BioDiesel

[rockfrawg]

Just curious if anyone else has looked into, or started making their own fuel...i wouldnt put it past you kopecki

I put together a setup over spring break and havent paid for diesel since March 10. Since then I've logged a little more than 4000 miles without issue. I actually noticed that, except for the addition of the straightpipe, the engine started running a little quieter, and no power loss. I spent about $1000 on the setup...$300 of which was on a Fuel Rite pump to get the stuff into the truck, which was more or less optional. So as of now i've pretty much broken even, 4000+ miles / 16mpg avg = 250 gallons of diesel i would've bought * $4.25/gal avg diesel price since then $1062.50. It takes me about 3-4hrs actual work time to make a little more than 50 gallons which is almost a month's worth of fuel for me w/o any special trips. I have a friend who is manager of a restaurant where I collect their used soybean oil. End cost is just under $1/gal

Here's the setup:
http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album309/DSC05388.jpg

The rest of the pics are on my gallery if you wanna see the build and learning process
http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/lonestar/album309

Most of the information I got was from here:
www.biodieselcommunity.org

You can make a setup more cheaply than I did but I had to get everything together in a week and had to pay a little more for some parts

[mudtoy67]

Pretty interesting. I've been thinking about it but I haven't done enough research into a source for oil yet, and with so many local biodiesel companies I'm not sure how easy it is going to be to source it for free.

[BroncoJo]

So your making it from used soy oil only? My problem is that I have yet to find a source to get the cooking oil from at a price to make it worth while. Most places are selling it at top dollar these days.


I actually saw a interesting article yesterday about the increase in veggie oil theft because of the high market value. They were claming that the average was about 3 dollars a gallon.

What kind of treatment are you doing to the soy oil? I know that a powerstroke will run pretty good on just filtered cooking oil (enless its cold outside) and will run damn good with a aditive even when cold.

[rockfrawg]

You can run on straight veggie oil but it requires modifications to the vehicle and a heating system to warm the oil before it can be pumped thru the fuel system. It requires a separate fuel cell for the oil. My "treatment" of the oil is below. The used oil is worth about $.30-.45/lb which i think makes it $1.50/gal. The best places are the mom & pop kinda stores because they dont use enough oil to make it worth while for the rendering companies to come pick it up, and they have to pay someone to come get it. I havent done a whole lot of looking because I have a pretty reliable source for now.

The process in "brief":
Strain out the french fries and okra
Pump oil into water heater, heat to 130-150*
Add 80% of mixture of methanol and KOH (potassium hydroxide)
Process for 1-1.5 hrs (recirculating via clear water pump)
Stop processor, allow to settle for about 30 mins
Drain glycerol
Start pump and add remaining methoxide
Process for another hour
Take sample for quality testing
Add glycerol drained earlier
Add 5% water by volume
Process for about 30 mins
Pump into settling tank, allow to settle overnight
Drain glycerol and pump into wash tank
Add water and mix manually, allow to separate and drain water - x4
Pump into finished tank
Recirculate for a few hours until clear
Pump into the truck
Drive away and enjoy the smell of hamburgers

[agjohn02]

whatever, thats not a veggie oil set-up. your just making "candy" for the girls in clayton.:flipoff2:

[DRAGOONRANCH]

then make an extra batch for me to take. :D

[mudtoy67]

Interesting thing I came across today...

Just browsing through my owners manual, and I came across "Cummins suggests a maximum of 5% biodiesel may be used in fuel..."

This come across any of your research?

[rockfrawg]

yeah...i read that...but also read of plenty of ppl who are running 100% in these trucks w/o issue...i just know that if theres ever a problem or need for warranty work I need to get it filled w/ regular diesel before it goes into the shop. thats also probably just a scam anyway the oil companies have worked out with auto manufacturers to keep people from using alternative fuels. Bio has better lubricating characteristics than regular diesel fuel and has less of an issue with washdown when idling for a long period of time.

[robertf03]

thats also probably just a scam anyway the oil companies have worked out with auto manufacturers to keep people from using alternative fuels. Bio has better lubricating characteristics than regular diesel fuel and has less of an issue with washdown when idling for a long period of time.


Maybe its because they don't want to be pulling out bits of fried chicken during warranty work.

