bio- virgin

well I just made my first batch of Biodiesel. I am like a kid on Xmas morning. It is only a little blender batch, and I didn't use Waste oil, I went for shiny new canola for my first try. It is settling out nicely. Now ... the question: am I brave enough to thro it into my shiny new Jetta wagon?
I didn't have any problem drinking my first batch of home brewed beer.... so why am i worried .
anyone else a budding biodiesel producer?

hey, congratulations! Wasn't hard to do, was it? Certainly easier'n makin' beer!

let it settle for a couple days to get good separation, then spend a few more days just lookin' at it, admirin' your handiwork before feeling any need to pour it into your tank.

I still have a little sample bottle of about an ounce from my first batch, also with fresh/new canola oil. Beautiful stuff.

thanks for the reply. Yeah it is a wonderful thing
It isn't looking quite like I expected.... I have about an inch of stuff at the bottom, and it hasn't changed much from last night ( I marked it ) the bio doesn't look as clear as I would have expected.... thought it would be crystal clear... so a few more days?? I have a hydrometer (left over from beer making ) I will check the SG at some point. will keep ya posted

PS my wife has seen the catalog of large chem tanks and is worried this going to lead to bigger things. Hmmmm the first batch of beer was small and out of a bag... the last batch ... well,you get the picture.....

ok.... 2 days and it is still very slightly cloudy. I thought it would be crystal clear. Is there a problem?
I used very accurate measures and brand new ingredients.

several things can make it not-entirely-clear, ranging from as-yet suspended alkali particles to excess alcohol. What was your recipe, exactly?

recipe:

one liter of fresh canola oil ( measured in chem beaker )
3.5 grams lye ( red devil drain stuff, measured on electronic scale )
200 ml methanol ( heet gas line stuff, also measured in beaker )

all mixed per instructions in Tickell's book.
is there any value in mixing up some more methoxide and putting a splash in? And if so.. how much and what will become of it if it doesn't react, will it not settle out?
thanks very much for your input... ( sorry bout the email )

hey, congratulations! Wasn't hard to do, was it? Certainly easier'n makin' beer!

let it settle for a couple days to get good separation, then spend a few more days just lookin' at it, admirin' your handiwork before feeling any need to pour it into your tank.

I still have a little sample bottle of about an ounce from my first batch, also with fresh/new canola oil. Beautiful stuff.

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Easier than making beer? That's good to know since beer is easy to make.

I am picking my Jetta Wagon TDI from the dealer on Wednesday and can't wait to "brew" my own biodiesel. I've been saving up all my waste oil. You can be certain I will be posting more soon.

Mike

Hey brewdawg....

congrats on your choice of new car!! I love mine.
I don't think bio, is easier than brewing beer however!... I have brewed a lakeful of beer over the years, but bio diesel is going to be challenging. You can make bio diesel, and you can make bio diesel!
It can become quite complex.... and I am learning that the stuff I whip up in my blender is one thing but making a bigger batch that I would dare to put in my fuel tank is a different matter.
If you haven't already... check out Making Biodiesel It is full of very good and very intimidating info.
best wishes, and stay in touch!

Thanks tobsav!

I too have made an ocean of beer. I even made 2 kegs of beer for my wedding (it took 3 batches to brew 30 gallons and it was very challenging to mix them to taste the same). Plus it was a lager I brewed so I had to refrigerate 2, 1/2 barrels!

I bought the book "From the Fryer to the Tank" by Joshua Tickell and got the VHS tape too. Plus, I have a copy of "Biodiesel Homebrewers Guide" a Luddite Tech Zine. I have some reading to do.

But thanks for the Biodiesel forum site. I'll be doing a lot of small batch testing before I brew up a 5 gallon batch. My immediate goal is to use a 20% mix with dino-diesel and eventually move to 100% biodiesel (thank God for a 3-car garage).

If this goes like my beer brewing, I'll have a bio-brew tower in my garage within a year (I brew 40 liter batches of beer at a time).

You can bet I'll stay in touch. Is your nick the same on the Biodiesel Forum? How do I contact you for bio think-tank sessions?

Mike

I'll shoot you off an email. I don't post mine to cut down on spammage.
my first test batch still looks like crap......

Hello tobsav,

I'm not sure if this will help or not, but it might be worth consideration. I majored in chemistry in college and have worked in a lab for the last 4 years, and I can tell you that the lines on chemistry beakers are not "accurate". They are good for a general idea, but they shouldn't be used for precise measurements. It would be best if you could get your hands on a graduated cylinder for measuring volumes.

That being said, I couldn't tell you for sure how essential accuracy is in this process. I can say that with a small batch there is less room for error...+/- 10mL in a 200mL batch is a much larger % error than +/- 10mL in a 5L batch for example. If your batch doesn't come around I would consider checking the accuracy of your glassware. If that's not that problem I would then look into the purity of your chemicals. Is the lye 100% NaOH? Is the Heet 100% MeOH? Those sorts of thigs could effect the concentration of your NaOH/MeOH solution.

Good luck with your homebrewing. Someday I'll give it shot....not until the NB has a few more miles on it though!!

good thoughts... thanks.
I think my supplies were good/pure.
the measurements might have been off I suppose. The weight I think was fine but the beaker could be questionable.
anyway... i will keep trying.

You might try washing a sample. If you add a splash of methoxide, do it on a small sample. You may end up making soap.
For an interesting experiment go burn a small sample of diesel and then burn the same amount of your Biodiesel.

You might try washing a sample.

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yup... did that actually.... took about 30 washes!
water is clear, now i have to wait and see if the bio ever clears