Making Biodiesel on "Trucks"

[rbattelle]

In case no one else caught it, the show "Trucks" this week is "How to Make Biodiesel". He shows a complete biodiesel manufacturing kit you can buy from a company whose name escapes me now.



It was on this afternoon, and should be repeated tomorrow (Sunday) afternoon on Spike.



-Ryan

 

[MMoroney]

It was www.freedomfuelamerica.com. I checked it during a commercial. The kit could be yours for only $3000 ! Looks like something you could make at home. I've seen several threads with web links on the TDR. If I wasn't in the process of moving, I'd start gathering materials. Looks like a cool project.

Mike

 

[jwilliams3]

5 grand for 2 plastic tubs?

What a rip off.

 

[SteveAnsley]

This must be the kit I first saw available for purchase. At 3g's, I agree. Not worth it. But...



Check out these various forums, you can build what's called an 'Appleseed Processor' for around $500. 00 (I'm factoring in the price for pumps and etc. ) - give or take. It's suppose to be safer than the cone bottom poly processors that are for sale for $3000. 00. I'm still in the process of getting set up.



http://www.veggieavenger.com/avengerboard/index.php

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x

http://www.forums.biodieselnow.com/default.asp



I don't have any personal experience, but Josh Trickle (he's the one directing people towards these $3000. 00 processors) isn't held in very high regards within these bio-diesel forums.

 

[TrqMonster]

I just caught the show. I found the "fuelmeister" on another site as well. $3000 is a lot of money.



http://www.biodieselsolutions.com/products/products.asp.



How much success have people had with contiually making this biodiesel themselves?

 

[WyattEarp]

Just caught the show

Watched the trucks show today, very interesting, I also agree the 3000 for the tubs is crazy, any farm supply store has those and all the other materials, with me farming and running the dodge this might be something worth checking into, I know the coming year im going to Produce farming and that might be the way for me to cut back on fuel expenses... . Oo.

 

[Mad Bomber]

Here's a real good read over on our local site http://www.nwbombers.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=14824&hl=

 

[TrqMonster]

How do you make the "appleseed processor". I would make it for $500 but not for $3000.

 

[SteveAnsley]

http://www.veggieavenger.com/avengerboard/viewforum.php?f=25&sid=b1682bdf19d6024d3049f088366c3970



Here are some links for plans for the 'Appleseed'.



Basically, your using a water heater and a waste water pump as the processor. There's plenty of information on the above referenced forums.

 

[Bertram65]

It was a pretty nice setup, sure the parts are not worth $3k but having it all setup and ready to go makes it pretty cool. I bet once it catches on more you will be able to get a similar system for a lot less money. I thought it took longer to make a batch.

Does anyone know if once it is converted from vegtable oil to bio diesel is it then considered toxic substance?, I am thinking I could make it in my garage but what if I had a spill? I have heard horror stories of people having to spend $100K because thier home heating oil tank leaked.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

It was a pretty nice setup, sure the parts are not worth $3k but having it all setup and ready to go makes it pretty cool. I bet once it catches on more you will be able to get a similar system for a lot less money. I thought it took longer to make a batch.

Does anyone know if once it is converted from vegtable oil to bio diesel is it then considered toxic substance?, I am thinking I could make it in my garage but what if I had a spill? I have heard horror stories of people having to spend $100K because thier home heating oil tank leaked.

Having the system turn key is a good selling feature, it will promote more hesitant lookers to go for it. With the cost of fuel on the rise again, its hard to determine which is worse. I guess I just have to decide whether to pay an american for their entrepreneur idea, or keep supporting camel jockey's and murderous thugs living off our love for oil. Hmmm, it doesn't sound so expensive now that I think about it.



I would be concerned about the spillage risk too, but a secondary containment tank would relieve that issue I am sure. I don't know how much I would want to batch in my garage though, maybe in the driveway or back yard? methanol is bad stuff in a confined air space, especially when its attached to my home.

 

[hERKY130]

I figure at 2 bucks a gallon in NC, 34 gallon tank and a generous 18 miles to the gallon, it would take about 68 tanks of biodiesel to recoop the cost of the ready made system. For me that means past 40000 miles I start to make money. I'm at 5000 now... . hmmmmm I think not... $500 would be an easy sell for me and the assembly would be a fun weekend or two. I'm in!

 

[nickleinonen]

#ad




those clear 1000liter totes are pretty cheap to get used... we have lots of them at my work [cleaning chemicals come in them, and some specialty oils... ] they are pretty durable [i've seen a forklift smack one with a fork pretty hard and it didn't break] it's got a bung near the bottom for feed and a big 6" fill hole up top... when i get my own place, i will start brewing my own bio fuel...



i haven't really read much into it [and i missed the show, but i hope my vcr was set right, then i have it on tape]



but what oils can biodiesel be brewed from???



i don't think you can use used crankcase oil [if you could, i could get 100's of gallons for dirt cheap/free from work probably... ]

 

[BHanna]

Is it legal to make biodiesel and sell from your garage?

