help on biodiesel/WVOs????

[cluckmaster]

I just ran a search on WVO and biodiesel, but I just got confused after reading some posts. Is it safe to run a kit that allows you to run on WVO, or does it just cause too many problems? I read that "transesterification" on the WVO creates good biodiesel. How do you do that? What is the best, cheapest way to utilize free veggie oil to run my truck, and can I build the systems myself, or do I need to spend $1300 for a kit? Any help or clarification would be great- I'm paying $2. 70 / gallon!!! There's also a company down in south Louisiana that sells a book that they say shows how to set up a sytem for ~ $150 that filters and converts WVO to clean fuel. You have to buy an additive from them. The site is http://www.dieselsecret.com/products.htm THANKS!!!!

 

[JGK]

Start here

-Jay

 

[ndurbin]

You can get kits alot cheaper than 1300 bucks. I found a place called B100 Supply that would sell you a kit with required hardware to bolt up to an electric water heater for about $400 + water heater cost. Most places I have found on the web deal mainly with converting waste veggie oil into fuel, I'm looking more for something to use with soybean oil (or other plant oils) myself as I don't want to mess with used veggie oil. But thats just a personal preference. B100 Supply has a couple different books to choose from also.



Nathan

 

[surfbeetle]

WVO requires heated tanks/filters added to your truck with plumbing to swith between WVO and diesel. You start/shutdown on diesel, run on WVO once its warmed up. If you run out of WVO, you can still run on diesel in the stock tank or in the heated tank.



BioDiesel is WVO that has been processed with various chemicals and can be run in your diesel tank. It is more solvent than Diesel and the first few tanks will clean your fuel system to the point that you may require a few new fuel filters before the system gets cleaned out.



Either way, you either have to set your vehicle up to run WVO or buy a set up to produce BioDiesel. No matter which route you choose, you also have to be able to collect and filter the WVO before it gets into your engine.

 

[jcarey]

Cluckmaster, look here:



http://www.rebelwolf.com/



The April/May issue show how to make a small test batch of bio-diesel. That's a good way to get comfortable with the process.



Also, on the above site are links to where parts can be purchased as well as how to make a bio-diesel processor fo about $500 - $600.



Here's another place to get parts (and even kits, I believe) inexpensively.



http://www.biodieselwarehouse.com/



Personally, as far as running straight WVO, I would worry about the glycerine. I read a post somewhere on the TDR where it was mentioned that any fuel (in this case WVO) that mixes (cylinder washing) with the engine can cause the oil to thicken and cause lubrication problems. It may not be enough to be a serious problem, but it makes me cautious.



Jim

 

[Headshot zod]

I thought Glycerine was the byproduct of the transesterfication of metyl esters. I didn't think there was straight glycerine in SVO/WVO. Any chemists out there?

 

[cluckmaster]

Thanks for the info, guys. I'll wade through the links you gave me and post back up if I have any more questions.



'97 4x4 2500 SLT #8 plate, straight piped, all Amsoil synthetic, 35'' MT Baja Claws - 235k mi and counting

 

[fox]

Headshot Zod, you are right. The WVO has Free Fatty Acids that get removed by the transesterfication, this makes gycerine. Which is a soap. Not to be used on skin, it still has methanol in it.

WVO, right from the resturant has to be filtered. It has chunks of food in it.

I find it won't even go thru a window screen!!

 

[Centeno1]

my .02

i have made porbably 200 gallons of biodiesel for a datsun pickup that we have and it ran great on it. The free fatty acids gum up in the injectors just like the gum up your arteries and cause heart problems. The methanol and lie remove the free fatty acids in the form of glycerine. When I got started i looked on the internet and just read everything that was there. Once i was done with that I made a test batch,I don't run biodiesel in my cummins because i like my truck... . I don't trust the biodiesel... . you can get a bad batch without knowing,then you have real problems. The price is great but my truck costs a lot more and i can't afford to buy injectors all the time or heaven forbid a full rebuild. If you got questions email me i can make the stuff and i have a hopper all built but like i say its not reliable enough for my baby.

-- email address removed --

 

[EricBu12]

heres the water heater kit for sale



http://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/biodieselkits.php

 

[DocStressor]

There seems to be a bit of confusion here. Animal and plant fats contain long chain fatty acids that are esterified to glycerol, which is a tri-hydroxy alcohol. An ester is the product of a reaction between an acid and an alcohol. To make biodiesel, the fatty acids attached to glycerol in the starting vegetable oil are transferred to methanol, a mono-hydroxy alcohol. This process is called trans-esterification and is catalyzed by a base (sodium hydroxide or lye). So you end up with fatty acid methyl ester, which is an excellent fuel. The glycerol and excess base are removed by washing with water. The final product should be titrated to neutrality so that it doesn't contain any excess acid or base.



Pure biodiesel is fatty acid methyl ester. It doesn't clog anything up. It is a good solvent and burns very clean. The viscosity of the product is determined by the degree of saturation (that is the percent of double bonded carbons) and the length (the number of carbons) of the fatty acid chains of the original starting oil. If the biodiesel is too viscous, it could cause some problems with very high pressure common rail injection systems.