howdy all!

i think it hit me about the same time it hit quite a few other people...when I saw $3.99/gal for diesel i decided it was time...

Just finished making my 1st Dr. Pepper batch. Made 3L using store bought vegetable oil, 2 bottles of HEET (710mL), and 1/2 tbsp of 100% lye...oh...and i'm using the 4 shake method. Gonna get a scale tomorrow to weigh the NaOH so that like someone said, I can keep it consistent. A 750mL empty Absolut vodka bottle worked nice for mixing up the methoxide...just the right size for the batch I made (at least I hope anyway). Let me know if it sounds like I mixed anything wrong.

Any tips for getting the BD out once the glycerin settles? also...where might I find some info about drying...havent made it that far in the research yet, hope to be able to wash tomorrow. Thx for being here y'all, I hope this works out so I can completely do away with the necessity for fossil diesel...$4/gal...rediculous...

Wellcome, rockfrawg,

There is a huge wealth of info right here if are willing to play with the search feature. Also, check out the colaborative biodiesel tutorial, in my sig. line. The info there is a little easier to navigate, but summarized.

To separate, a funnel with a valve works well for small batches. Just drain the byproduct layer off.

Good luck, and have fun!

alrighty...probably no big deal but just wanted to ask...so, all was going well until I got to what I thought might be the final shake in the wash process. I had about 3L of BD before that step (i'm using a 3L Ozarka bottle). After that wash, when draining the water it was extra soapy compared to the prior washes. I lost about 20% of my final product and since letting it settle a white layer has formed on the bottom of the jug. Its not as bad as what it might look, the center of the jug is recessed upwards so it make the jug look like it holds quite a bit more than it actually does, and at the same time makes the stuff thats settling to the bottom look like about 30% more volume that it actually is. I'm just curious what this is. It should be fairly easy to drain off but it seems that every time I drain stuff I lose part of my BD.

TIA for any input

PS. I've attached a pic of my "tools" just for your enjoyment, sorry for the size, my file hosting program no longer resizes them automatically for me.

www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album309/DSC05310.jpg
www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album309/DSC05311.jpg www.texasoffroad.net/albums/lonestar/album309/DSC05315.jpg

WOOO HOOOO!!!

It worked!!

The reaction occurred just as described and it's clarifying as we speak.

I always have drums of methanol around, because I run it in my race car. I have a Chinese restaurant lined up that will give me their oil. Now, all I need to do is build the reactor!!

we just tried our first batch in soda bottle. It stays dark and has good settling on the bottom. It has been 1 day since it was mixed. Should we wait til the bottom gels bofore washing or seperate while still liquid.
Thanks

Congratulations on your first batch. You can separate it while still liquid. Be careful not to let any of the byproduct get in with the wash. It may cause an emulsion.

Ken

Hi everyone. I've also finally got around to trying the Dr. Pepper. Followed the steps as closely as possible. I noticed though, that something was wrong when I opened the bottle of draino. It had little metal flakes in it. The caution on the bottle listed Sodium Hydroxide so I figured that it was the right stuff. I went ahead thinking that I could just strain out the metal flakes when I remeasured the 250 mils. I really felt like something was wrong when the 3rd and 4th hour of fairly vigorous mixing occured. It was supposed to take 10 minutes?
Anyhow, I used waste oil that I've had for about 6 months and put through 2 layers of cheesecloth-looked pretty clean and couldn't get any water poping when I heated it up.
When I added the Methoxide and shook it up for 10 seconds it took on the cloudy light chocolate milk appearance but then almost immediately settled with a layer (about an inch) of clear-oil coloured liquid and about 6 inches of the same colour-only cloudy. I measured the lye using a teaspoon, the Methanol I used was Methyl Hydrate-(same thing?). Something doesn't quite fit with the description. Any thoughts?

I tried Draino once. It didn't work for me either. 100% Sodium Hydroxide can be found as "Red Devil Lye" drain cleaner in some hardware stores. The best method to measure the sodium hydroxide is by weight. You can make a balance scale from ordinary household items that will work well enough for 1 liter test batches. See the Dixie Cup Scale page at the CBT. They suggest using measured amounts of water for the balance weight but US pennies minted after 1983 weigh 2.5 grams each. Five grams sodium hydroxide per liter of oil is a very common standard amount for new vegetable oil. That would be the same amount as what two pennies weigh.

