making biodiesel
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KrumpsBrother
Silver Member
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- Feb 2, 2006
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- Farmtrac 675DTC/Kubota B7800/BCS 2Wheel with ACME 6.5hp
TexasSD
Member
I've been making biodiesel for about 8 months now. This is the processor we made: http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/appleseedprocessor/. There is a wealth of information about this processor online and it is very easy to make.
We bought a new 80 gallon water heater and a kit for most of the other parts. Of course, with hindsight we would have done things a little differently. But what can't that be said about?
Eventually, we would like to used acid esterification to make our biodiesel, the yields are higher, but we are still playing with this method for awhile longer.
I run it at about 30% in my powerstroke 6.0 and 100% in my greymarket bota. Works out to about seventy cents per gallon without the methanol recovery or the labor calculated in.
Feel free to PM me if I can be of any assistance.
Scott
We bought a new 80 gallon water heater and a kit for most of the other parts. Of course, with hindsight we would have done things a little differently. But what can't that be said about?
Eventually, we would like to used acid esterification to make our biodiesel, the yields are higher, but we are still playing with this method for awhile longer.
I run it at about 30% in my powerstroke 6.0 and 100% in my greymarket bota. Works out to about seventy cents per gallon without the methanol recovery or the labor calculated in.
Feel free to PM me if I can be of any assistance.
Scott
dmccarty
Super Star Member
Scott,
Where do you get your source oil?
Later,
Dan
Where do you get your source oil?
Later,
Dan
Paddy
Veteran Member
How do you collect your waist oil? Don't fry joints get paid for there oil that you see out back?
TexasSD
Member
I get my oil from a couple of restaurants. They have to pay to have it picked up, so they are happy for me to take it for free. Although, some of the folks around here have started paying the restaurants a nominal fee for the oil. Unfortunately, the waste haulers are already lobbying our legislature to introduce a bill which would classify the waste oil as hazardous, thereby requiring a permit to haul. So, I may eventually be buying it from them which will increase the price, but lower my time requirement. I believe a lot of them also filter the oil a little bit to get the solids out.
The restaurants save their 4 gallon plastic oil containers for me, and I reuse them for both the oil and later for the waste glycerine/methanol. By the way, the waste is biodegradable and makes a wonderful herbicide. I use a drill driven pump that I got from Northern tool and some flex tubing with rigid pvc on the ends to fill and drain the containers. The pumps hold up pretty well, and come with spare seals. So far I have had to rebuild two of them. Occasionally I have a little trouble getting them primed in the cold weather (not a problem here most of the time!). A 12V pump would be much more efficient, but the restaurants let me use their electricity and my drill/15 dollar pump is more portable and cheaper than that alternative.
Once we get the oil home it gets stored in a 55 gallon plastic drum until we process it. We are still refining our process. Right now we are trying to plumb all of our tanks (raw storage, wash, diesel storage) in order to make the process more efficient and less messy. Spills are a real pain to clean up and I have ruined two pair of boots because of little mishaps. So now I always wear my rubber boots and grubby clothes while collecting, washing, and processing.
The restaurants save their 4 gallon plastic oil containers for me, and I reuse them for both the oil and later for the waste glycerine/methanol. By the way, the waste is biodegradable and makes a wonderful herbicide. I use a drill driven pump that I got from Northern tool and some flex tubing with rigid pvc on the ends to fill and drain the containers. The pumps hold up pretty well, and come with spare seals. So far I have had to rebuild two of them. Occasionally I have a little trouble getting them primed in the cold weather (not a problem here most of the time!). A 12V pump would be much more efficient, but the restaurants let me use their electricity and my drill/15 dollar pump is more portable and cheaper than that alternative.
Once we get the oil home it gets stored in a 55 gallon plastic drum until we process it. We are still refining our process. Right now we are trying to plumb all of our tanks (raw storage, wash, diesel storage) in order to make the process more efficient and less messy. Spills are a real pain to clean up and I have ruined two pair of boots because of little mishaps. So now I always wear my rubber boots and grubby clothes while collecting, washing, and processing.
TexasSD said:
Sounds like a monoply in the making. Not only could you be buying the waste oil from them, but B100 as well. Or at least what they don't use in their own fleets.
From what I have learned, there is a large gap in the price to produce biodiesel and what petro diesel costs. If not for the time commitment to gather and process, it could be a profitable hobby. But I am just looking to cut the cost of operating the tractor and truck.
Wisconsin ain't as cold as it used to be, or at least thats the way it feels. As far as processing the cold oil, drum heaters are available. Some of the kits use insulated water heaters. I have access to some old jacketed stainless steel tanks from a closed cheese factory.
As far as the dangerous part, I'm not comfortable doing this in my house garage, let alone my basement. And then the cost of a new stand alone building kinda takes away the cost savings.
So to get a payback, I start thinking about quantity. So, a new building that would need to be heated. Heat it with an oil boiler system. Large capacity processor. But then there is the time commitment to gather the oil and process. Is there a business opportunity here? And around and around we go.
As far as the dangerous part, I'm not comfortable doing this in my house garage, let alone my basement. And then the cost of a new stand alone building kinda takes away the cost savings.
So to get a payback, I start thinking about quantity. So, a new building that would need to be heated. Heat it with an oil boiler system. Large capacity processor. But then there is the time commitment to gather the oil and process. Is there a business opportunity here? And around and around we go.