This company has sold a waste oil burner since around late '07 that claims it can run on glycerin.

I don't really hear much about it. Someone from this forum privately told me they had their doubts, but had never tried it themselves.

I tried to find some testimonials, and there are a few people out there who use it and say it works, but like the company they don't say how much it costs.

This makes me think they are people affiliated with the company who are plugging their own product (maybe).

What do you guys know about this thing?

I recently built a BURNER That can take Glyc but the fumes that come out of the thing even when its burning cleanly make me think it isn't such a hot idea.

I have read that there is nothing bad in burning Glyc and I have read the opposite. The toxic smell that comes out of the burner even for some time well after the glyc has been consumed ( like hours) tells me this stuff isn't the smartest fuel a person can use. I put the emissions down to the residual KOH that seems to be left over as an ash. With Veg or WMO all I get is that comfortable, clean, warm air smell that you can stand there and breathe all day but with the glyc, it takes your breath away, makes your eyes water and gets up your nose with a burning sensation.

I realise in proper installations that one would not be breathing the vapors from the fire, but as they are going into the air just the same, it's highly likely someone like your neighbor or even wildlife is going to get a whiff and that doesn't seem like a real good thing to me.

quote:

Originally posted by DCS:
I recently built a BURNER That can take Glyc but the fumes that come out of the thing even when its burning cleanly make me think it isn't such a hot idea.

I have read that there is nothing bad in burning Glyc and I have read the opposite. The toxic smell that comes out of the burner even for some time well after the glyc has been consumed ( like hours) tells me this stuff isn't the smartest fuel a person can use.

Could that smell be the acrolein I've been reading about?

"Acrolein (systematic name: propenal) is the simplest unsaturated aldehyde. It is produced widely but is most often immediately reacted with other products due to its instability and toxicity. It has a piercing, disagreeable, acrid smell similar to that of burning fat."

If so, I guess the people who argue its safe point to that bit about it being "immediately reacted with other products due to its instability". I've also heard that given enough heat acrolein will not be produced when glycerin is burned. I'm not an engineer, so I have no opinion as to that debate.

Also the source is wikipedia, so I think it should be taken with a grain of salt.

Currently, I'm more curious if that product is a fraud, but sounds like you think it should work.

That burner needs at least 90 psi compressed air, that is a lot of on time for a compressor, it appears to get plenty hot to completely consume the glyc though, that is THE important thing when burning glyc.

quote:

Originally posted by fabricator:
it appears to get plenty hot to completely consume the glyc though, that is THE important thing when burning glyc.

Cuzza the acrolein, right? Or is it just general nastiness and coking from partially combusted glycerin?

P.S. DCS: Nice burner. I just checked out the video.

I hope to be half as resourceful some day

You got me thinking about the old vacuum cleaners I recently threw out.

Yep, acreolin is a product by low temperature burning of glyc.

While I haven't Checked it as yet, I don't think the temp in my burner would be low as it is all flame and gets the outside of the drum red hot less than a minute after start up.

Even after all the Glyc is consumed, it still has that smell coming out of it. This was the same as when I tried Burning the Glycerin in my brick pizza oven that I did measure to over 1200oC with a forced air burner. I don't know how far over 1200 it was, the thermocouple only went a bit over before the tip melted off and it stopped working.

I know people want to find a way to use this stuff and get rid of it but burning isn't the way IMHO.
For those that have town sewerage, despite the perpetuated misguided veg myth, there is nothing wrong with pouring the stuff down the drain and being done with it.

Check it out.

I found an NCSU thesis that deals with this very subject.

Many of the details are over my head, but I'm reading it nontheless and thought you guys would find it interesting.

Excellent link, thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by FuriousGeorge:
Check it out.

I found an NCSU thesis that deals with this very subject.

Many of the details are over my head, but I'm reading it nontheless and thought you guys would find it interesting.

Very interesting study. Thanks for posting it. I've already got it forwarded to another interested party.

Nice find Furious. Thanks.

Interesting Design and information.
I would like to get a smell of the emissions of that burner to see if they smell the same as mine.
One would think that if the output is clean enough as in this design, there shouldn't be any of the smell and eye watering and nose burning effects mine has but would be good to find out.
Perhaps these effects are possible without being dangerous per se ?

The swirl principal in that burner is the same as I use in mine. I did do a test with burning some plastic bottles and styrofoam in my burner yesterday and with the oil flow rate lowered to compensate for the extra fuel and air requirement, it burned perfectly cleanly with no smell at all.

Don't thank me. Thank the Google and the Internets.

Anyway, it was the least I could do for the forum

quote:

Originally posted by DCS:
Interesting Design and information.
I would like to get a smell of the emissions of that burner to see if they smell the same as mine.
One would think that if the output is clean enough as in this design, there shouldn't be any of the smell and eye watering and nose burning effects mine has but would be good to find out.

DCS: My unporfessional opinion is that the 'swirl burner' probably smelled pretty rank too. I read a good 45% of that thesis, and I don't think the author mentioned smell once.

Isn't burning glycerin supposed to smell bad?

Besides firewood, pretty much anything you burn falls on a scale between 'kinda bad' (if you're lucky) and 'really bad' smelling, right?

I will say that 'diesel smell' is OK, as far combustion odors go, but that isn't saying much

I mix NaOH glycerin, VO sludge and sawdust together and burn it in my woodstove with a hot wood fire.
Clean burn, no weird 'bad' smell, no problems. Perhaps trying to burn 100% glycerin is a bad idea.

Keep it simple, it works better that way.

quote:

Check it out.

I found an NCSU thesis that deals with this very subject.

That is quite awesome. And the final outcome is the best: he made it work! I had to save a copy of that locally!

His tips and tricks:
1) A recirculation blocking plate, like a salamander heater
2) Pre-heat the combustion chamber to 1000C with propane
3) Air atomizing nozzle, with the glycerin pumped to the nozzle (not just drawn by the air pressure)
4) Lots of air swirl in the burn chamber
5) Mixing glycerine/water 80/20 to reduce CO production

But even given all that, if I even try to burn glycerin, it will be the sawdust log method, as that is much easier and works with my shop heater as it is set up now.

http://www.eoearth.org/article...atement_for_Acrolein

Acrolein. Pretty nasty stuff. It can happen, but if you have a hot fire -- I doubt you will ever experience it. It also breaks down quickly in the atmosphere.

This is a perennial scare on this forum and for a good reason. Don't throw glycerine byproduct on a smoldering fire. Use it only on a hot fire as additional fuel.

Hope that helps.

Be aware! it appears this company is run by a skunk!
See here, http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/ev...39605551/m/898109362
Jon