Building Bio Diesel Processor

[CrewCabDiesel]

Well after watching diesel prices go up up and away :{ I am building my own Bio Diesel processing plant but want to get some input BEFORE blowing a bunch of money.

SO if any of these statements are off please correct me .



First, it seems that most people agree that IF biodiesel made from old fry oil correctly it will not harm the motor and infact help it run better and cleaner.



Second, I can use additives like Standidine Performace in Biodiesel.



I watched a TV program using the Fuel Miester and liked what I saw and heard but there is no way I am spending $4000 plus just to get started. Also I see some flaws in thier design like no REAL filters in the setup and none of the ball valves at the bottom of the tanks are supported by anything other than the plastic tank, I wonder how long that will hold with regular usage?

So I have been searching around to find Bio Diesel compatable cone tanks at a reasonable price (you would be suprised that most plastic tanks ARE NOT compatable) and have found some around $100. 00 each plus stands and shipping.

I plan on building a three tank system, using two 60 gallon cone tanks and one 30 gallon cone tank. The stands will be four leg design with adjustable leveling pins(or wheels) and will have mounting locations for the valves, filter and pump.

Current price to build price around $1400 with scale, pumps, heater, and safety equipment.



So what have I forgotten at this point?

Any suggestions from anyone who uses a fuelmiester or other bio diesel plant?

End result is once I get this thing built and working I intend to post a list of Parts and where to by them so you can do it yourself.

last but not least if you know of sources for parts I will need please let me know.

thanks

Kyle

 

[MRaynor]

This should be informative as I want to do this same thing but like you said I didn't like the quality or price of the equipment. I just haven't found any definitive instructions. Let us know how this turns out when you do it. Oo.





Mike

 

[JFaughn]

You can build your own system for $50-500 , depending on how well you can find surplus stuff , there a couple of problums with some of the cone bottoms , some , becouse of the fittings do not have a straight out drain , the inside fitting is higher than the bottom of the tank , so some of whats in the bottom will not all drain out .
next is that a lot of them will not take as much heat as you some times need to get the reaction as good as it should be , I heard that the tanks are rated at about 150*, and some times you might want to go over 200*.
Heres a sight that is good for building your own.
Biofuels supplies and suppliers Journey to Forever

 

[DFerverda]

Start right here.

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/groupee/forums/a/cfrm/f/498605551

There is a list of vendors,that have equpiment at reasonable prices.

Dont waste money on a fuelmiester, and dont brew in anything but a sealed processor. Here they use an appleseed processor, made out of a new or used electric water heater, works great. Do your reasearch and build one. It can be done for a couple hundred to a thousand, depending on how nice and ease of use you want to make it.

The fuel u can make is a lot better than the diesel fuel you will pay 3 bucks a gallon for.

The bio diesel you make will make your truck run smother and quieter(the pump) and it smells like a texas barbecue. The cost (not including processor) will be 45 to 75 cents a gallon (depending on how much you pay for methanol and lye. Mine runs . 47 cents.

Dirk

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

BIG thanks to DFerverda on the web site he posted, it gave me more questions than answers which was a good thing. So here is what I know FOR SURE, after talking to a chem. professor. The reaction for QUALITY bio diesel to be made you MUST have a controled heat around 140 degrees for it to work correctly which means you MUST have an processor tank that not only is rated for the heat, but will help contain it.

So, its back to the drawing board on the cone tanks, I found a higher priced tank but will need to see how high its temp. is rated for. Also the processor tank may have to have a layer of insulation as well. I have seen some processors use old hot water tanks for a processor but I am not sure on how well those work. I am also considering using a stainless steel tank depending on cost, (I am checking with a friend in China for whats availble).

My big question is how on earth does the fuel miester (and like systems) get away making quality bio diesel without maintaining the correct temp levels for the bio diesel reaction to occur?

