BioDiesel Advances
From Farm Show magazine - volume 33 no. 1
New Method Cuts Cost Of Making Biodiesel
Making biodiesel from used cooking oil for himself and four other farmers is more than a hobby for Dave Hubbard. He and his friends have come to depend on it, especially as diesel prices have climbed over the past several years. Best of all, he modified the standard production process to make the job easier and cheaper.
Hubbard recognized that if he could pull the methanol out of the glycerin that's washed from the biodiesel, he could recycle it and cuts his costs. To do so, he runs the glycerin through a modified still where it's heated under vacuum to 170 degrees F to release the methanol as vapors.
"I run the vacuum hose carrying the vapors through a pail of water, which condenses them back to a liquid that I can collect and reuse with the next batch of oil." he explains.
Hubbard uses a tank large enough to handle a 5-gallon pail. The tank is an old compressed air tank with the weld joint cut away. The top has a rim that slips into the bottom half of the tank for a tight fit. A pail of glycerin is set in the bottom half of the tank along with a heating element. Hubbard slips the top in, runs a strip of tape around the joint to make it airtight, and attaches the vacuum line to the air valve.
"It usually takes about 3 hours, but the time will vary depending on how much methanol was used in processing," he says. "When no more methanol is condensing, I know it's done,"
Not only does the process allow him to reclaim methanol and lower his processing costs, his cattle love the pure glycerin. He also found a way to simplify one of the steps in making the biodiesel itself. Knowing when all the glycerin and impurities have settled out of washed BD is vital. He notes that the oil can look clear near the top of the tank, even though all the soaps having settled out farther down.
"I adpated a flashlight so I can get light all the way down through the oil. I removed the light bulb and soldered 2 3-foot wires between the socet and bulb."
The bulb extension allows Hubbard to lower the light all the way to the bottom of the barrel of oil to check for impurities. "If it still glows down 3-4', I know it's clear."
For many BD producers, obtaining used oil is getting more difficult. To find an adequate and secure supply, Hubbard and his friends approached a nearby college. Because the oil would benefit local farmers, the college agreed to give them their oil instead of selling it to commercial operators.
For more information - BMWBiodiesel @ verizon.net
"Cold Process" Biodiesel
Steve Veenstra says his cold evaporation process for making BD is the lowest cost and easiest way there is to make BD at home. He has made and burned some 4,000 gallons in fuel oil furnaces and in his F 250 diesel pickup.
"I did nothing to modify the engine, and it works great. I think it runs eve quieter due to the extra lubrication in the BD."
Veenstra developed the process to reduce the amount of time he had to put into making the BD. The process also eliminates the need for water to "wash" the BD, so there are no waste water issues. Another savings comes from reduced heating during the process. The only use of power for heating is to preheat the vegetable oil to 125 degrees F in an old water heater before it's moved to the reactor. The elimination of heat during the reactor stage also allows Veenstra to use poly tanks, which let him visually check progress as fuel is made.
Veenstra says he currently makes 40 gallons in about 42 hours, with only 2.5 hours of actual physical labor. The rest of the time he doesn't even need to be in the area.
His process eliminates many of the steps required to remove impurities in a standard process. With cold evaporation, Veenstra says, simply removing the methanol with his cold evaporation process causes impurities to drop out of suspension.
"Residual heat in the oil after pumping it out of the reactor tank pulls some of the methanol out of the raw BD as it settles," he explains. "Additional steps of my process pull out about 2 liters of the methanol right away, and the rest evaporates gradually, thanks to a combination of spraying the surface and agitation and bubbling air through the liquid."
He says spraying the surface keeps surface tention down, encouraging evaporation. The bubbler and fan run in the evaporation tank for 24 hours, followed by a minimum of 4 hours resting while the final suspensions drop out.
"My evaporation tank is designed to let the suspensions out before pumping the BD out. The BD passes through a 10 micron filter and then a 1 micron bag filter to ensure quality."
He has also developed a simple system for making the methoxide for use in the reactor. He uses nitrogen gas to force methanol into a closed mixing tank with the lye to produce the methoxide, thereby avoiding mixing it by hand.
