couple of questions before I buy today

[Tx_Atty]

Due to my being over cautious - I have found a bio company nearby that will match my needs but wanted to run a few things past the gurus here. The guy told me a little about their operation today but most is beyond my knowledge level - he said they use only new oils, no waste oil, and no water in any part of the process - only oil and chemical. Does that raise any flags to anyone?

I know very little in this area. Would this non-washing process leave behind anything that could be of concern? I have heard of coking and other problems and dont want to run a risk unnecessarily. What about glycerin? Does new oil not have some of the issues waste does and therefore not need the same conversion processing?

I am scheduled to stop by his shop today after work and try out a 5 gallon b100 addition to my #2. I only plan on doing the rear tank in case I have issues.

Thanks for the input.

 

[sagebel]

What chemical is he using? Is this being sold commercially or is it just some guy making a bunch? Commercial bio diesel is made from virgin oil. Put a sample in a mason jar, you should be able to see through the jar. It should look like sparkling apple juice. Also, take a sample and water, put equal ammounts into a jar, install lid, and shake well. the water and bio diesel should quicly separate with water on the bottom and fuel on top. Ask him if his fuel meets ASTM standards also.

Scott

 

[f100cleveland]

Some of the bio up here is made from animal fat. The rest is made from soybeans. We had a quality problem when a 2 percent bio was first mandated in the state last year but that seems to have been fixed. I'm running a 20 percent blend with no problems so far.

 

[Tx_Atty]

He said he is exceeding ASTM standards and is a member of the biodiesel.org group. He is selling commercially but has only recently taken over this company from the prior owner so his volume is still low. It was a 55 mile round trip but I got 10 gallons of b100 (5 in the tank and 5 in a can). I'll do the water trick and see what I get. He plans to put a tank closer to me with a choice of b100 or b20. I hope sooner than later.

thanks for the tip.

 

[roosterdiesel]

Where'd ya go?-popcorn

 

[sagebel]

You should be fine. In colder months, I keep a sample in a small jar to check the cloud point. If he is a member of biodiesel.org and has his fuel tested I would say you are good to go.

Scott

 

[hheynow]

Peter, I'm new to bio diesel but I picked the brains of the owner of Yokayo Biofuelswhere I got my first batch of B-100 from. There were three things he wanted to make me aware of before he would sell me any fuel. 1) B-100 will clean out your fuel system and clog the fuel filter. It may take one or more tankfuls for this to happen. He wants me to carry a new fuel filter with me. 2) B-100 will gel at temps as high as 40*F. To solve this he said to add #2, but didn't say how much. 3) It MAY react to the rubber in the fuel lines and fuel pump seals, but after 1993 he said that fuel lines were upgraded to handle the solvent properties of B-100...so there MAY not be a problem. He uses WVO as his feed stock and gives a written guarantee that his product adheres to the ASTM standard. He's been in business for five years.

As far as your post...Commercial biodiesel is produced by agri-business with virgin oil as its feed stock and to a lesser extent by rendering companies and sole proprietors with WVO. If it's true biodiesel (aka Methyl/Ethyl Esters) then the glycerin has been removed by a process called transesterification, which results in a reduced viscosity oil (thinner) which is free of the glycerol that makes vegetable oil thick and sticky. In order for transesterification to occur, methanol or ethanol and the catalyst sodium or potassium hydroxide (lye) are mixed prior to being mixed with the vegetable oil. The result is crude biodiesel and crude glycerol. That's the basic process. Residual ingredients or by-products in the fuel you run in your vehicle is a problem. For commercial fuel, the ASTM standard does not allow for residuals to be present. For home brewers, this is a compelling reason to wash (purify further) their fuel.

 

[Tx_Atty]

Thanks for the responses. I have 18 miles on his b20 (his 100 plus flying J #2 that I put in) and it is running as well as the BioWillie I had a few weeks ago. So far so good. I hope he will get his pumps here done soon so I dont have to use 3 gallons there and back!

Antonio - he is in Ralls, 24 miles East of Lubbock on 114. I'll pm you in a moment...