by www.bio-power.co.uk It makes some valid points in my opinion
regarding the use of chemicals. I have mentioned this method of fuel
production before on this list and got an overwhelming reply with
negative comments on this other method of fuel production. I am making
biodiesel regularly not as a commercial project or business but simply
to run 2 vehicles. I produce batches of 100 litres about 4 at a time
once a month and feel that the lack of hazardous chemicals with this
other method very attractive. It also suggests a continuous process is a
viable option which is also a positive as if I can rig up a processor I
will have to spend significantly less time creating my fuel. Has anyone
any experience with this type of bio-fuel and what were the results?
During email correspondence with bio-power I was told the methods they
are using also allow the use of heavily hydrogenated oils such as palm
(which is used in most traditional English fish & chip shops and is
readily available in large quantities) I have made bio diesel with these
oils in the past and have had to run a 50/50 mix with fossil diesel to
winterise the fuel acceptably (even then I froze the tank twice last
winter which is not fun!) I am currently using lots of suppliers of
small quantities of various liquid oils.
Regards
Chris Bennett..
*The difference between Bio-power MUVO and standard Bio-diesel RME?
**Are there any dangers or risks in these different forms of bio-fuel?***
Many people ask these same questions, and I must add a few more pages to
the web site to deal with this remark. The Bio-power web site is always
rather out of date, but we do have a much more detailed member’s site
which is accessible to people who have been on one of the Bio-power
Introductory Seminars and wish to become a Bio-power Local Agent within
the Bio-power Network.
There are a number of reasons why we prefer the unique Bio-power method
for making a bio-fuel as Modified Used Vegetable Oil. The process
otherwise used to make bio-diesel as a Fatty Acid Methyl Ester has many
problems associated with the method of manufacture, problems with the
materials used and problems connected with the use of the fuel type itself.
*Lets look first at the means of manufacture…*
As you probably already know, RME (Rapeseed Methyl Ester) is made by
shattering the lipid fat molecule to strip the three long hydrocarbon
chains from their ester bond. This leaves glycerol as a waste
by-product. The process is normally achieved using methanol as the new
stem, and caustic soda as the catalyst. The process is called
‘transesterification’ because the hydrocarbons are swapped from a triple
bond with glycerol to a single bond with methanol. The volume of fuel
made is therefore less than the volume of fat stock used. For this
reason we say it is a 'subtractive' method. The potential energy
contained in the glycerol is wasted as a fuel, though it can be used as
a sugar in a must to create alcohol. However, there are much more
efficient and cheaper sugar sources. Nitric acid and glycerol makes
nitro-glycerine a high explosive. All this potential energy is wasted.
By comparison, the Bio-power technique is an additive process. We do not
use any chemical reactions. We do not need any 'nasty' chemicals like
sulphuric acid, methanol and caustic soda. We especially do not like
methanol because it is created by the petrochemical industry and is
therefore fossil sourced, and our primary aim is to produce alternatives
to the use of fossil fuels. We do not create any waste by-product like
glycerol, and all the potential energy in the fat stock is made
available for use as a fuel. We also make larger volume of fuel than
that of the fat feed stock because we add other non-mineral materials to
achieve the most cost effective improvement in combustion. Because we do
not use the processes of esterification or trans-esterification, we do
not need any licences for our process from the Environment Agency. Our
process does not require any heat or mixing procedures, and it does not
create any vapours or toxic emissions.
*If we look at the materials used in the two processes…*
The manufacture of Bio-diesel requires methanol. This is often
misleadingly called ‘wood alcohol’ as if it were a natural material. In
reality it is a product of the petrochemical industry and it is made
from fossil hydrocarbons. The process of transesterification ‘transfers’
the ester bond of lipid fats from glycerol (a plant sugar) to methanol
(a fossil hydrocarbon). It is therefore not a wholly non-fossil process,
and takes valuable energy stored in a non-fossil material (glycerine)
out of the fuel, and replaces it with a fossil derived material whilst
claiming to be a ‘carbon neutral’ fuel.
Methanol is also a very active chemical against which the human body has
no means of defence. It is absorbed easily through the skin and there is
no means of elimination from the body, so levels of methanol dissolved
in the blood accumulate. This causes damage to the nervous system and
especially to the sensitive optic nerve, and this can soon cause
blindness. Caustic soda is also not a very nice chemical and can cause
irritation and serious burns. It is for this reason that the process of
transesterification requires an operators licence from the Environment
Agency to ensure that these risks are properly managed.
