Hello Lee >I have been making biodiesel using ethanol for about a year. Methanol is >$500 a barrel in Hawaii. I'm having some difficulty with partial conversions >with substantial vegetable oil remaining dissolved in the ethyl esters >demonstrable by the methanol test. I have been using 99% alcohol I make from >sugarcane that I grow.
How do you get such a high proof? Distilling it only gives about 95.6%. Are you using zeolyte to dry it? What kind of oil are you using, and is it new or used? If used, what's the titration? Are you using KOH or NaOH? >I am currently using all distillation fractions >including the light and heavy alcohol portions. Any thoughts on >whether it would >be better to use only the ethanol fraction in order to encourage more >complete conversions? I'd suggest using only the ethanol fraction in a test batch, then including the heads and tails in a second test batch, and comparing the results, via the methanol test and the wash test. Quality tests http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_vehicle.html#washtst HTH - best Keith >Lee _______________________________________________ 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/