Veenstra has developed plans and tutorials for his no-wash finishing cold evaporation system and also for his BD production system with it's closed methoxide mixing system.
www.SVMade.com
svp @ iserv.net
New Method Cuts Cost Of Making Biodiesel
Making biodiesel from used cooking oil for himself and four other farmers is more than a hobby for Dave Hubbard. He and his friends have come to depend on it, especially as diesel prices have climbed over the past several years. Best of all, he modified the standard production process to make the job easier and cheaper.
Hubbard recognized that if he could pull the methanol out of the glycerin that's washed from the biodiesel, he could recycle it and cuts his costs. To do so, he runs the glycerin through a modified still where it's heated under vacuum to 170 degrees F to release the methanol as vapors.
"I run the vacuum hose carrying the vapors through a pail of water, which condenses them back to a liquid that I can collect and reuse with the next batch of oil." he explains.
Hubbard uses a tank large enough to handle a 5-gallon pail. The tank is an old compressed air tank with the weld joint cut away. The top has a rim that slips into the bottom half of the tank for a tight fit. A pail of glycerin is set in the bottom half of the tank along with a heating element. Hubbard slips the top in, runs a strip of tape around the joint to make it airtight, and attaches the vacuum line to the air valve.
"It usually takes about 3 hours, but the time will vary depending on how much methanol was used in processing," he says. "When no more methanol is condensing, I know it's done,"
Not only does the process allow him to reclaim methanol and lower his processing costs, his cattle love the pure glycerin. He also found a way to simplify one of the steps in making the biodiesel itself. Knowing when all the glycerin and impurities have settled out of washed BD is vital. He notes that the oil can look clear near the top of the tank, even though all the soaps having settled out farther down.
"I adpated a flashlight so I can get light all the way down through the oil. I removed the light bulb and soldered 2 3-foot wires between the socet and bulb."
The bulb extension allows Hubbard to lower the light all the way to the bottom of the barrel of oil to check for impurities. "If it still glows down 3-4', I know it's clear."
For many BD producers, obtaining used oil is getting more difficult. To find an adequate and secure supply, Hubbard and his friends approached a nearby college. Because the oil would benefit local farmers, the college agreed to give them their oil instead of selling it to commercial operators.
For more information - BMWBiodiesel @ verizon.net
"Cold Process" Biodiesel
Steve Veenstra says his cold evaporation process for making BD is the lowest cost and easiest way there is to make BD at home. He has made and burned some 4,000 gallons in fuel oil furnaces and in his F 250 diesel pickup.
"I did nothing to modify the engine, and it works great. I think it runs eve quieter due to the extra lubrication in the BD."
Veenstra developed the process to reduce the amount of time he had to put into making the BD. The process also eliminates the need for water to "wash" the BD, so there are no waste water issues. Another savings comes from reduced heating during the process. The only use of power for heating is to preheat the vegetable oil to 125 degrees F in an old water heater before it's moved to the reactor. The elimination of heat during the reactor stage also allows Veenstra to use poly tanks, which let him visually check progress as fuel is made.
Veenstra says he currently makes 40 gallons in about 42 hours, with only 2.5 hours of actual physical labor. The rest of the time he doesn't even need to be in the area.
His process eliminates many of the steps required to remove impurities in a standard process. With cold evaporation, Veenstra says, simply removing the methanol with his cold evaporation process causes impurities to drop out of suspension.
"Residual heat in the oil after pumping it out of the reactor tank pulls some of the methanol out of the raw BD as it settles," he explains. "Additional steps of my process pull out about 2 liters of the methanol right away, and the rest evaporates gradually, thanks to a combination of spraying the surface and agitation and bubbling air through the liquid."
He says spraying the surface keeps surface tention down, encouraging evaporation. The bubbler and fan run in the evaporation tank for 24 hours, followed by a minimum of 4 hours resting while the final suspensions drop out.
"My evaporation tank is designed to let the suspensions out before pumping the BD out. The BD passes through a 10 micron filter and then a 1 micron bag filter to ensure quality."
He has also developed a simple system for making the methoxide for use in the reactor. He uses nitrogen gas to force methanol into a closed mixing tank with the lye to produce the methoxide, thereby avoiding mixing it by hand.
Veenstra has developed plans and tutorials for his no-wash finishing cold evaporation system and also for his BD production system with it's closed methoxide mixing system.
www.SVMade.com
svp @ iserv.net
Labels: articles, biodiesel, Conserve, new technology
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