Конецформыначалоформы Three choices 1. Straight vegetable oil 3. Biodiesel or SVO? Biodiesel Where do I start? The process Make your first test batch Our first biodiesel Biodiesel from new oil Biodiesel from waste oil Moving on to bigger things Scaling up Removing the water Washing Using biodiesel Safety More about methanol How much methanol? Ethyl esters - making ethanol biodiesel Reclaiming excess methanol More about lye Using KOH How much lye to use? Basic titration Better titration Accurate measurements Joe Street's titrator pH meters Phenolphthalein pH meters vs phenolphthalein High FFA levels Deacidifying WVO No titration?

20 апреля прошел специализированный семинар «СпиртЭксперт» по технологии. Мира' от компании Лаллеманд (Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits).

The basic lye quantity - 3.5 grams? Mixing the methoxide Stock methoxide solution Poor man's titration How much glycerine? Why isn't it solid?

PET bottle mixers Viscosity testing How the process works Animal fats, tallow and lard What are Free Fatty Acids? Iodine Values - High Iodine Values - Talking about the weather - Summary Hydrogenated oil, shortening, margarine Oxidation and polymerisation Which method to use? Why can't I start with the Foolproof method? Quality Quality testing Cetane Numbers National standards for biodiesel - standards and the homebrewer - standard testing Biodiesel in gasoline engines Storing biodiesel Home heating Lamps and stoves Other uses Fats and oils - resources Diesel information Identifying plastics Three choices There are at least three ways to run a diesel engine on biofuel using vegetable oils, animal fats or both. All three are used with both fresh and used oils. Use the oil just as it is - usually called SVO fuel (straight vegetable oil); Mix it with kerosene (paraffin) or petroleum diesel fuel, or with biodiesel, or blend it with a solvent, or with gasoline; Convert it to biodiesel. The first two methods sound easiest, but, as so often in life, it's not quite that simple.

Vegetable oil is much more viscous (thicker) than either petro-diesel or biodiesel. The purpose of mixing it or blending it with other fuels is to lower the viscosity to make it thinner so that it flows more freely through the fuel system into the combustion chamber. If you're mixing veg-oil with petroleum diesel or kerosene (same as #1 diesel) you're still using fossil-fuel - cleaner than most, but still not clean enough, many would say. Still, for every gallon of vegetable oil you use, that's one gallon of fossil-fuel saved, and that much less climate-changing carbon in the atmosphere.

People use various mixes, ranging from 10% vegetable oil and 90% petro-diesel to 90% vegetable oil and 10% petro-diesel. Some people just use it that way, start up and go, without pre-heating it (which makes veg-oil much thinner), or even use pure vegetable oil without pre-heating it, which would make it much thinner. You might get away with it with an older Mercedes 5-cylinder IDI diesel, which is a very tough and tolerant motor - it won't like it but you probably won't kill it. Otherwise, it's not wise. To do it properly you'll need what amounts to an SVO system with fuel pre-heating anyway, preferably using pure petro-diesel or biodiesel for starts and stops.

(See next.) In which case there's no need for the mixes. Blends with various solvents and/or with unleaded gasoline are 'experimental at best', little or nothing is known about their effects on the combustion characteristics of the fuel or their long-term effects on the engine. Higher viscosity is not the only problem with using vegetable oil as fuel. Veg-oil has different chemical properties and combustion characteristics from the petroleum diesel fuel for which diesel engines and their fuel systems are designed. Diesel engines are high-tech machines with very precise fuel requirements, especially the more modern, cleaner-burning diesels (see The TDI-SVO controversy ). They're tough but they'll only take so much abuse. There's no guarantee of it, but using a blend of up to 20% veg-oil of good quality is said to be safe enough for older diesels, especially in summer.

Otherwise using veg-oil fuel needs either a professional SVO solution or biodiesel. Mixes and blends are generally a poor compromise. But mixes do have an advantage in cold weather.