Wikipedia lists methyl hydrate in the "other names" section of the methanol page. Purity of the methanol is important. If you doubt the purity of your methanol, HEET gas line anti-freeze in the yellow bottle is pure methanol. Be sure to get the yellow bottle. Iso-HEET in the red bottle won't work.

Ken

Thanks Ken,

The Methyl hydrate lists 99.9-good enough? I think that I'll try finding better lye.
Now -what to do with that nasty Draino. I guess I'll wait for Hazardous Waste day to dispose of it.

Tim

quote:

The Methyl hydrate lists 99.9-good enough? I think that I'll try finding better lye. Now -what to do with that nasty Draino.

99.9 should work very well.

I think I'd dispose of the Draino by using it to clean my drain pipes. Be sure to follow the directions on the can.

Ken

Hi all. I tried making a test batch, and I don't know if it worked correctly. I spilled a small portion of the methoxide mix (mason jars don't pour well) and after an hour there's only about a 1/4" of clear fluid at the top with the cloudy/milky portion below that. Also, the bottle is starting to deform, can I loosen the cap to let some air in the right the bottle again? Last one, after the glycerine settles to the bottom, how do I separate it out of the 2L bottle? Thanks.

Hello Superorb, welcome to the forum

Did you use new oil or WVO?
Is there a thin layer forming on the bottom?
The thin layer on top is likely to be the meniscus.
Yes, you cal loosen the cap and allow air inside

quote:

Originally posted by Tilly:
Hello Superorb, welcome to the forum

Did you use new oil or WVO?
Is there a thin layer forming on the bottom?
The thin layer on top is likely to be the meniscus.
Yes, you cal loosen the cap and allow air inside

I used new oil. Looks like this:

Hello superorb, congratulations on your first successful batch of biodiesel!

It looks perfect for new oil.
Because you used new oil, the glycerine layer on the bottom is not particurlarly dark.
The "thin layer" on top is actually the meniscus of the biodiesel.

Ok. So can I start to wash it now, or should I wait for it to settle more?

Hi Tilly

If the above is a perfect batch of biodiesel than mine must be the anti-biodiesel because my batch came out exactly the opposite of the above- clear layer (1 inch) on top and cloudy on the bottom.

Tim

quote:

Originally posted by Timothy:
Hi Tilly

If the above is a perfect batch of biodiesel than mine must be the anti-biodiesel because my batch came out exactly the opposite of the above- clear layer (1 inch) on top and cloudy on the bottom.

Tim

Mine had to sit for a few hours to look like the picture. Right after I shook it up, it looked like how you described, clear on top and cloudy on bottom.

Hi All,
I am a new member and I am sick and tired of the fuel price!
Oh I am so over it. $1.50 plus per litre for diesel .That’s it.
I will be going to a small BIO Diesel setup. No question.

I have some books on the way, so I will read them when they arrive.
My understanding from this site is that it isn’t that hard.

Could somebody give me the a rough mix percentage wise, so that I can work out a budget, price per litre?
% WVO %methanol %KOH

I can get my WVO for free and have a price of approx $1.30 a litre for methanol. Is that expensive?

I have a small farm outside of Toowoomba QLD, Australia and would like to initially run my 4WD(turbo) and my tractor.

All help is appreciated

Looking forward to new horizons………some what free of the oil barons!

Cheers
Annatex

Hello Annatex

Look at the first post in this thread for the chemicals required to produce a litre of biodiesel. Roughly $0.25 a litre.

How far and in what direction from Toowoomba?

Hi Tilly, Thanks for the fast response. I am approx 20Km south of Toowoomba. On Highway.

I did see the 0.25c a lite but cant seem to find rough % to verifiy this. Ie Unsure of the amount to mix. (budget wise only)
How much Methanol per lite of end prodcut being biodiesel? I am assuming amount one fifth. Therfore about the $0.25, is this roughly correct?

Might sound a silly question, sorry just starting out and looking at viability.
Annatex