>Hot Dog, > >I will be willing to bet that if you ask a specific question you will >get an answer. > >If you need someone to hold your hand while you do this, It may be >difficult seeing as members of the list are spread around the world. > >fred
Agree. But we do our best. If there's a better way of virtually holding someone's virtual hand than this, then would some kind soul please tell me of it: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html Make your own biodiesel: Three choices 1. Mixing it 2. Straight vegetable oil 3. Biodiesel Biodiesel Where do I start? What's next? The process Our first biodiesel Biodiesel from new oil Biodiesel from waste oil Washing Using biodiesel How much methanol? More about lye How much lye to use? Basic titration Better titration Accurate measurements pH meters Phenolphthalein High FFA levels Deacidifying WVO No titration? The basic lye quantity -- 3.5 grams? Mixing the methoxide PET bottle mixers Viscosity testing How the process works Which method to use? Other uses Identifying plastics Separating glycerine/FFAs And much besides. Sure, it ain't perfect, but we keep improving it as we can, and it's one helluva lot more than we had to go on when we started, and most of us here I think. Hot Dog, if you think we're just "political activists" here (what's "political" mean? - it usually means "stuff I don't agree with") and we just talk and don't know how to do, why not have a look at the archives? It's a HUGE resource of everything to do with biofuels and biodiesel, making it, using it, campaigning for it, even drinking it. The archives link is at the bottom of every message. I would say though, that you might be trying to run before you've learnt to walk. Titration looks a bit complicated for you, so you jump to the two-stage processes to avoid titration. But those are advanced processes, and you're not an advanced biodieseler, you're a novice. For instance, "... app 3.5g sodium hydroxide" - approximately? That might be okay for your first minibatch trial of virgin oil, but beyond that it's not good enough. I'd advise staying with the single-stage transesterification method for the time being, as in Mike Pelly's method. And learn how to do titration, it's not very difficult and you'll find all you need in the resources above. If you still don't want to titrate, then do small trial batches using different amounts of NaOH. Mike also describes that. Do a series of minibatches, just half a litre a time: with used oil, start with 6g NaOH per litre of oil, as that's about average (though it can vary very widely), plus one at 5g and one at 7g, see which gives the best separation. If none do, go higher, 1g/litre at a time. When you hit one that separates well, bracket it in another minibatch series with half a gram each side. But "app." won't do! Get good scales accurate to at least half a gram, preferably 0.1g, get good measuring flasks. Work at it a bit. By the way, quite a lot of people do both titration and minibatches, and say it's worth the effort. When you can do this reliably, move on to the two-stage methods, if you like. You'll learn a lot working on the single-stage method. Many of us are quite satisfied with that, though the two-stage methods have some worthwhile advantages. Here's an easy and safe way of mixing the methoxide: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_aleksnew.html#easymeth Best wishes Keith >--- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Hot Dog" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I was just wondering if there is anyone who reads these messages >that > > actually knows anything about biodiesel production. > > Or is this just a political activists site ? > > Please could someone let me know as I am in need of assistance, >should I > > search for other sites or just give up ? > > > > Many thanks ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Sell a Home with Ease! http://us.click.yahoo.com/SrPZMC/kTmEAA/MVfIAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ 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/
