I'm on a bit of a mission to flesh out this acid esterification section of this forum. Periodically discussion of it comes up (I think in Colin's Continuous Process thread for instance) but if this discussion happens elsewhere in the forum, it eventually gets lost.

Here's a nice explanation of what the exterification reacion is:
http://biodiesel.infopop.net/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=465094322&f=175094322&m=2983035127

Girl Mark,
Eventually I am going to have to turn the 360 litre of chicken fat that I have stored into BD. Looks as if your acid mission may be coming along at about the right time.
regards
dva

where the hell did you get 360 liters of chicken fat.. or are you joking?
mark

Girl Mark,
No Joke. I work for a cooked chicken producer. One day we managed to get a contaminated batch of chicked fat (Someone was grinding metal in a cooker and didn't follow the correct protective procedures). So we dumped everything in site just to be safe. I managed to get home all the 16 Kg drums of fat in three trips in my car.
Funny thing is that a few month ago to try and make some space in my shed I tried to give it all away. No one was interested. So I will use it myself.
regards
dva

I too have a source for rendered chicken parts. A friend of mine works in a chicken rendering plant in north Florida (it may even be across the GA border) but he has given me 30 gal's of the oil that comes out of their cooker. He said that he could bring me a barrel every weekend. I have tried to make biodiesel using KOH and NaOH and have not had any luck.

I heat the oil to 150F and add 20% methanol with the correct catalyst (KOH = 9+FFA and NaOH = 3.5+FFA).

When I use the NaOH I get a big mass of yellow rubbish stuff.

When I use the KOH I get a yellow jello substance but there is biodiesel visible on the outside of the mass and up against the glass. I can poke a straw into the mix and get biodiesel to float to the top. I never get any where near the yield I get with veggie oil.

Can anyone give be a starting point to? I have a good supply and wish to make good biodiesel for my truck.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.


Bio-Mike

bio-Mike,
Try making up a Dr Pepper (Hail Tilly) test litre using 6 gramm NaOH and 200 Ml methanol. Do the reaction at 55 C and don't forget the very good shaking.
My chixfat produces a very clear bio plus a lot of white stuff. I seem to get about 60% good bio with the above. I notice that the bio stays very thin right down past +2 c when left in the fridge.
I haven't tried any large batches yet using chixfat. Still using up my veggie oil.
let me know how you get on.
regards
dva

p.s. Re: I heat the oil to 150F and add 20% methanol with the correct catalyst (KOH = 9+FFA and NaOH = 3.5+FFA).

150 F = 65.5 C which is above the boiling point of Methanol. Come down to 55 c = 131 F

quote:

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I heat the oil to 150F and add 20% methanol with the correct catalyst (KOH = 9+FFA and NaOH = 3.5+FFA).

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Bio-Mike,

Do you let it cool down some before adding the methoxide?

I believe 150F is hot enough to evaporate the methanol, which might leave you with "soap".

The 55C that is recommended it 131F.

Using KOH in cottonseed but your figure of 9 + FFA has me concerned, sounds a lot like too much catalyst. I use an NaOH equivalent of 4.5grams = 4.5*1.4 = 6.3 Plus FFA titration amount. Works a wonder.

I did try the 9 or 10 plus FFA on an ethanol batch when I was new to all of this and it did exactly as you describe, turned into a yellow solid glop. Melts in the sun, solidifies soon after. Some biodiesel looking liquid but a disaster all the same. Wind back your catalyst, and at worst start very lowwith the catalyst, and you are able to add extra measured amounts with a bit more methanol and do this in controlled measured amounts until you get it to work.

Best of luck, it should work.
Matt

Here you can see the difference between bio from WVO in the left hand jar and bio from 100% chicken fat in the right jar.

vegchixbio.JPG (54 Kb, 123 downloads)

DVA,
What is the melting point (or cloud point) of your "kentucky fried biodiesel"?

Tony fWO,
It's a while since I checked it but if I remember correctly it showed no sign of clouding when left in my fridge for a week at +4 C.
which can't be bad. It certainly goes lower than my veg oil bio.
Problem is you, because it is so clear you have to be carefull not to mistake it for water and throw it out.
I have another 360 kilo to proccess when I get around to it.
I have noticed that it doesn't have the 'acrid' smell from the exhaust that I so dislike when burning WVO derived bio.
regards
dva