Not that I'd be able to do that but it seems if someone had the time to round up the cooking oil and make the batches, there would probably be some people in their area who'd pay at least the same as the local pump prices. Could be a money-making proposition.



I live in Las Vegas if anyone wants to do that here.

 

[socal_rattler]

Here is another option I saw on TV last night. The guy claims "At Veg Powered Systems™ we performed the first successful conversion of the "common rail" fuel system on newer vehicles. "



http://www.vegpoweredsystems.com/index.htm

 

[JL penner]

Only problems I can see with making your own bio is "Where to get veggie oil cheap" and "how to get rid of the bi-product"



Can anybody answer those?



Thanks

 

[TrqMonster]

I think that any restaurant would probably give you some as they have to throw it out anyway. I have already found a couple of restaurants that will give me some for free.



However I also dont know what to do with the byproduct. Maybe just make soap out of it!



Does anyone know of any drawbacks to veggie fuel in our trucks? Almost all the sites (that I have read so far) commercial or non-profit seem to say there arent any.

 

[DKarvwnaris]

Not that I'd be able to do that but it seems if someone had the time to round up the cooking oil and make the batches, there would probably be some people in their area who'd pay at least the same as the local pump prices. Could be a money-making proposition.



I live in Las Vegas if anyone wants to do that here.

So long as you report your sales and production to the DOT for taxes and allow them to test the fuel quality of the end product, it is no problem at all. They will of course be courteous and always accomodating when they stop by to make sure you are fullfilling your reported amount of production.

It would probably be a good idea to edit your post, lots of people watch this site, lots of people who think emissions are blatantly disregarded here as it is.

Bio diesel is still a trendy thing for the most part, when fuel prices go up enough to justify its mass marketed production beyond the tax incentives it is being commercially sold for now, you can bet the tax bureau will be braking down doors in the name of tax evasion. I personally could not care what youi do, but I know how bad bureacrats hate loosing a dime of their budget income. They'll make an example out of some poor schmuck soon, it will be hard to argue the point "no one thought of the taxes they were avoiding when making their own fuel". (tax is 1/3 of the cost of fuel when you consider the federal and state % together).

A friend of mine was running his truck off of propane from his bulk tank at his ranch, they had a pump on the tank for their forklift. They were not charged road taxes for this, until they bragged about it one night to a neighbor who reported them. Hope it doesn't happen to you.

 

[gtobey]

We had a fellow come into our shop with a new VW diesel that wouldn't run anymore. He only had 2K miles on the car, and had been using his bio-fuel for about 2 weeks. Claimed he had a recipe book for biodiesel. Got it free from his neighbor who was a manager at KFC. All he wanted free! The VW place wouldn't fix his car under warranty, and wondered if we could help him. His pump was lunched, and the injectors were toast! How much did he really save using that processed "chicken oil"? If you go doing it, be sure to only use a 5% blend, and change your filters often! Read this first: http://list.priceweber.com/cummins/td/bio_diesel.html. Whatever you do, be very careful!!! It can even more expensive. Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

 

[AGrubbs]

If you make your own fuel, you have to be very careful about how you process it.

If you do a 'water wash' of your fuel, (they mention this on 'trucks' but didn't show it) you have to be sure that you can dry the fuel

enough to not cause problems when you use it.



If you make your own fuel "You are your own warrente station".



I think the water wash is something that has to be done if you don't get your chemical amounts

correct for a complete (clean) reaction.

I am guessing that when you use the kit for testing the acidity of the input oils,

maybe you don't have to worry about the wash as the reaction is complete, with no leftover reactant. Or at least its enough that you don't

have to worry?



Bio-D from a big Mfg should be just fine. Its when someone cooking their

own B-D cuts corners and isn't careful about making sure the input material

is clean (filtering) and doesn't do the chemical tests to be sure that there

is no leftover chemicals from the reaction. Then you might run in to trouble. .

IE like the the VW mentioned above. .



BTW VW only recommends 5% bio-blend diesel right now. . VW's take on BD



and Cummins -

Cummins stand on BD



One other thing to think about (not to be a kill joy but... ) is that biodiesel

will gell up at higher temps than #2. And from what I have heard about it

from a chemist who should know, there is no anti-gel that will work on

bio-D. I don't know this for a fact myself, just passing on what I heard.

I have never ran more than B-20 in my VW, and it was in the 60's for low temps at the time.

Never have ran it in my Dodge.



The stuff I ran was a SOY based bio-D supplied by Wacker Oil, in MI.

The fryer stuff would be based on different oils with some animal fat included.