The supply of methanol is controlled by the petrochemical industry, and
at any time they wish they could increase the prices of methanol to make
the bio-diesel industry non-viable. There is a finite resource of
methanol and the use of this material as a way to make bio-diesel is not
sustainable.
The Bio-power modification process does not involve any chemical
reactions. It is a simple mechanical process in which the liquid fat is
passed through a series of flow forms, which segregate the fat molecules
according to their molecular size and relationship to each other, using
a feature that fat molecules exhibit naturally. The shorter chained
molecules are used to make vehicle fuels, the longer ones heating fuels
and the very thick fats are used in modified engines to generate
electricity. The solvents and additives we use are derived from plant
oils and essences that are normally used for cosmetic and therapeutic
purposes. We also use water and alcohols, all derived from natural sources.
We are not therefore dependant upon any one major (and competitive)
industry for the supply of any material. We can further trade with other
poorer nations by encouraging a new markets for many natural materials
that otherwise present a waste disposal problem.
*Turning finally to the differences in the fuels themselves...*
Bio-diesel (RME) is a very active solvent. It is known to strip or
blister car bodywork paint, and it strips the varnish or coatings
applied to the insides of fuel tanks, and then deposit these materials
in the fuel filter. This seems to happen more often in lorries rather
than cars, so there may be a different form of coating used in
commercial vehicles.
It is also known to dissolve or weaken the structure of rubber. One of
our local friends was very keen to support our early work in the making
of bio-fuels when I was still experimenting with all the different ways
of making bio-diesel (RME). They were keen to test our fuel to see if
their car did a better mpg. They did this by filling up to the very top
of the fuel pipe and then driving a measured distance and finally
measuring how much fuel was needed to refill the tank to the very top.
Having once done so, they parked their car in the garage and when on a
short holiday in a petrol van. What they did not know was that the fuel
filler pipe was rusty and some RME dripped out and made puddle on the
concrete floor, just where the rear wheel was. When they returned home
and went out in their car there was an eerie up and down movement, then
suddenly their rear tyre came apart slightly and was rubbing on the
wheel arch. The RME had slowly dissolved the tyre, which then expanded
like a small balloon or aneurysm! This shows just how active RME is as a
solvent in destroying rubber!
We feel that the government may be right to be cautious about the use of
RME. At a dilution of 5% it is safe enough, but this does very little to
address the issues of Climate Change and Global Warming. We are
interested in getting towards 100% non-fossil fuels. Bio-power fuels do
not have the same solvency problem, and they do not cause any reaction
to paintwork or to the coatings of tanks. We are not bound to a precise
chemical formulation either so we can vary the specification to provide
a range of fuels for all kinds of situations. We are working on a 100%
bio-fuel that can be used in China and Romania as low as - 20 degrees
centigrade. We also make special fuels for back up generators that will
last a long time without bio-degrade, and will start up very reliably
when needed to power a transmitter. We are currently working on a fat
based fuel for use in petrol engines.
Finally, bio-diesel has to be made to a precise specification as set out
in EN 14214. Our fuel does not meet that specification because our fuel
is largely triglycerides. Our aim is to get closer the standards used
for normal mineral diesel EN590, but for a fuel made from renewable
non-fossil materials. Many engine manufacturers say that the use of
bio-diesel in concentrations greater than 5% will invalidate the engine
warranty. This effectively limits the use of bio-diesel in the UK to a
very low proportion of overall fuel use. However, the same issue does
not arise in other nations like Germany where manufacturers say that the
use of bio-diesel at 100% is likely to extend the working life of engines.
*A direct comparison between the two methods …*
Bio-power method (MUVO) Transesterification method (RME)
The fuel is derived from non-fossil materials The fuel is not entirely a
non-fossil fuel
The process creates a greater volume of fuel than feed Smaller volume of
fuel than feed
The fuel more powerful than fossil Fuel less powerful than fossil
No need for chemicals Needs Methanol and caustic soda
No chemical reactions Involves a chemical process
No need for EA License Needs a license – costs money
Continuous process Batch process
No waste by-product Creates waste Glycerol
Uses all the available energy as a fuel Wastes potential energy
Method can be varied Process is fixed by chemistry
*The overall process is …*
Efficient, Wasteful
Environmentally responsible, Creates by-product to dispose of
Economically viable, and profitable Marginal at best, more likely not
commercially viable as the
price of UCO and methanol increases
_______________________________________________
Biofuel mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel
Biofuel at Journey to Forever:
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable):
http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
