Hello Todd, Jim, Ken and all >Jim, > >Phosphoric would be used as a wash neutralizer and a precipitator >when recovering the base from the glycerin. > >I tend to believe that Aleks is correct when he says that >phosphoric won't work in the acid stage. > >My first guess on the matter is that the sulfuric in concentrated >form of 95%-98% has less water than the 85% phosphoric which is >most common. > >By introducing less water, there will inevitably be less soap >creation, erego higher yields using one over the other. > >But the thought of precipitating out the caustic prior to >composting is of great value, with the water soluble fertilizer >being useable in a yard or field environment. > >Now, if someone would just design a rather cost effective, simple >and "Underwriters Laboratories" safe, shadetree thin film >evaporation/distillation unit to recover the methanol, homebrew >will have closed the loop in the waste stream. > >Todd Swearingen
Why not recover the methanol at the end of the processing stage, before settling? Still warm, it's all there, so just heat it up a bit more (to 65 deg C) and distill it off through a simple condenser. Isn't that what most people are doing who're recovering their methanol? And, um, sorry to nag, but any feedback on this below, posted earlier in this thread? >Different fats and oils all have different saponification numbers, >and if you're making soap you need to know what they are to >calculate the right amount of lye. But we just use 3.5g plus >whatever titration says (and it seems to say various things), >titrating to pH8.5, mix it up, chuck it in and go, no matter what >kind of oil it is. > >That 3.5g figure for virgin oil (of whatever ilk) isn't precise, it >varies between 3.1 and 3.5, which makes for quite a big potential >error, especially with high FFA oils, where it counts more. Could >these saponification numbers be used to correct the basic 3.1-3.5g >figure? Thanks! Keith ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Stock for $4 and no minimums. FREE Money 2002. http://us.click.yahoo.com/k6cvND/n97DAA/ySSFAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/