Kyle

 

[04_silverram]

CrewCabDiesel,



I've been reading about the biodiesel thing for about a year on the biodiesel. infopop. cc site. Girl Mark has tons of info on the process. I think that the reaction is based on heat and time. If the temp is held at 140 then 1 hr of mixing is needed. for every 10* drop in temp you need to double the mixing time.

spend some time reading over there, it's a great site. I'm just getting my appleseed reactor set up now. I've made some test batches and they look great. My total cost for the system should be around $1100. But I'm adding a extra pump and extra tanks. Check out b100supply dot com for parts and kits.

Have fun.

Rick

 

[BBowers]

CrewCabDiesel,



I've been reading about the biodiesel thing for about a year on the biodiesel. infopop. cc site. Girl Mark has tons of info on the process. I think that the reaction is based on heat and time. If the temp is held at 140 then 1 hr of mixing is needed. for every 10* drop in temp you need to double the mixing time.

spend some time reading over there, it's a great site. I'm just getting my appleseed reactor set up now. I've made some test batches and they look great. My total cost for the system should be around $1100. But I'm adding a extra pump and extra tanks. Check out b100supply dot com for parts and kits.

Have fun.

Rick

I am very impressed with the savings possible using b100. I suggest perhaps having stainless or mild steel cone tanks fabricated and epoxy coating a mild steel one. You guys keep up the quest!

 

[BPINE]

No need to look for expensive cone bottom tanks just use a 55 gal steel drum. Cut part of the top out leaving the bungs for your return and site tube then dig a hole in the ground as a pattern and mold the bottom of the drum into it with a rounded 4x4 to make a semi cone bottom then weld a bung right in the center. I used the top off an open top to make a great lid. Go here https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135656&highlight=contraption to a picture of my first rig, I have changed it a bit but for the most part it is still the same and works great.



The processor and wash tank can be built for about 500 but all the pumps filters for collecting and fueling will cost a bit more depending on how fancy you want to get. I will try to take some pictures of my new top soon. The info pop site is all you will need be safe and stick to what these guys say and you will make god fuel. I have had my fuel tested and it meets the ASTM spec.

 

[DFerverda]

Rick is right, for every 10 degree drop in temp. you double mix time. A word of caution, methanol boils at 148 degrees f. you dont want to go there. I hold reaction temp between 135 to 125 degree f. for 1. 5 to 2 hours.

Join the site so u can ask questions, after you read, read,read. It is free, and a great bunch of folks more than willing to help answer your questions.

 

[CrewCabDiesel]

Well I got a better tank for the Processor/mixing, a 70 gallon cone bottom rated for a constant 148 degrees but it cost more, Price around $400 plus stand.

Will 70 gallon be too large or should I stay with a 60 gallon (60 gallon cost $50 more).

These tanks have a . 9 wall density (supposed to be the best there is) and should take anything I need to do to it.

The smaller tank is 18 gallon at a cost of around $100.

Now keep in mind the componets I am going to use are top grade for both safety and be able to use it for a long time.

Now question on pumps what HP should I use and should it be rated for explosive atmospheres? I am looking at 1/2 and 3/4 hp with a 1 inch piping.

Plumbing, why is everyone using 3/4 hose and ball valves?

As for the stands I want to build one stand that holds both tanks. It will also be a mounting for the pump and several of the ball valves. I intend to mount all the AC power/timer and pump on the far side of the processor tanks keeping it as far away from the smaller tank as I can

Is 40 gallons the max I should make at a time or can I make a larger batch at one time ?

keep the feedback coming

Kyle

 

[DFerverda]

This is just my opinion. I would build either the setup bpine has or an appleseed. You really dont need a cone bottom for a processor. I would stay with steel. The cone bottom tanks would be sweet for a wash tank, but again not necessary. The batch size is preference and directly related to how big your wash-dry tank is. You should really read to answer more of your questions ,before you buy something that either wont work or is not safe to use.

Dirk

 

[BPINE]

This is just my opinion. I would build either the setup bpine has or an appleseed. You really dont need a cone bottom for a processor. I would stay with steel. The cone bottom tanks would be sweet for a wash tank, but again not necessary. The batch size is preference and directly related to how big your wash-dry tank is. You should really read to answer more of your questions ,before you buy something that either wont work or is not safe to use.

Dirk

Nice advise Dirk, Kyle keep it simple there is no need to spend a bunch of money.

