What is the recommended storage container for biodiesel? I am making 100 gallons each week but will not be using that much each week. We are farmers so our usage varies thus I will be stockpiling. I have an old petrol diesel tank but I am sure that is not the best solution.

Thanks!

You can store in 200Lt poly drums, but fill 'em right up and keep 'em out of the light. It can last this way for a couple years providing you had no contaminants in the drum before filling them.

Hey Legal,

Two questions about that:
1 - When you say "fill them right up" do you mean try to get as little head space/air in the storage container as possible?
2 - in keeping them from the light, is it all light, direct sunlight, electric lights, or ambient lighting?

The reason I'm asking about both things is that I'm thinking of using a tote for my storage. The tote would (1) take a while to fill, so have a lot of head space in the container, and (2) be by my processors which is in the garage and thus gets both electric and ambient light (although never direct sunlight). I could easily cover it with dark canvas to prevent issues, if it would help.

Just wondering if I need to rethink my tote idea.

Thanks,
-Scott

Hello Scott
Is your garage detached from your house.

200- 300 gallons of biodiesel sitting in a plastic container next to your reactor in the garage would be something I would think twice about doing.

Totes are wonderful, and very practical. Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from any potential igintion source.

If you've never seen biodiesel burn take the time to draw a sample in a cast iron pot, spray a little methanol over it and toss in a match. It does a fine job. 1,000LT's of it will do a fine job of liberating you of any structure it finds itself in too, should a fire develop.

That said; unless you have heavy equipment, like a couple combines or farm ttractors that go through a lot of fuel totes for storage may not offer the best solution, whereas the venerable 200Lt drum would be much better in a situation where you will need to get into it regulary. It is the opening and closing trapping air that gets polymerisation going and could also promote bacterial growth resulting in fungus, so the smaller the container yo use the quicker it will empty and the less likely you will have any of those issues to deal with. Practicality has to be balanced with reality in this situation.

I am about to fill another 200Lt drum, but not until I have exhausted my reserve of 20Lt carboys that I use to fuel my cars. The tractors use a 200Lt drum as it goes up and down very regularly so is not much of a concern and it is stored in a cool shaded area of the barn with only a small window where the feed hose and electrical leads for the pump pass through for fueling. The second farm gets theirs in cubies and they are stored in a barn as well, on a pallet away from sunlight and only opened when ready to use.

if you have access to CO2 would you be able to cap off the top with that if you couldn't fill a larger tank quickly enough?

sorry for hijacking, just curious. this is what we are thinking about doing.

quote:

Originally posted by sheepfarmer1208:
What is the recommended storage container for biodiesel? I am making 100 gallons each week but will not be using that much each week. We are farmers so our usage varies thus I will be stockpiling. I have an old petrol diesel tank but I am sure that is not the best solution.

Thanks!

I would only store it in a metal.But thats me.Madmatt

Why metal vs plastic? Are you referring to 55 gallon drums or larger metal fuel tanks?

Tilly and Legal,

Thanks for again pointing me in the cautious/safe direction. I'd prefer to have up to 4 x 55gal steel drums and know I was safer in the event of an accidental fire than to have a poly tote that would melt upon moderate heat and dump my fuel into a fire.

...should have been thinking of this, just needed the nudge.
Thanks,
-Scott

ps.

quote:

it will do a fine job of liberating you of any structure it finds itself in, should fire develop..."

that's some funny stuff!

Hello Scott

Yes, You may remember this picture of a fire that resulted when a fibreglass tank with about 350 gal of WVO went up in flame when a heater caused a fire in the oil drying tank it was sitting next to.

It would ruin your day.

How about inert welding gas, like 100% Argon or C25/75 to displace the natural air in new 55gal steel drums?

Ive seen this done to an opened paint catylist can.

A thought.
Brian

I've read of a reaction to carbon steel tanks and bio , so having a painted inside of what ever tank you are using , is recommended .
Using a blater in a tank would help with 3 of the issues , carbon steel - airspace & fire .

What is the ideal measurement of the allowance should I leave on my 200Lt poly drums? I am really worried of screwing things up in my backyard.
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quote:

Originally posted by JohnTF:
I've read of a reaction to carbon steel tanks and bio...

Did you read that on JTF? Biodiesel does not react with carbon steel.

Testing For Compatibility Of Steel With Biodiesel (pdf)


Ken

Sheepfarmer, check out chapters 3.6 and 3.9 of Biodiesel Handling And Use Guidelines (pdf)

Ken

Bunk , I looked at your link/PDF , I have a number of problems with it , I look for a lot of facts related to most anything I do , so end up with a computer getting full a stuff , I prefer that when someone makes a link , that they give a little info , so that I do not blindly download PDFs , but I did look at is , most studies have a conclusion at the end , so you can get some ideas of the studies with out taking the time to go over the hole thing , this did not .
Then the study only looked at the corrosion of carbon steel , not the reacting of bio with the steel , so its not conclusive , showing evidences either way , so the possibility is still open .

Again , give some info as to what you are linking to , then use the PDFs as reference , as this case shows , that your 1st PDF does not address the issue at hand , bio reacting , not steel .
I am not trying to prove either way , but would like to know the facts .
I need to look at the JTF site , there may be some confusion as to any relationship to it .

quote:

I prefer that when someone makes a link , that they give a little info , so that I do not blindly download PDFs

Thanks. I'll try to be better about providing information about linked documents in the future. How's this:
Most tanks designed to store diesel fuel will store B100 with no problem. Acceptable storage tank materials include aluminum, steel, fluorinated polyethylene, fluorinated polypropylene, Teflon®, and most fiberglass.
Source: Biodiesel Handling And Use Guidelines (pdf)

Can you provide a reference to where you read of the reaction to carbon steel tanks and bio?

Ken

I mentioned earlier that it was just a read , it could have been from anywhere , including here .
With all the do it yourselfer here , and all the problems that they create , it should be expected that they are going to have issues with there bio making , not getting all the methanol / lye out - caustic for the tank , then the reactivity to what they put it in .
I could only guess that the studies are using good clean bio , so the doityourselfers , should take extra steps .
I know some that build commercial plants , and say that even stainless is eaten away in the plants .
I have also read that aluminum is not good with bio , not sure if it was relating to processing over storage .
Then it comes to plastics , and it seems there is an endless variety to keep track of , PVC being one not to use .

Bunk I looked at the 2nd PDF , looks like a lot of good info , but again a large down load , and could not find anything about storage , I did not read all , but did go through the index / contents .
Again I would like to prove or disprove , find the facts myself in this , because it limits what containers I look for .