Hello Ken, > One thing you can do that really helps A LOT (and is still > not widely practiced for some reason) is the so-called > "glycerine wash" step.
While this may help, it increases problems down the line for those who wish to recover the excess alcohol and FFAs, as it generates a dilute solution that requires greater heat inputs to recover the alcohol and longer residence times to recove the FFAs. Many are indeed doubtful as to what the benefits of adding water in the presence of magnitudes of glycerin cocktail vs adding water in the presence of minitudes (?). Perhaps what would be in order is for someone who has the time to conduct a few side by side samplings of "glycerin wash" vs no glycerin wash and the cost/benefits of one over the other. One would hope that the end goal of homebrewers is to use/recover all the energy possible from the process of making biodiesel, all the while reducing the waste stream and it's toxicity. Todd Swearingen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Provost" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 9:28 AM Subject: Re: [biofuel] Questions Speed-up washing biodiesel > on 5/1/04 8:43 PM, Kevin Shea at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Hello, > > > > Is there a way to speed-up the water-biodiesel wash during > > the "settling of washing the fuel? I've read the bubble > > washing techniques & understand it, but for the best quality > > of biodiesel, it can take up-to-a-week, with several washes. > > One thing you can do that really helps A LOT (and is still > not widely practiced for some reason) is the so-called > "glycerine wash" step. After the glycerine separation occurs, > you re-agitate the mix and let it settle again. Repeat a 2nd > time. Then add some water (maybe 15% by volume) very gently, > and very gently stir up the mix again. (You'd think this would > form an emulsion, but it doesn't -- the glycerine still being > in there prevents it). Repeat several times, letting the > glycerine/water/alcohol phase settle out between remixes. > When you finally take the biodiesel off the top, there's > practically no alkali, no soap, and no alcohol left in it. > > I do this manually every batch, followed by a quick hot > water bulk wash and a 8-12 hour bubble wash, and I can easily > get from WVO to fuel in the car in 4 days. And most of that > is just working around other things in my schedule. If you > automated it, the whole thing could be done in 2 days, > I suppose..... -K > > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Biofuels list archives: > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > > Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. > To unsubscribe, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/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/