As with biodiesel, some kerosene or winterised petro-diesel fuel mixed with straight vegetable oil lowers the temperature at which it starts to gel. (See Using biodiesel in winter ) More about fuel mixing and blends. Straight vegetable oil Straight vegetable oil fuel (SVO) systems can be a clean, effective and economical option.

Unlike biodiesel, with SVO you have to modify the engine. The best way is to fit a professional single-tank SVO system with replacement injectors and glowplugs optimised for veg-oil, as well as fuel heating. With the German Elsbett single-tank SVO system for instance you can use petro-diesel, biodiesel or SVO, in any combination. Just start up and go, stop and switch off, like any other car. Journey to Forever's Toyota TownAce van uses an Elsbett single-tank system. More There are also two-tank SVO systems which pre-heat the oil to make it thinner.

You have to start the engine on ordinary petroleum diesel or biodiesel in one tank and then switch to SVO in the other tank when the veg-oil is hot enough, and switch back to petro- or biodiesel before you stop the engine, or you'll coke up the injectors. More information on straight vegetable oil systems here. Biodiesel or SVO?

Biodiesel has some clear advantages over SVO: it works in any diesel, without any conversion or modifications to the engine or the fuel system - just put it in and go. It also has better cold-weather properties than SVO (but not as good as petro-diesel - see Using biodiesel in winter ). Unlike SVO, it's backed by many long-term tests in many countries, including millions of miles on the road. Biodiesel is a clean, safe, ready-to-use, alternative fuel, whereas it's fair to say that many SVO systems are still experimental and need further development.

On the other hand, biodiesel can be more expensive, depending how much you make, what you make it from and whether you're comparing it with new oil or used oil (and depending on where you live). And unlike SVO, it has to be processed first. But the large and rapidly growing worldwide band of homebrewers don't mind - they make a supply every week or once a month and soon get used to it. Many have been doing it for years. Anyway you have to process SVO too, especially WVO (waste vegetable oil, used, cooked), which many people with SVO systems use because it's cheap or free for the taking.

With WVO food particles and impurities and water must be removed, and it probably should be deacidified too. Biodieselers say, 'If I'm going to have to do all that I might as well make biodiesel instead.'

But SVO types scoff at that - it's much less processing than making biodiesel, they say. To each his own. X Needs processing Guaranteed trouble-free Engine conversion Cost Biodiesel Yes Yes.

No Smaller outlay SVO/WVO Less No Yes Cheaper in the long-run. Fuel filters might need changing in the first couple of weeks; fuel hoses or seals on some older diesels might need changing. See Biodiesel and your vehicle Costs and prices: Biodieselers using waste oil feedstock make biodiesel for 50 cents to US$1 per US gallon. Most people in the US use about 600 gallons of fuel a year (about 10 gallons a week) - say US$1,700 a year (Sept 05). Biodieselers will be paying $300-360 for their fuel, while a good processor can be set up for around $100 up. An SVO system costs from about $500 to $1,200 or more. So with an SVO system you'll be ahead of fossil-fuel prices within a year, not a long time in the life of a diesel motor, but you're probably still behind the biodieselers.

Will the engine last as long with SVO? Yes, if you use a good system. Recommendations, and much more, here. (Note: Small quantities of methanol can cost the equivalent of US$8 to $10 per US gallon, but experienced biodieselers invariably buy it in bulk for about $2-3 per gallon.) Biodiesel Converting the oil to biodiesel is probably the best all-round solution of the three options (or we think so anyway). You could simply buy your biodiesel.

Most major European vehicle manufacturers now provide vehicle warranties covering the use of pure biodiesel - though that might not be just any biodiesel. Some insist on 'RME', rapeseed methyl esters, and won't cover use of soy biodiesel (which isn't covered by the Euro biodiesel standard). Germany has thousands of filling stations supplying biodiesel, and it's cheaper there than ordinary diesel fuel. All fossil diesel fuel sold in France contains between 2% and 5% biodiesel. New EU laws will soon require this Europe-wide.

