting for glass, de-icing, and in electrolytic fluids for making galvanized cloth and lightning arrestors. It is found in cement compounds, particularly in glycerinlitharge cements for tubs and sinks, valve repair, still and distilling unit repair and anti-acid corrosion, pipe joint cement, furnace cement, and rethreading compounds. Other uses include embalming fluids, masking and shielding compounds for paint spraying, soldering compounds, high pressure rod packing, lubricants for air brakes, the manufacture of mercury thermometers, engine gauges, electrical equipment, and oil refinery equipment. glycerine is found in cleansing materials such as soaps and synthetic detergents. It is used as a wetting agent in emulsifiers, wax emulsions, and skin protectives. In laboratory and research work glycerine is utilized in the manufacture of reagent chemicals, basic dyes, and miscellaneous chemicals and insecticides; in asphalt compounds, coal-tar thinners, ceramics, photographic products, fire retardants, modeling clay, leather and wood treatments and adhesives.

Personal Care
In cosmetics, glycerine is a favorite in keeping the skin soft and is used in body and shaving creams. It is the basic material in which toothpaste is formed and preserves the desired smoothness and viscosity of the paste.

Pharmaceuticals
glycerine is used in cough medicines and anesthetics, for ear treatments, and in bacteriological media.

Plastics - Additives & Lubricants

Sheets and Gaskets
glycerine acts as a plasticizer and a humectant when used in the production of sheets and gaskets made with ground cork.

Tobacco
glycerine is used as a humectant (a moistening agent), in tobacco products. In processing tobacco, glycerol makes up an important part of the casing solution, which is sprayed onto the tobacco before the leaves are shredded and packed. When processing chewing tobacco, glycerine adds sweetness and prevents dehydration. It is also used as a plasticizer in cigarette papers.

Urethane Polymers
Glycerol is an important and essential building block in polyethers for urethane polymers. Glycerol based polymers have found some uses, such as in rigid urethane foams.

Wrapping and Packaging Materials
Meat casing and special types of papers, need a plasticizer to give the products pliability and toughness.

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[Oklahoma]

Have you seen any tear downs for anything besides the 79 Avenger; I think that's the right car? Just curious what one looks like if it has been ran properly and vehicle maintained. I have seen several reports for BD tear downs but not SVO/WVO vehicles.

Thanks,
Okla

[Kwikkordead]

Ok, I see that there are 101 uses for glycerin. Again I am still in the info gathering stage here. Where can I, as a home Bio-D brewer, take my waste glycerin without having to just dump it in the trash. I know that it will degrade harmlessly, but it seems like such a waste if someone would be interested in it. Are there "glycerin brokers" out there? Or do I have to pound the pavement trying to find someone interested in taking this stuff?
Thank you for your time.

[Kwikkordead]

[ QUOTE ]
Have you seen any tear downs for anything besides the 79 Avenger; I think that's the right car? Just curious what one looks like if it has been ran properly and vehicle maintained. I have seen several reports for BD tear downs but not SVO/WVO vehicles.

Thanks,
Okla

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Currently I am changing engines on a 1979 VW Dasher Diesel that the owner has been running SVO single tank. He has some special injectors, extra long glow plugs, and special glow plug relay that runs upwards of two minutes after startup to deal with the cold starting on SVO issue. Also the oil came running out of the drain plug with the consistancy of thick shampoo. A lot of glycerin had made it's way down past the rings. In SVO's defence I discovered a 71 celcius thermostat installed. Way too cold. The new engine is getting a 92 celcius.
Anyway the precombustion chambers and heatsheilds are clogged with carbon buildup, no doubt from the glycerin. I hear that Ford DI engines are even more susceptable to this glycering problem and so do not want to chance ruining a perfectly strong engine with only 56,000 miles on it.

[Beast]

I am also in the research stage and not sure about the glycerin issue. Again, what can you do with the waste if you don't find anybody that wants it? What waste is there? If you wash it three times what do you do with the waste? Is this the glycerin? If you wash it three times how much volume percentage wise is there? Can you dump it down my city drain? If you have septic and well water what can you dispose of in your system?

