Making bio diesel

[Never A Victim]

Does anyone in here make their own biodiesel or know someone that does? I'm interested in learning more about it, but would like to see it first hand, instead of starting out by reading a book. The internet and youtube make it sound so easy, but other sources on the internet make it sound like more work than its worth. Thanks!

 

[TWalker]

I've made it in a lab but never the volume needed to actually be useful. It's a fairly simple process. We used vegetable oil.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I'm going to start by saying I've never personally made it: but I worked a research project where we used it and other folks on the project made it.

It's "easy" to make it with the right setup and clean, "virgin" oil. Once you start to make trade-offs (used cooking oil, non-ideal processes, non-ideal equipment, can't obtain the right chemicals, etc) it's very "easy" to screw up...

My brother and his BIL tried to make their own biodiesel in their garage. They never could get the process down right to give them a good, clean product (they kept getting glycerin in the finished product). After numerous fuel filter changes and repeatedly dropping fuel tanks to clean the crap out of them they gave up...

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

There was a business in Middletown that was making bio-diesel a few years ago.

There had been a huge investment in equipment and set-up, but they continually had problems getting a good clean product. Several times they dumped some kind of goo down the sewers to get rid of it and got into considerable trouble for that. They finally shut down, and it was discovered later that the guys running the place had committed some kind of fraud involving the purchase of clean bio-diesel from other sources and then selling it as their own product, pocketing government subsidies or something like that.

 

[Leadeye]

These days it's tough to make it work from an economic standpoint unless you also own several fast food places for supply and have a place to get rid of the glycerine.

 

[Trav43]

I have done it and it isnt easy with used/dirty/diluted oil. Also it isnt really time and cost effective if you can buy diesel for less than $3/gal. As a survival skillset it would be useful but if fuel is not available niether will veggie oil.

 

[17 squirrel]

These days it's tough to make it work from an economic standpoint unless you also own several fast food places for supply and have a place to get rid of the glycerine.

That was one of the problems that I had also.. Getting reliable resources for oil was a hassle. I did a simple transesterification with two 325 poly water tanks. A few pumps and gravity.. I did the methanol & lye. The other problem I had was going to the drag strip and buying the methanol. I did use heat to make it easier to filter and disperse the water. And heat at the end after washing the bio Diesel.
It wasn't all that complicated to do I was shown how to do by my BIL who is a Forensic Chemist, he taught me a test with a small sample (Qt ) and after transesterification a pH test and done.. It's not really hard to do. My son and I built and ran a few tanks and to me the juice defiantly was not worth the squeeze. If I remember it was about a buck ten a gallon to do. Plus the cost of driving around getting everything you need.
What we did was a simple rednecked two tank system.
The had part now is the cost of diesel is getting to the cost it might now be worth it. Unless it's for fun or the bitter end.

 

[17 squirrel]

These days it's tough to make it work from an economic standpoint unless you also own several fast food places for supply and have a place to get rid of the glycerine.

The glycerine for everything I read and was told is very bio friendly.
I was told if I refined what I had and I had a worthwhile amount I could sell it.
If I remember candle and makeup company's.. ????
My BIL the Liberal Chemist told me I simply could dump it in my woods. No harm no foul.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

The company in Middletown used bacon grease that they got from another facility that made microwave bacon.

If I remember, they sold the glycerin to a makeup company.

 

[17 squirrel]

The company in Middletown used bacon grease that they got from another facility that made microwave bacon.

If I remember, they sold the glycerin to a makeup company.

Bacon grease.... That's gotta be some rank smelling stuff to process. Almost everything I played with was a bean, seed based oil.. Mostly canolla..