Thinking about making the leap...

[lovndcummins]

I'm thinking about running bio in my 2002 7.3L Ford Excursion. Nothing has been done to it, but the Big "F" air filter mod. There is a unit for sale I'm currently looking at.. my question is how much work will be involved, and what (if any) modes including cost will I need to do to the truck ?

The item I'm looking at reads like this:
Portable Biodiesel Refinery!

Make your own fuel for far less than the pump price!! 

Makes 30 gallons of biodiesel in a day. With this Refinery all you need is the grease from any restaurant that has waste grease/oil. Everything else is here. Take this Refinery to the site and pump directly into your tanks without the extra headache of transferring to a drum and then transferring again into the mixer. Then just drive back to your well ventilated mixing site and make fuel!



Included:
Instructions and Recipes,

55 gallon drum of Methanol,

Chemicals for mixing,

Safety equipment,

Tools for making the job go easier.


I really want to start getting into this, but I’m a Dad with 4 kids so time is limited.
Thank-you for any input

[ridiculously_necessary]

1. Be positive you have wvo sources (Waste vegetable Oil). In some areas these are all taken.
2. Make several test batches in a 2 liter bottle to get an idea of what your getting into.
3. Bio can take 2 to 5 days from start to finish
4. Find a place to dump the Glycerin

No mods to the truck are required. You may need to mix in the winter if your area gets cold. Bio takes time, its a learning process. Once you have it down, its not too bad.

Whats your driving style? Distance and winter weather?

I have two halflings myself, and my drives are 40 miles one way. Best solution for me is WVO setup rather than bio. Im slowly working myself up to automated filtering. Collect oil > pump to settle/storage > turn on centrifuge > leave or work or go to bed > shut off fuge when done > pump into truck. I think for me this will save time and frustration. But your vehicle now has to be converted to run WVO.

The up front cost is about the same either way, some more some less. The WVO system is typically a lower TCO in the end.

[lovndcummins]

I live in a very warm place all year around, so cold climate isn't a concern. My driving habits are 20 miles one way to work, and all around town on the week-end .. alot of stop and go.
In the add he states Portable Biodiesel Refinery one day for fuel... is that not the case? Is there more stuff I would have to buy besides this portable refinery ?
I will check on the WVO location to be sure.

[erbilabuc]

Originally Posted by lovndcummins

I’m a Dad with 4 kids

nope bio is not right for you

[ridiculously_necessary]

Originally Posted by erbilabuc

nope bio is not right for you

This stuck out for me as well. It's not the main reason for my WVO system, but it is a reason I wont do bio for a main fuel source.

One day is possible, but by looking at that picture I doubt it is possible with that kit. A kit that can do bio in one day is very likely going to be expensive. I havent research bio in a couple of years, but the BioPro Processor is one of the better ones on the market and I think its 1 to 2 days, and the smallest is something like $5k. The ones that can do bio in a day have pressure and vacuum system and hypersonic sysmtems or something along those lines.

Again, I've been out of the bio loop for a while, but I doubt you will get quality bio in a day. The reaction takes hours like 6 to 8 minimum, and the wash and dry (if using water wash) takes another day. If you force dry it. The chemical washing I think takes several hours as well.

[Clay Henry]

If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
I call BS on this kit.

[erbilabuc]

As far as bio goes, you can make a batch of 20 gallons in 2-3 hours if you keep your temps above 150 degrees but that thing on a trailer is a good idea on paper but terrible on practice. You cant safely make bio on the movein that thing.

[bbboomer]

I can speak from actual experience.
I have made literally hundreds of gallons of bio diesel and clocked thousands of miles on bio.
You can process the batch in 3 hours maybe a little less depending on what process you use. I use the 80/20 process with a pre-wash which does use a little more time in processing.
That is just the processing time. The wash and dry operation will add more time.
Depending on how you do it, that will take a day each. This is not actual hands on time but rather clock time. Most of the time will be spent waiting for settling etc. Not actual hands on but time none the less.
So technically you can make bio in in 3 hours but in actuality it will consume three days on average maybe more to be ready for use.
As for the hotshot bio processors typically being advertised, most are BS. Stay away from the plastic conicals that sound too good to be true.
That is not to say there aren't very good ones being sold because there are. They are priced accordingly. If you buy a turnkey processor for less than the 4k range you are wasting your money.
I use a home made processor and get very good conversion. It isn't rocket science but there are critical aspects to the conversion that will make or break the outcome.
Additionally there are safety concerns which are relatively easy to deal with but you MUST use precautions. Making bio diesel is totally doable and can be gratifying.
What ever you decide don't buy anything until you learn about the process first. It will keep you from wasting time and money.

[ridiculously_necessary]

well stated!

[Clay Henry]

Originally Posted by bbboomer

I can speak from actual experience.
I have made literally hundreds of gallons of bio diesel and clocked thousands of miles on bio.
You can process the batch in 3 hours maybe a little less depending on what process you use. I use the 80/20 process with a pre-wash which does use a little more time in processing.
That is just the processing time. The wash and dry operation will add more time.
Depending on how you do it, that will take a day each. This is not actual hands on time but rather clock time. Most of the time will be spent waiting for settling etc. Not actual hands on but time none the less.
So technically you can make bio in in 3 hours but in actuality it will consume three days on average maybe more to be ready for use.
As for the hotshot bio processors typically being advertised, most are BS. Stay away from the plastic conicals that sound too good to be true.
That is not to say there aren't very good ones being sold because there are. They are priced accordingly. If you buy a turnkey processor for less than the 4k range you are wasting your money.
I use a home made processor and get very good conversion. It isn't rocket science but there are critical aspects to the conversion that will make or break the outcome.
Additionally there are safety concerns which are relatively easy to deal with but you MUST use precautions. Making bio diesel is totally doable and can be gratifying.
What ever you decide don't buy anything until you learn about the process first. It will keep you from wasting time and money.

And I'll add, Darrell is getting away from the Bio Diesel making business partly because of the many gallons of wash water that he had to deal with disposing of.
Don't run it down the drain! You really should capture it and dispose of it properly (If you follow the rules of DEQ).