Turning off the engine during extended periods of idling also prevents washdown ;)

[rockfrawg]

I filter it in stages from 200, 100, 50, 25, 10, and 2 microns before it even goes into the truck...the fuel filter in the truck is nominally rated for 10 microns so its filtered cleaner than the truck would before it even goes into the fuel system

...and yes, i know i could just turn it off, but with a little one in the truck sometimes the climate control is required when idling

[Jackasic]

I'm impressed, seems like a well built set up. I read up on some of this back when I had my MB 300D, that car was all the rage for veggie oil. For me it was a matter of convenience, I didn't have the space or time to mess with it. Diesel was a lot cheaper back then also ;)

[Graystroke]

so are you running WVO or biodiesel? I have heard that running straight WVO cokes up the injector tips w/ glycerine. As you probably know cutting the WVO w/ methanol (I think) to get pure biodiesel seperates out this glycerine....then you can make homeade soap!

[Sharpe]

so are you running WVO or biodiesel? I have heard that running straight WVO cokes up the injector tips w/ glycerine. As you probably know cutting the WVO w/ methanol (I think) to get pure biodiesel seperates out this glycerine....then you can make homeade soap!

Nobody in TAMOR would make soap if they had pure gylcerine laying around.

[Graystroke]

Ah just read your recipe...so why do you add water? and do you boil the oil to burn off any water before you start filtering?

PS ran over any gas meters lately?

[DRAGOONRANCH]

Nobody in TAMOR would make soap if they had pure gylcerine laying around.

my thoughts exactly, just think how much I would have lying around if I used it when I get my dozer business up and running.... :eek:

[BMFScout]

I filter it in stages from 200, 100, 50, 25, 10, and 2 microns before it even goes into the truck...the fuel filter in the truck is nominally rated for 10 microns so its filtered cleaner than the truck would before it even goes into the fuel system

...and yes, i know i could just turn it off, but with a little one in the truck sometimes the climate control is required when idling

what does the filtration set up look like?

[rockfrawg]

before i begin to process the oil is heated to 150* which is the thermostatic limit of my water heater. I circulate it at that temp with the element engaged to hopefully remove as much water might've been in the oil from sitting in the collection tanks, but i havent had any problems w/ too much water content yet.

adding water the first time while processing (before moving to settling tank) stops the reaction and helps remove some of the soap that would have been suspended in the biodiesel. it settles out w/ the glycerol and makes the washing process a bit easier. the second time adding water is the "washing" phase...mixing removes any more soaps which can clog the filters. after the wash phase when it is recirculated and sprayed thru the air it "dries" the biodiesel and lets any remaining water evaporate.

i've got plenty of glycerol sitting around. i've been in contact with the village creek water processing plant and am hoping to dispose of it there in their anaerobic digester...its the only "proper" method of disposal i can find that is environmentally sound. I'm not all that interested in making soap, but i can definitely speak for the awesome degreasing properties it has (its pulled up whatever coating was on my garage floor before i bought this place).

I ordered some more bag filters today, including a two stage 5/1 micron filter to make the stuff even cleaner.

and no...havent destroyed any more gas meters in a while...actually cant remember the last time i was involved in any reckless destruction...hmmm...

[rockfrawg]

what does the filtration set up look like?

the filters on the pump, Goldenrod 10 micron canister filter, and a Wix 2 micron spin on
http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album309/DSC00094_001.jpg

the bag filters look like this...the one you see is the 25 micron, theres a 50 micron inside it. before it goes into this tank it goes thru the 200 and 100 stacked as such.
http://www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album309/DSC00095_002.jpg

[robertf03]

How many batches do the filters handle?

Have you looked into filtering used engine oil and adding it to the mix?

[rockfrawg]

The two micron spin on will do about 100 gallons, the 10 micron cartridge filter does more, but i havent officially clogged it up yet. the bag filters are washable, turn 'em inside out and backflush with water and ajax and every couple of times throw 'em in the washing machine. The bag filters i just ordered are me trying to deal with clogging the 2 micron spin on so often. I really want to get everything out before it goes thru those two and just have them as a safety catchall on the way to the truck and not have to use them for actual cleaning.

i've seen some wives tales of mixes of something like 20% gasoline, 5% diesel and 75% used engine oil...or something like that...I dunno what it would do but I havent seen any reliable information. doesnt sound like anything i'd wanna put in my `06.