Some states in the US are legislating similar requirements. There's a growing number of US suppliers and sales are rising fast, though biodiesel is more expensive than ordinary diesel in the US. In the UK biodiesel is taxed less than petrodiesel and it's available commercially. But there's a lot to be said for the GREAT feeling of independence you'll get from making your own fuel! If you want to make it yourself, there are several good recipes available for making high-quality biodiesel, and they say what we also say: some of these chemicals are dangerous, take full safety precautions, and if you burn/maim/blind/kill yourself or anyone else, that will make us very sad, but not liable - we don't recommend anything, it's nobody's responsibility but your own. On the other hand, nobody has yet burned/maimed/blinded/killed themselves or anyone else making homebrewed biodiesel.

Large numbers of ordinary people all over the world are making their own biodiesel, it's been going on for years, and so far there have been NO serious accidents. It's safe if you're careful and sensible. 'Sensible' also means not over-reacting, as some people do: 'I'd like to make biodiesel but I'm frightened of all those terrible poisons.' In fact they're common enough household chemicals. Lye is sold in supermarkets and hardware stores as a drain-cleaner, there's probably a can of it under the sink in most households. Methanol is the main or only ingredient in barbecue fuel or fondue fuel, often sold in supermarkets and chain stores as 'stove fuel' and used at the dinner table; it's also the main ingredient in the fuel kids use in their model aero engines. So get it in perspective, there's no need to be frightened.

See Safety and More about methanol for further information. Learn as much as you can first - lots of information is available. Make small test batches before you try large batches (see also Test-batch mini-processor ). Make it with fresh oil before you try waste oil - see next.

Where do I start? Start with the process, NOT with the processor. The processor comes later. Start with the new fresh oil, NOT with waste vegetable oil (WVO), that also comes later. Start by making a test batch of biodiesel in a blender using 1 litre of fresh new oil. If you don't have a spare blender, either get a cheap second-hand one, or, better, make a simple Test-batch mini-processor. Keep going, step by step.

Study everything on this page and the next page and at the links in the text. There are checks and tests along the way so you won't go wrong. Go on, do it! Thousands and thousands of others have done it, so can you. Get some methanol, some lye and some new oil at the supermarket and go ahead - it's a real thrill! Here's the recipe. Or just keep reading, you'll get to the recipe in a minute anyway.

Learn, one step at a time. It's all quite simple really, very few biodiesel homebrewers are chemists or technicians, there's nothing a layman can't understand, and do, and do it well. But there is a lot to learn. You'll find everything you need to know right here. We've tried to make it easy for you. You start off with the simplest process that has the best chance of success and move on step by step in a logical progression, adding more advanced features as you go.

'I am a pipe welder who knew nothing about chemistry but I have learned a lot from this website. It's set up for someone who has never had a chemistry class (me).

If I can understand this anyone can.' - Marty, Biofuel mailing list, 23 Oct 2005 'For anyone starting out or still in the R&D phase of scaling up and tweaking the process to improve quality, disregard anything other than the tried and tested directions at JtF.

Print them out. Read them and then re-read them.

Follow the instructions, don't add or subtract anything and you will be making quality biodiesel.' - Tom, Biofuel mailing list, 5 Nov 2005 'My best advice is to follow explicitly the instructions on the J2F website starting from the begining and you will do just fine. In my own journey of discovery I learned this. You cannot afford to cut corners. Don't be tempted to use less than accurate measures and think that it will be alright. There is no cheating.' - Joe, Biofuel mailing list, 4 Jan 2006 The process Vegetable oils and animal fats are triglycerides, containing glycerine.

The biodiesel process turns the oils and fats into esters, separating out the glycerine. The glycerine sinks to the bottom and the biodiesel floats on top and can be syphoned off. The process is called transesterification, which substitutes alcohol for the glycerine in a chemical reaction, using lye as a catalyst. See How the process works Chemicals needed The alcohol used can be either methanol, which makes methyl esters, or ethanol (ethyl esters). Most methanol comes from fossil fuels (though it can also be made from biomass, such as wood), while most ethanol is plant-based (though it is also made from petroleum) and you can distill it yourself.

