We are looking for someone that can make us a glycerine methanol recovery, please let me know if anyone out there is intereested in such a project.

Mo.

Malamin,
Where are you located, We've just upgraded our system from 15 - 30 gallons. We might be interested in getting rid of the 15gal glycerin still.

Hello, Do you have any idea how the inline
methanol recovery unit listed at Biodys.com
could be built at home. I don't know the
selling price. Also,I would be interested in any info you may know on where to learn how to
build a larger methanol recovery still.
I'm experimenting with 1-3"inces vacuum with
vacuum relief on a 500 gallon non pressure tank.
It works at 205 degrees, with/9' foot plumbers delight coming off the tank. This example is
meth recovery from bio diesel only, glycerol already drained off. 350 gallons of bio to
start with. It produces some clear methanol
back into a 55 gal. drum., but it is a 48 hour
process. There must be a better way. Thanks
Carl

I am located in Vancouver Wa, i need this to be shipped to Alabama, can you send me a description of your stil.

Thanks,
Mo

quote:

Originally posted by Rick K:
Malamin,
Where are you located, We've just upgraded our system from 15 - 30 gallons. We might be interested in getting rid of the 15gal glycerin still.

The still is fairly simple to construct. It is a 20 gallon metal barrel with a 55000 watt water heater element running at 110v. It has a thermostat on it set to around 250*F (you don’t need that but we originally built it with it).

Attached to that is a reflux column packed with stainless scrubbers, about 2Ft (4ft would be better). On top of that is a head temperature thermometer and the vapor exits into a condenser.

This condenser is just 20ft of 1/4 copper tubing rolled around a pipe so it will fit into some 2" PVC pipe that water circulates through cooling the vapor. The liquid then exits the copper tubing into a collection container.

Legal has a great tutorial on his site on how to build something similar to what I do.

Just posted troy's still on www.make-biodiesel.org

quote:

Originally posted by CSCHAEFER:
Hello, Do you have any idea how the inline
methanol recovery unit listed at Biodys.com
could be built at home.

A line evaporator is no still....it heats biodiesel or glycerol with methanol instantly and under pressure and then releases it into an expansion tank where the methanol vaporizes. There is no vacuum, the methanol vapor is pushed out into a condenser by the flow where it is cooled either by the cold biodiesel/glycerol or by some other cold medium in case the main stream is already too hot. The level in the expansion tank is kept at a steady level.

Before you can consider building such a unit yourself you need to answer the following questions for the heating unit alone:

1. What is it you want the methanol out from (biodiesel, glycerol)
2. How much methanol is in there?
3. What is the initial temperature?
4. How fast do you want to get the methanol out (what flow rate with a line evaporator) i.e. 100, 300, 400 liter biodiesel per hour.
5. What voltage do you have?
6. Do you make your methoxide at home and do you know the water byproduct ends up in your methanol when you recover it? Do you want that out too?

That basically determines the temperature increase required over a certain time and the resistance of the heating element necessary, or in case of higher temperatures, a heat exchanger, the equipment required, the capacity of the condenser etc. etc.

Then you need to answerthe following safety questions:

1. Do you need a level switch to switch off the element should the liquid level drop (for whatever reason) to avoid the heating element overheating and blowing the entire thing up?
2. Should this level switch be explosion proof in itself?
3. Should the heating element be explosion proof and have a built in thermostat?
4. Should there be a second thermostat in series to prevent accidents in case thermostat 1 fails?
5. Should the system be operated under pressure so that the methanol is not allowed to vaporize near the heating element?
6. Should there be an explosion proof pressure switch to switch off the heating element should the pressure drop?
7. Should the switch also switch off the pump in case of overpressure?

The answers on the above questions determine equipment choice and price.

That's the heating part.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3, flashing tank and Condenser.

Best regards,

Dimitri Georganas
Biodys