stumpjumper

ok... i've looked into the appleseed processor and another processor that has a cone tank. how much space in your garage do these things take up and how much does it cost to make per gallon? i also saw something on www.dieselsecret.com that says biodiesel can be made at 46 CENTS A GALLON????????????????????? is this true, has anyone actually had experience with this product??? i would like to make about 40 gallons at a time. and i just paid $3.50 a gallon for regular diesel today, LOVE my truck, but $125 to fill up the tank is becoming a little hard to take. Don't get me wrong, won't go back to gas, but if there are alternatives to regular diesel lets hear them.............

stumpjumper

ok another question... how much are you guys paying for biodiesel? i called two companies and one was selling it for 3.79, regular diesel was 3.65 and the other company was a mobile fueling truck which was 4.29 a gallon for b20...

biododge1

my fuelmeister is 4' x 4'x 6'high. as for cost. 46cents is a bit low in cost imo for the average joe. a more realistic cost is around 0.80- 1.50$ the less used oil will use less chemicals,= less $$$$. as you get good at making bio your cost can (and will) improve.
just remember, TAKE YOUR TIME, ASK QUESTIONS, AND WORK SAFE. get comfortable with the process.and if you experiment(lye, alcohol amounts). you always can come here to ask if your stumped.

bnold

What did you pay for your fuel meister? they are about 2000 for a basic system right?? Any reason you didn't try an appleseed type processor?

biododge1

i paid closer to 3000$ (two tank model). as for the appleseed, i hadn't heard about it untill after my purchase. but, no regrets, the fuelmeister is a well built, well equipted unit, just pricey though.

H8GAS

The folks at diesel secret have been pretty much proven to be shady on other websites ie. biodiesel.infopop and others. I built an appleseed processor and am happy with it. I am currently running B40 and hope to be using a higher percentage in a few months. Methanol just took a serious jump in price...$.75/gallon in three weeks but my cost per gallon is still around $1.25-$1.50 max. It's kinda fun and very satisfying making your own fuel.

kawi600

Any process that uses WVO without a conversion or transesterification is going to kill your injector pump eventually.
You need to heat, dewater and filter WVO for use and heat it prior to injection.
You need to convert WVO to biodiesel and wash, dewater and filter it prior to use. Also make sure that if its below freezing you have a low ratio like B20 or run fuel heat.

febrocks

$.46 a gallon to make... I really like to see proof of this myself. I guess .46 is possible 10 years ago. The high cost of methanol is what kills me. Here in Dallas, it's $3.20 a gal and $3 gal for 55 gal drum. I process 22 gallon batch,4gal meth, so it would cost me $.58 a gallon just for the methanol. I wish I had h8gas's connection.

Eugene

bnold

From the calcs I have done... realistically it will cost about $1-1.20/ gallon to make... Still lots better than the 3.28 I filled up with last week!

I'm probably going to buy a kit when funds arise... Be fun if nothing else!

stumpjumper

for those of you who are making biodiesel yourself what setup do you have?

febrocks

I'm using an appleseed, hot water heater. Easiest and cheapest to setup. If you have fab skills and material, then you can pretty much make your own. I'm lacking in the skills department.

edit: I should add that along with processor, I use the harbor freight 1" water pump for mixing and circulating.

Eugene

vzdude

Count me in as far as being VERY interested too! My biggest concerns are #1 where do you get rid of the glycerin? and other "by-products" , #2 just how much of a chemist do I need to be? #3 are there any processors that do the chemical "math" and "calculations" for you? I'd pay more for simplistic use! LOL
#4 - how much of a mess is this going to make? #5 how much energy does it take to manufacture ...i.e. electricity or gas for the water heater? I think the pump power will be minimal, more looking at how much gas the waterheater will use.

Any help with answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated!

febrocks

Biodiesel SVO is a good resource to answer most of your questions. Do a search because there's just too much info to type out. I will try my best though.

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/groupee/forums

1-Glycerine disposal. City of Dallas has a home chemical disposal that will take it. However, sometimes I get a real sticker that won't take it so I mix it with the wash water and dump it down the drain. If your on a septic tank, don't do this. People make soap with it but it take a lot of time and energy plus you have to distill the methanol. Wash water goes down the drain also.

2-You need to know how to tritate the oil so you know how much chemical you need to use for a good conversion. There are instructions and I believe a video that teach you. Know it. That's really all the chemistry you need to know.

3-I can't comment on the automated system. I'd contact the manufacture.

4-The only mess is collecting and transfer of oil. You going to spill.

5-I can't say if it takes a lot of energy. It all depends on your setup. I run 220 on the wh so it takes about 30-35 minutes to heat up the batch. It will take longer if you convert the heating unit to 110. I don't bother to calculate how much electricity I use. I don't have the equipment to do that. Then theirs you time. It takes a lot of time to make a batch and this is from time you collect the oil to when your pumping it into your truck. It's well worth it though.

Eugene

vzdude

Thanks a ton Eugene! How much time would you venture to say it takes to make a 30 gallon batch? Is that about the right size? 30-50 gallon? Obviously I would start smaller to make sure that I get everything right!

febrocks

Amount of time takes to process a batch depends on your heating element and how much oil your heating up. So I can't really tell you. I process 22 gallons with the 220v heat element and it takes about 25-35 minutes to get it up to 135 F. You just have to calculate your own setup.

Size is how much you want to process. You need to realize that 40 gallon batch require 50 + gallon water heater to fill both oil and methoxide. Definitely start small, dr pepper liter process. You might realize you don't like the work involved in making biodiesel.

Eugene