Hello all, Thought I'd add my 2 cents worth. Been making our own fuel for about a year and a half. Here's our story. I made my own processor out of a 55 ga metal drum. (People will GIVE these to you or you can buy them cheaply) Used the removable lid as the botton and cut out half of the old "bottom" to be the new top. Welded up a stand out of 2x2 angle and made a small "lean" towards the drain I installed in the bottom. I also welded in a piece I got at the local home center that allows me to screw in a 110volt H2O heater element. I make 40 gallonas at a time. I mix the Red devil lye in the meth in 5 gallon buckets and just pour it in. STIR OUT IN THE OPEN or wear a good resperator. I mix the batches up using a 1/3 HP sump pump that I just lower down in the soup. After mixing, I pull it out and set it on top of the uncut old bottom that is now the top. Then it drains right back into the mix.
GETTING OIL: I have made contacts with some small restaurants. Some call mke and I pick up the 35lb containers from them and I have left 55 gal drums with some of the others. I bought a Honda 4 hp engine with a 1:6 reduction gear and it drives a gear pump. All mounted on a angle steel frame. (Ther IS no life without a mig welder....) I bought some gas station hose at Grainger. So, when my people with the 55 galopon drums call, I just run over in the most beat-up discusting diesel vanagon with a barrel in it and pump the good stuff from their drum to mine. RAW OIL: I get cruddy soil oil and cruddy Canola oils. They both make great fuel, but titrate out VERY differently, so I save each until I have 40 gallons then either make a Canola batch or a soy batch..... The soy fuel is light gold in color, the Canola fuel turns out darker. TEST BATCHES: I tried the blender method and found it to ba a BIG pain in the ass, so I use the diet coke method. I do my titration and then add a litre of "raw" to the diet coke bottle followed by 22 ml of metanol with the appropriate amount of lye mixed in. Shake well (put the cap back on first...) Let it set a few hours. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS make test batches!!!!! Best to screw up a litre versus 40 gallons!! FILTERS: I looked at the cost of the diesel fuel filters and about chocked!! So, I use water sedimant filters that fit in this neato $19 plastic container with inlet and outlet ports on it. The filters last a long time and get EVERYTHING out of the finished fuel. They cost about 2-3 a piece and I find a LOT of them sat yard sales. I use a "tallow" pump which is a gear drive pump for emptying fryers. (perfect) It is 110 volt and I use it to move the fuel to storasge containers etc. I use metal 5 gallojn fuel cans to fill the Wittle Wellow Wabbit and the discusting Vanagon, a 99 Golf and a soon to be "ready to go to the beach" diesel Vanagon Westy. I was priviledged to be asked to do a presentation at the Sol Fest here in Scottsdale last April. Giving up a nice Real Estste career to go back to school to get my teaching certificate. REALLY want to end up teaching alt energy and environmental issues to kids...... So if you have not ytried making any bio yet, GET TO IT!! Don't wait for the Government to "fix" the energy problem with their tax incentives etc. This is OUR country and WE have to save it. I feel the whole energy "thing" is a major crisis..... RIDE YOR BIKE everywhere you can and then drive your bio car when you NEED it.You run into a nice class of people on the bike lanes.... PEACE, Kitch in Az ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Yahoo! Domains - Claim yours for only $14.70 http://us.click.yahoo.com/Z1wmxD/DREIAA/yQLSAA/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/