 

[vssman]

What are all of you doing with the by product & wash water? I really don't want to get involved with making soap too :-laf

 

[DFerverda]

I use koh lye,(potassium hydroxide) so after the first wash,which must be cleaned of methanol and lye(,that comes out in the first wash), then i spray it on my lawn, it makes it green and grow like crazy. You can compost the glyc, boil off the impurities and use it for hand cleaner, make soap, or i am talking to a guy right now who is interested in it for liquid soap making.

You can also mix it with sawdust,and packed into paper milk cartons,(one that doesn't have your picture on it) it makes great fire logs.

Dirk

 

[Mr. C]

Boidiesel & SVO forums really is the best place to do research that I have found. Some say they are too stuffy over there but they will give you the right information to make quality Biodiesel and that is what most of us want. It's a free site and you can sign up instantly so come join the group and learn something new.



Here is what my Appleseed processor looks like.



It has already been changed a few times, this will become a theme if you build your own you just gotta make it a little better, or a little bit eaiser...



The blue tank is the wash tank and has a cone bottom, I do the washing, drying and final filtering in this tank and have changed the after pump plumbing to all steel construction for safety. In the 2nd photo there is about 43 gallons of Biodiesel on top of about 7 gallons of water, the sight tube is a really nice option to have.

 

[DFerverda]

Nice setup MrC

Looks real clean,did you do the weld job on the washtank? Looks good.

I just picked up all the stuff to eliminate the vinyl hose on the output,and got a couple site glass fittings from mcmasters.

Dirk

 

[Mr. C]

Nice setup MrC

Looks real clean,did you do the weld job on the washtank?

Dirk

Thanks Dirk, I did weld that and compared to the factory welds I was a bit embarrased to post the picture. That weld was to remove the internal baffle and rubber bladder that used to live inside the tank. It would have turned out a bit cleaner but I got in a hurry and that joint is a lap joint that had a little water left in it and the steam was a bit problematic. Overall I will say that going from a stand-pipe wash tank to a cone bottom wash tank has been the best system modification to date.



One other thing to consider, a hot water heater makes an excellent reaction chamber that already has an element, thermostat, multiple threaded ports, is presure rated, pre-wired, and is already insulated. That said the big drawback is it wont fully drain, the bottom drain port leaves a couple gallons of glyserol behind due to the shape of the bottom. This can be overcome, I used 2 gallons of engine block filler to form a wedge shaped block in the bottom of the water heater. The wedge is made by supporting the drain port side of the water heater with a 4x4 so that the tank is leaning backward and pouring the block filler in untill it just meets the threads of the outlet port and is about 5 or 6 inches thick at the back of the tank. Once dry and sitting level on its base again it now will drain all of the contents since the drain is now the lowest part of the tank. ( kind of a red-neck cone bottom processor) :-laf

 

[moparguy]

Question, why not weld a nipple at the lowest point of the hwt and tap it out for the drain. I'd thing you might have to tilt the tank a few degrees to get a total drain.



I've been lurking for several months and haven't seen anyone do this mod. Suspect there's a reason, just don't know what it is.



Thanks, RR

 

[Mr. C]

You could do that but if you're gonna go to that much trouble you might as well weld in a real cone bottom. Either way you would have to cut up the exterior sheet metal and remove some insulation, also the glass liner on the inside would be damaged.

 

[bighornram]

I use koh lye,(potassium hydroxide) so after the first wash,which must be cleaned of methanol and lye(,that comes out in the first wash), then i spray it on my lawn, it makes it green and grow like crazy. You can compost the glyc, boil off the impurities and use it for hand cleaner, make soap, or i am talking to a guy right now who is interested in it for liquid soap making.

You can also mix it with sawdust,and packed into paper milk cartons,(one that doesn't have your picture on it) it makes great fire logs.

Dirk

I was reading that the main issue with dumping methanol on the ground is it's penetration into the groundwater. There is bacteria that will break down the methanol and if it is in direct sunlight it will evaporate pretty quickly. Have you tried spraying it on your lawn with the methanol still in it? What does the soap do to the lawn?