Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) where to buy used wvo ?

[SFlowers]

I have been thinking seriously about buying a biodiesel kit to manufacture my own biodiesel... we have 3 trucks that will be using it... my question is ... where can a person buy used wvo in quantity from? I do not want to go out and collect it, i do not have the time... is there someone out there can tell me #1 what is the best place to find wvo to make into biodiesel (large quantities 1000 gallons or more)..... #2 what is a good biodiesel kit to buy... there is so many out there... . any help would be appreciated... thanks alot... steve

 

[SFlowers]

p. s. we live in the dfw tx area... . surely someone sells wvo...

 

[JGK]

Contact one of your local grease collectors. Just go around to the dumpster area of your favorite restaurant and look for the grease collector's barrel or dumpster. They'll have their name and number on it.



Most commercial collectors sell it to one or more big businesses that refine it (filter it) for burning to heat boilers or for feed (cattle). The problem with this kind of source is that you'll get anything and everything that goes into those dumpsters at the restaurants and some of it isn't pretty! Also, the quality and type (canola vs. soy. vs. rice, etc) of the waste oil plays a big role in the quality and effort to produce the biodiesel.



I've never heard of anyone collecting just the waste oil and selling it besides the grease collectors. Good luck on that one. You will probably be better off trying to find a source of clean, raw veggie oil like the big commercial bio-D producers do.



I'm afraid in the world of small home-brew biodiesel production, you have to collect WVO yourself from the restaurants unless you're real lucky to find a big user that goes through a lot (commercial frozen fried food manufacturer) and is willing to have you be their collector.



But you your area, maybe you'll get lucky!



As to a set-up to buy, I can't help. I built my own.



-Jay

 

[SFlowers]

thanks alot for the info

 

[HOT0124valve]

out in here in cal you can buy 55gal drums of new un used soy oil for 120 bucks maby less if you buy more than one drum. the good things you get with new oil. #1 more bio #2almost clear gliycern close to gage quality or make up wich is good cuz you can sell it. 3#plus you have to add less meth and lie to each batch so you save there to



think about it you can go to walmart and buy oil for what 99-2. 50 a gal dep ware you are so if you live near a big city and have sisco restrant supply or something like that you could talk to them and see what they say about mass quan's of oil





my . 02 on its a good deal for us oil burners to do with fuel at 3. 50+ a gal

 

[JGK]

I dunno, when you put a pencil and calculator to it, adding in the price of buying oil makes the payoff debatable when you also figure in your time and cost of equipment. Particularly when you look at the cost of methanol these days.



I collect my own waste oil (free) and distill my glycerin to recover unused methanol for use in the next batch. When I figure in all my costs including electicity to dry the oil, then process the oil to bio-diesel, and to distill the excess alcohol out of the glycerin, plus the cost of additional methanol over the recovered stuff from the previous batch, and lye, my costs lately are about 85 cents per gallon. Now that sounds pretty good compared to roughly $3. 50 for a gallon of petro-diesel. But add $2 per gallon for purchased oil and the cost difference isn't that great. And to get your money back most efficiently you'll have to run 100% bio-D.



Now add in your time - for me about 5 or 6 hours all said and done to make a batch (40 gallons is my current batch size). And don't forget the initial investment in the processor, oil drying system, methanol/lye mixing system, transfer pumps, filters, storgage vessels, etc. and you'll quickly realize it'll take quite a while to recover your investment if you have to buy your oil.



It's a labor of love, I guess! I'll continue doing it for now as long as I have convenient sources of quality oil for free. But if methanol costs go up much more or if I had to buy my oil, I'd consider shucking the whole thing and get a second part-time job to just cover the cost of fuel at the pump.



-Jay

 

[SFlowers]

thanks alot for the info... thats the problem with this biofuel... too many people are buying this oil up, the large operation biofuel places buy oil (that wont pass the company specs )and basically get a rail road car full of it when they buy, little guys are stuck having to suck it up out of dumpsters... . everyone i talk with does it illegally, they say that they dont ever have any problems, my luck i would get caught... thanks alot for the info again...

 

[JFaughn]

You can take a look at this .


Saint Paul Commodities - BulkOil.com - World Olive Oil company listing"

 

[okayred]

Are you talking about 1000 gallons/month/wk? That's a pretty large scale operation. Our coop just upgraded to a 250 gallon/wk operation. We have been brewing for about two years now. We have two restaurants in Chicago who put their wvo back into the cubees and we pick it up twice a month from both places.



You will have to invest some time both in the collection and brewing process. Are you planning on brewing and using BD year round?

 

[JGK]

SFlowers,



As "okayred" does, I collect mine "legally". I work out a deal with the restaurant owners to have them put their oil in my drum (so I'm not "stealing" from the commercial collectors), or I pick up the waste oil in their original cubies.



But as to that legal issue, is it really illegal to suck oil out of the commercial collector's dumpster? The restaurant pays the collector to pick it up, not the other way around. The commercial collector is not buying it from the restaurant. Its a service, just as the trash hauler provides a service. Is it illegal to take something out of a trash dumpster? Does the trash collector care, even if he makes a little money recycling it? I doubt it.



One restaurant owner told me I could suck all the oil I wanted out of his dumpster and he didn't give a crap what the collector thought about it - it's not the collector's oil until he hauls it off the property.



Probably what is most frustrating is the number of restaurant owners or managers who don't want to mess with it even though I'm saving them money because I don't charge to collect it like the commercial guys do.



FWIW,

-Jay