Good Day All, I was reprocessing a 50 gal batch of biodiesel and got the crazy idea to use 50% methanol instead of the standard 10%.. Curious to see what would happen.. As I watch the settling, I witness more glycerin drop out but it was not the normal red color but more of a translucent/clear. Immediately conclude that due to the excess Methanol I was witnessing the glycerin in a solution form, thus partially dissolved in the methanol. As time went on the glycerin disappeared and there was just one continuous solution in my view glass, as if no glycerin had ever dropped out of the BD.. I took out a sample and did a water test, no separation of any kind, no emulsion of any kind, just a continuous liquid in the test bottle.. Obviously the methanol was simply mixing with the water into a solution..
So now I decide to try and reverse things.. Separate them into distinguishable liquids again, Meth, Bio, Glycerin cocktail.. I put the 50 gal mix under constant vacuum of 20 inHg for approx 8 hrs and let it settle.. What I am currently seeing in my sight glass is a Clear phase on top, what appears to be unwashed BD, and a reddish tinted liquid with a clear separation line at the bottom.. I have noticed the longer it has been setting the redder the lower portion becomes and the larger amount of Clear phase I get.. Could it be true that the liquid phase I am see are indeed Meth, BD, and Glycerin Cocktail.. I mean if you think about it, the constant vacuum is analogous to a centrifuge pulling the liquids apart due to their different specific gravities.. Would like some feed back on results.. Keith, Jan,... Anyone else.. All are welcome!! Thanks, Shawn Patrick _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
