Thanks, Todd, for going to the trouble of running that test. Can I run my own tests like the one you described if I can figure out how to make a condenser? Although I'm currently at the small batch (two liter-sized) processing level, I would like to develop and practice using a small condenser before I "graduate" to a larger scale.
There is a lot of distilling information on the web that describes how to build a condenser on large scale. If it's possible to scale one down, are there any guidelines for sizing one that would be appropriate at the five-gallon level? (I was going to try the flexible copper tubing used to install icemakers and the like.) Thanks again! Maud No breadmaker, no Cuisinart, no icemaker either St. Louis, Missouri >Maud, > >> is the amount of methanol remaining in the methyl ester >> considered negligible? Is it possible to determine what percentage >> remains in the methyl ester and what percentage in the glycerol? Maud > >Just for grins and giggles and to answer part of your question, a 100 >milileter sample of un-washed biodiesel was run through an evaporator. (Not >much of an "average sampling.") > >100 milileters in and 97 milileters out. That would equate to an ~3% volume >of alcohol residing in the fuel layer prior to alcohol recovery, or ~31 >milileters of alcohol for every liter of biodiesel. That's ~15% of the >original volume of alcohol. > >Not exactly insignificant. But then common sense never dictated that it >would be. > >One qualifier. The unwashed fuel used to scratch out this number was from an >aggregate vessel that is filled with fuel from multiple reactions, both >straight base, acid/base, high volumes of alcohol per liter (250 ml) and >standard volumes (200 ml). > >Still, I would assess 2%-3% as a conservatively safe value, at least until >more refined numbers pop up. > >Todd Swearingen > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Biofuels list archives: >http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel > >Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. >To unsubscribe, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >Yahoo! Groups Links > >To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ > >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/