Sorry about all the questions but need some answers. This could be the issue that keeps me from doing biodiesel.

[shoebear]

Daryl, almost everything on your list requires high purity industrial or pharmaceutical grade glycerin, delivered on demand in bulk. The stuff created from making biodiesel is useless in these applications unless it is purified (which is beyond the ability of most biodiesel makers).

So that leaves homemade soap as the only realistic use for biodiesel glycerides. There's only so much soap a fella can use; even if you include family and friends, it doesn't take long to saturate the market. Then you're back to the original question.

Glycerides can be burned, but they require a hi-temp flame and plenty of oxygen to burn cleanly. One of these would probably do the trick, or you might get other ideas from this page. Or perhaps girl Mark's Turk burner shown at the bottom of this page would work. But the bottom line is that, short of dumping it on the ground, there is no easy way to get rid of the glycerides.

[Ford_Forgotton]

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So that leaves homemade soap as the only realistic use for biodiesel glycerides. There's only so much soap a fella can use; even if you include family and friends, it doesn't take long to saturate the market. Then you're back to the original question.

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Only make soap if your sure you have removed all the methanol/lye from the glycerine, otherwise you risk chemical burns on your skin. So you will still need to purify the glycerine to some extent. Once you have done that, you can sell it by the BUCKET to local machine shops and tire stores, and anywhere ppl get greasy hands, as its an excellent degreaser.

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But the bottom line is that, short of dumping it on the ground, there is no easy way to get rid of the glycerides.

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And dumping it on the ground isnt as bad as it sounds. Mix it in with your compost bin and you will have a great fertilizer. Im not sure you can just dump it down the city drain, as it might be too thick and could risk plugging the system.

[Ford_Forgotton]

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What waste is there? If you wash it three times what do you do with the waste? Is this the glycerin? If you wash it three times how much volume percentage wise is there?

There is about 20% waste. That is why you need about 20% of your oil volume in methanol, the methanol replaces the glycerine in the oil. So, your 100 gallons of oil will still become 100 gallons of bio-diesel, even tho the oil lost 20 gallons of glycerine.

You WASH the bio-diesel, not the glycerine. Glycerine should sink to the bottom of your reaction vessel and you drain off the top layer which is your fuel. You WASH the FUEL, not the gylycerine. and the wash water will contain some excess lye and FFA's that were not transesterified. This you can dump down the drain. Use a little vinegar to neutralize the lye and you'll have a PH neutral (7) solution.

[Kwikkordead]

So the glycerin really doesn't harm the environment even if the bio-d has been made with methanol? Reason I am asking is I have a pretty busy schedule and this gathering and converting process is going to use up a precious commodity of mine - free time. I don't have the space to compost it. In all likelihood I am going to end up throwing the glycerin in the landfill unless I can find someone who is interested in all that I can supply, purified or not. And that seems to me just as bad, or worse as just pulling up to the pump.
Again, thank you for your answers here.

[Ford_Forgotton]

yup, glycerin can be tossed. Its a food product. The methanol evaporates, and LYE is made naturally whenever wood ashes get wet!

Thats the great thing about Bio-D, its all bio-degradable, and its considered a closed loop carbon cycle. Meaning the Co2 you produce from burning it is used up by the plants that will become future fuel. Unlike petroleum, where you are adding Co2 that is NOT being used up by plants. In order for dino-D to become even CLOSE to a closed loop cycle, we would have to plant just as many trees as barrels of oil we pump out of the ground to compensate.

[Beast]

Thanks for the answers. Can you dump the wash water down the a septic system knowing you are also on well water?

[Ford_Forgotton]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the answers. Can you dump the wash water down the a septic system knowing you are also on well water?

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hmmm, good question. Considering LYE is also known as Red Devil Drain Cleaner, I dont see why not, my concern would be killing the microbes in your septic tank tho.

[teester]

Know someone with a shop? I use it in mine to clean the floors. It does a good job and saves me from buying something from the store. I mix it with hot water in a mop bucket and it cuts tranny fluid, old oil etc that drops from my vans.

So far though, I haven't used all that I made so I may need to find something to do with it also when I get production up...