Considering making bio

[simone0414]

I have been running WVO in my 2 tank system for almost 3 years & 60k miles & have been very happy with the results. Have saved a ton of money. I have been gradually building up alot of sources & have what I consider a very healthy supply of VO coming in every month. So much so that I have started to sell some. I have been selling for about 8 months now & have one steady guy that buys from me regularly & 2 other guys that buy once in a while. I am selling my oil for slightly less then half the cost of D2. With fuel prices as high as they are I expected that more people would be interested. But the cost of converting a vehicle is turning alot of people away.

The vast majority of the oil I get is very good quailty & lightly used. The rest I will continue to burn as VO in my heated system.

So I am thinking that making bio would attract alot more people. Even though I have been in the VO world for a while now I know very little about making bio. It never interested me until now.

First question is safety. Messing with Methanol & lye is the main reason why I chose SVO over bio in the beginning so it still concerns me. Is making bio as dangerous as I always thought it was? What do I have to do make sure I don't slowly kill myself?

I have alot of reading to do to bring myself up to speed on bio but another question I have is what is considered a good bio processor? There is a guy locally selling this processor:Freedom Fueler Biodiesel Processor . He wants $2000 for them. Also I have a old 40 gallon water heater that I could make an appleseed out of. From what I have read the Bio Pro-190 is the cats azz but I'm not shelling out 10 grand for one. Not now anyway. I would like to be able to make between 1 & 200 hundred gallons of bio a week.

One other question is what is the 3/27 test? Is that the best test to do to make sure you have made good bio?

[vegginpsd]

Originally Posted by simone0414

I have been running WVO in my 2 tank system for almost 3 years & 60k miles & have been very happy with the results. Have saved a ton of money. I have been gradually building up alot of sources & have what I consider a very healthy supply of VO coming in every month. So much so that I have started to sell some. I have been selling for about 8 months now & have one steady guy that buys from me regularly & 2 other guys that buy once in a while. I am selling my oil for slightly less then half the cost of D2. With fuel prices as high as they are I expected that more people would be interested. But the cost of converting a vehicle is turning alot of people away.

The vast majority of the oil I get is very good quailty & lightly used. The rest I will continue to burn as VO in my heated system.

So I am thinking that making bio would attract alot more people. Even though I have been in the VO world for a while now I know very little about making bio. It never interested me until now.

First question is safety. Messing with Methanol & lye is the main reason why I chose SVO over bio in the beginning so it still concerns me. Is making bio as dangerous as I always thought it was? What do I have to do make sure I don't slowly kill myself? I too got interested in bio, only after conquering my fear of the same concerns you stated above. After making a couple thousand gallons, getting the shop set up the way I wanted I found I was really worrying about nothing. It turns out to really not be a big deal.

I have alot of reading to do to bring myself up to speed on bio but another question I have is what is considered a good bio processor? There is a guy locally selling this processor:Freedom Fueler Biodiesel Processor . He wants $2000 for them. Also I have a old 40 gallon water heater that I could make an appleseed out of. From what I have read the Bio Pro-190 is the cats azz but I'm not shelling out 10 grand for one. Not now anyway. I would like to be able to make between 1 & 200 hundred gallons of bio a week. When I was studying the topic, I knew I wanted an all metal processor. Having spent years running VO, and understanding what heat and plastic do when together, metal was the only way I was going. Lots of really good bio has been produced in an appleseed. A biopro is costly, but I would only trade mine for one other model. That would be a Biopro 380. With a semi-automated processor(Biopro), it only requires about 15 minutes per day hands on time. Some of the plastic processors with manual wash can really consume a lot of you time. I wasn't going to have that......

One other question is what is the 3/27 test? Is that the best test to do to make sure you have made good bio? The 27/3 is probably the best test to ensure a fully converted biodiesel. Go to Utah Biodiesel supply, and look at all of the biopro videos on youtube. It is a very easy, simple and quick test based on the fact that fully reacted biodiesel will desolve in methanol. WVO will not disolve. With that said, if there is still oil that is under converted, it will settle to the bottom of the test tube. A successful conversion will have nothing settling to the bottem.

See above.

As a side note:
The cool thing about running WVO before switchig to B100 is that you undoubtly understand the importance of clean, dry feedstock. I still CF all of the feedstock, however, many people far more educated in biodiesel production say it is not really necessary.....but at the same time they will also tell you that the quickest way to under converted fuel is in the presence of water! Well, you obviously have successfully implemented a system to ensure dry oil, so you are half way there already!

Good luck, and let me know how/if I can help. I confess to be only a novice, but consistantly my production is passing the 27/3 , the soap tests well under the ASTM standard, and the fuel is absolutely crystal clear.

Oh, and one last thing......in the US, without having passed the ASTM test ($1500+ per attempt) you cant sell a drop of product legally. God bless the good ol' US of A......GO GREEN, (just dont get caught and keep under the radar!)

[simone0414]

Thanks very much for the info Mike. I watched the videos on the Bio pro & man what a impressive machine. Doesn't get much eaiser then that. I wish I had an extra 10 grand.

I know there is alot of factors which will affect cost but approx. how much does it cost to make bio?

Back to safety. I know chemical gloves, safety googles, apron are required but how do I insure that I'm not exposed to meth vapors? I'm thinking on the lines of a appleseed hotwater tank processor. Also what safety precausions are required to store methanol & Lye?

[vegginpsd]

Originally Posted by simone0414

Thanks very much for the info Mike. I watched the videos on the Bio pro & man what a impressive machine. Doesn't get much eaiser then that. I wish I had an extra 10 grand.

I know there is alot of factors which will affect cost but approx. how much does it cost to make bio? I am at $.73/gallon with energy and chemicals.
Back to safety. I know chemical gloves, safety googles, apron are required but how do I insure that I'm not exposed to meth vapors? IMO methanol is no more hazardous than gasoline. Treat it with respect, and use good sence.

I'm thinking on the lines of a appleseed hotwater tank processor. Also what safety precausions are required to store methanol & Lye?

Keep your lye sealed, away from your two and four legged critters and it will be fine. Methanol needs to be kept sealed when not in use. Standing pilot light devices and appliances should be avoided in areas adjacent to your work space. I also favor explosion proof AC motors as well, just as added insurance.

I hope this helps.....

[simone0414]

Originally Posted by vegginpsd

Keep your lye sealed, away from your two and four legged critters and it will be fine. Methanol needs to be kept sealed when not in use. Standing pilot light devices and appliances should be avoided in areas adjacent to your work space. I also favor explosion proof AC motors as well, just as added insurance.

I hope this helps.....

It does. Thanks again.