There is as yet no 'backyard' method of producing methanol. But the biodiesel process using ethanol is more difficult than with methanol, it's not for beginners. (See Ethyl esters.) Ethanol (or ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol - EtOH, C2H5OH) also goes by various other well-known names, such as whisky, vodka, gin, and so on, but methanol is a poison. Actually they're both poisons, it's just a matter of degree, methanol is more poisonous. But don't be put off - methanol is not dangerous if you're careful, it's easy to do this safely.

Safety is built-in to everything you'll read here. See More about methanol. Methanol is also called methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha, wood spirits, methyl hydrate (or 'stove fuel'), carbinol, colonial spirits, Columbian spirits, Manhattan spirits, methylol, methyl hydroxide, hydroxymethane, monohydroxymethane, pyroxylic spirit, or MeOH (CH3OH or CH4O) - all the same thing. (But, confusingly, 'methylcarbinol' or 'methyl carbinol' is used for both methanol and ethanol.) You can usually get methanol from bulk liquid fuels distributors; in the US try getting it at race tracks. With a bit of patience, most people in most countries manage to track down a source of methanol for about US$2-3 per US gallon.

For small amounts, you can use 'DriGas' fuel antifreeze, one type is methanol (eg 'HEET' in the yellow container), another is isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol, rubbing alcohol), make sure to get the methanol one. Methanol is also sold in supermarkets and chain stores as 'stove fuel' for barbecues and fondues, but check the contents - not all 'stove fuel' is methanol, it could also be 'white gas', basically gasoline.

It must be pure methanol or it won't work for making biodiesel. See Methanol suppliers Methylated spirits (denatured ethanol) doesn't work; isopropanol also doesn't work.

The lye catalyst can be either potassium hydroxide (KOH) or sodium hydroxide (caustic soda, NaOH). NaOH is often easier to get and it's cheaper to use.

KOH is easier to use, and it does a better job. Experienced biodieselers making top-quality fuel usually use KOH, and so do the commercial producers. (KOH can also provide potash fertiliser as a by-product of the biodiesel process.) With KOH, the process is the same, but you need to use 1.4 times as much (1.4025). (See More about lye.) You can get both KOH and NaOH from soapmakers' suppliers and from chemicals suppliers.

NaOH is used as drain-cleaner and you can get it from hardware stores. It has to be pure NaOH. Shake the container to check it hasn't absorbed moisture and coagulated into a useless mass, and make sure to keep it airtight. The Red Devil-brand NaOH lye drain-cleaner previously sold in the US is no longer made. Don't use Drano or ZEP drain-cleaners or equivalents with blue or purple granules or any-coloured granules, it's only about half NaOH and it contains aluminium - it won't work for biodiesel. CAUTION: Lye (both NaOH and KOH) is dangerous - don't get it on your skin or in your eyes, don't breathe any fumes, keep the whole process away from food, and right away from children.

Lye reacts with aluminium, tin and zinc. Use HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene), glass, enamel or stainless steel containers for methoxide. (See Identifying plastics.) See Safety See also Making lye from wood ash. Chemicals for WVO Isopropanol for titration is available from chemicals suppliers. Some people have used the other kind of Dri-Gas, which is isopropanol, but they found that it's unreliable.

Best get 99% pure isopropanol from a chemicals supplier. 70% pure isopropanol is also said to work, but we found it didn't give satisfactory results. Contrary to rumour, 'phenol red', sold by pool supply stores and used for checking water, won't work for titrating WVO, its pH range isn't broad enough. Use phenolphthalein indicator, specifically 1% phenolphthalein solution (1.0w/v%) with 95% ethanol. Phenolphthalein lasts about a year. It's sensitive to light, store it in a cool, dark place. You can get it from chemicals suppliers.