Girl Mark

A not-so-quick, way off topic processing question:
I was working on a field trial of biodiesel used in mining equipment in the old Homestake gold mine in Lead, SD many years ago. AURI in Minnesota was doing the fuel QA/QC for us at the time. This was before the first ISO standard on biodiesel fuel quality. We screened a number of different soy-methyl-esters at AURI with the idea of picking the one with the best quality for our field trials (lowest FFA, etc. etc.). We stuff we wound up using from Procter and Gamble was pretty amazing. It was over 99% methyl esters and was actually clear instead of the light yellow color most of us are used to. They used some sort of distillation process as the final clean-up step. I know this is pretty energy intensive, but AURI was also looking at reducing the energy input and other distillation improvements. Do you know if anyone is still working on using a final distillation step for biodiesel clean-up, or is it just too expensive outside of the ultra-pure, "methyl esters as a chemcial commodity" kind of stuff? Is this something way outside the realm of possibilities for DIY?

Girl Mark
If you do come back to SVSU I want to register and attend. I'm diffently not advanced but have made some batchs and it has burned ok in my 94 Ford 250. Wayne did some welding for me and I have three processors ready to go. The more information I can get the more comfortable I feel making my own larger quantity's.
Currently working with a Boilermaker to make some SS processors for a cleaner process.
Yet, I have some competition over here in Alma Michigan with a fellow putting in a 1.8 Billion (yes Billion not Million) Ethanol and Bio-Diesel processing plant. There goes all my WVO to process. Only know some of the details but there are a total of 14 companies that do research in alternative energy, from Solar to Wind generation and have full testing labs to test fuels. I wonder if they will test samples from my Appleseed? They are breaking ground on the old Total (Gas) refinery that was torn down a couple of years ago. He has bought all of teh property and is attempting to expand on another 400 acres.

The other thing I forgot to mention is that the class was great gained a lot of information and with teh hands on it just made it much better.

What's the latest on an SVSU class? after the spring thaw?

Summer is by far the best time to visit Michigan.....not arriving on the day of the worst snow of the year.

I've got an email out to Chris at SVSU, I'd really like to do an Advanced class there (as well as a regular beginners' class beforehand). Unfortunately, I sent the email right before the holidays, and haven't heard back, I"m guessing because they're on vacation.

Mark

As I said last year I would be interested in attending both new and advanced. Just let me know when to sign up. Refreshers are always good

allright! Thanks. I've also got an offer from another guy in Michigan who has space at another university (sorry, I cna't rememer offhand which city it is), but I'd like to make it happen at SVSU for various reasons. I'll let y'all know when I know.

If SSVU doesn't work out we could try Central Michigan University. One of the profs is setting up a BD system to supply all of their vehicles. It is right in the middle of the lower part of Michigan. I'm sure you would get more of a draw from Grand Rapids, Lansing and other parts of the State. It is no further than about 2 1/2 hours at the very most from any part in lower Michigan. Most places including Saginaw, Bay City and Midland are no further than an hour.

quote:

Originally posted by girl mark:
allright! Thanks. I've also got an offer from another guy in Michigan who has space at another university (sorry, I cna't rememer offhand which city it is), but I'd like to make it happen at SVSU for various reasons. I'll let y'all know when I know.

Might it be Chris Kobus or Jim Liedel from Oakland University?

No, it was William Koucky, who has come to a couple of my classes, but I can't for the life of me recall which place he's talking about.

I did meet a Jim from Oakland MI, who I think might be who you're talking about - a red-haired guy who was at the Co-ops conference in Colorado, and I seem to remember him saying he;s involved in a co-op or university biodiesel production project.

THere's no shortage of places where I could do this class- I don't need a university setting- but SVSU has some neat biomass energy technologies to show off which I think people would be excited to see. Plus I REALLY liked the professors I met there- they were a team of mad scientists, who were actually interested in small-scale solutions for smaller-scale farmers, not just researching the Big Biomass In The Sky sorts of solutions.

Chris is working. I talked to him a couple days ago about some cellulosic ethanol stuff.

arright, I"ll call him, then. Maybe my mail program ate his reply, or vice versa. Glad to hear you're still in touch with the Mad Scientists Of Biomass.

Mark

I was invited to a meeting on the cellulosic ethanol stuff - and had to do a quick refresher on the current technology.

I just talked to Chris Shilling at SVSU, and we'll be doing my 4-day class there sometime this summer, probably June.

More info when I have it. IN the meantime, I have one of these classes coming up in Berkeley in Febuary- see the events forum or www.girlmark.com/tour

Any chance of coming sooner like early spring when the weather becomes more friendly to making BD in our garages? If not see you in the summer.

Missed the June bump in this thread....

In response to Joe_mac's posting I can only offer the following, as now I am going from memory.

The presenters which did the most work actually instrumenting and taking measurements on engines were from UK and Italy, where I presume the Petrodiesel in higher than US, as Joe_Mac indicated.

The claim of ignition delay made by one of the presenters was questioned, and an alternate threory of injection delay came up as BD has physical properties which, when compared to PD, would give rise to injection delay. Again as Joe_Mac indicates, designs of injection systems optimized for BD would help in this area.

Regarding PM, the presenters indicated an across-the-board reduction in PM, which probably made the trade-off that occurs with advanced timing more palateable.

I'll have a look in Januray to see what research papers SAE are planning to present on BD this year.

Horn

quote:

Originally posted by Cef:
Any chance of coming sooner like early spring when the weather becomes more friendly to making BD in our garages? If not see you in the summer.

no, I"ll be in the South and Texas then.

Mark

I wish to repeat my offer of space for a class in Modesto CA. LOTS of room to work with, 5 bays wide and 4 cars deep, space heater keeps it nice and warm, lifts to raise up vehicles if that's helpfull, a classroom for the instruction part, 1.5 hr. from Oakland, facility is free for instructional use.

Please keep us up to date on this.

I can probably host some food grilling or something for an evening or two, and I have a nice big yard if people need somewhere (with broadband) to camp. Definitely a better time to visit Michigan than last year. Indoor plumbing may or may not be available, depending on the status of the new septic field.

I'm a mile and a half off the interstate - about 15 minutes from the SVSU campus.

There's some alternate energy stuff going on here - the house is mostly prepped for co-generation. Biodiesel has remained on the back burner, but fabrication infrastructure is moving forward. The new CNC Plasma cutter is about 75% complete.

I'm sure I can come up with good redneck fun to entertain people in the off hours :-)

Please feel free to throw out suggestions for synergies and enhancements....

Eric

quote:

Originally posted by girl mark:
I just talked to Chris Shilling at SVSU, and we'll be doing my 4-day class there sometime this summer, probably June.

More info when I have it. IN the meantime, I have one of these classes coming up in Berkeley in Febuary- see the events forum or www.girlmark.com/tour

bump