Biodiesel WVO

[Grant]

Been reading about biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil (fast food joints). There was another seminar at the farm show where I was speaking on bees. You Tube has a bunch of guys making kitchen-grade blender batches.

I've read the archived searches on biodiesel.

Apart from the opinions and P&R, has anyone on this list actually a) converted their diesel to run on straight WVO, or b) bought one of those fuel meister units (around $3 grand) to transform WVO with methanol and lye?

Thanks,

Grant
Jackson, MO

[Bodo]

Save your money and don't buy the fuel meister. Construct an appleseed processor (google it, lots of information). It's MUCH cheaper and the product is the same.

I made alot of BioD back in the day, so I can try and answer any questions you have.

Also, get Maria 'girl Mark' Alover's book. It's the BioD 'Bible'.

[odfrank]

I put Biodiesel in my Bobcats (for landscaping) and quickly switched back to diesel. In a truck, you leave the stench behind at 60 mph. On a tractor, you swirl around in the stench all day. Swirling around in the stench of rancid fast food oil was too much.

[wayacoyote]

OD,
Were you using BIO-diesel, the chemically converted product or were you using straight veggie oil? I thought the chemical conversion removed the rancidity. But I don't know much.

[magnet-man]

Been reading about biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil (fast food joints).

You may have a hard time finding Waste Vegetable Oil now. I have a friend that runs a fast food joint and he said he gets one to two people a month asking about the WVO for biodiesel purposes.

[odfrank]

OD,
Were you using BIO-diesel, the chemically converted product or were you using straight veggie oil? I thought the chemical conversion removed the rancidity. But I don't know much.

I used a product from a fuel supplier that was a percentage oil and a larger percentage diesel. It smelled really bad and the smell lasted past several fill ups with pure diesel.

[magnet-man]

It smelled really bad

And they say online that it smells like french fries or donuts.

[Grant]

You may have a hard time finding Waste Vegetable Oil now. I have a friend that runs a fast food joint and he said he gets one to two people a month asking about the WVO for biodiesel purposes.

Some of the seminars suggest offering your own "contract" for "regular" pick-ups of WVO. The idea is that the restuarant owner doesn't want to cancel a rendering company contract only to find out the biodiesel person won't be reliable and consistent. Further, what container can you provide for the restuarant or will you ask them to save the original oil containers for the old, used oil?

Also, approaching the "big boys" like McDonald's may be a waste of time. The local manager is blanketed with so much corporate liability concerns that the local manager is not in a position to make a decision giving away WVO or canceling a rendering contract.

Additionally, there are a host of small convenience store and family run businesses that simply toss their old containers filled with waste oil in the dumpster. Perhaps not legal, but it's done. We also have seasonal Friday night fish fries (Elks, K.C. Hall) that may be a sporatic supply.

I've made some initial inquiries to the smaller, mom-and-pop "greasy spoons." They pay a small fee to have their oil hauled off. They're interested in my proposal, but they're not real interested in making more work for themselves. But they are willing to work with me once I get serious.

I think a small amount of WVO is out there, enough for a handful of local guys to make biodiesel fuel, but it will never stem our dependence upon foreign imports.

Grant
Jackson, MO

[Sundance]

Grant, if you're making it for your own use and
can get a supply then go for it. You don't need
fancy equipment for your own use. Just a few
plastic 55 gallon drums and/or one of those
275 gallon cubes will do.

You probably already know the main cost is
methyl alcohol.

[iddee]

Just be careful where you drive. There was a man in N.C. arrested for using non-road tax paid diesel in his car. If you are going to drive on the highway with it, you must pay road tax on it.

Other than that, all the equip. needed is a container, a small pump, and lines for it to flow through. I have made a few test batches of 5 gallon, but bought locally made to use in my tractor, until I spent 500 dollars rebuilding the pump, cleaning lines, and replacing filters. I quit using it.

OB, I never smelled the oil after it was made into diesel and burned in an engine.

[Grant]

With regard to road taxes, I've made an inquiry, kind of a "what if" proposition with the Missouri Dept of Revenue. Current MO taxes run around 17 cents per gallon. Still waiting to hear from them. I'm mostly curious how I keep track and report my usage.

Grant

[purvisgs]

I have run 'wvo' for the last 5 or six years -2 tank conversion system where veg oil in a separate tank is heated to 160F + while starting on diesel and then you switch over to veggie

homebrew bio is a big hassle in my experience- stick with a "2 tank conversion system" on a vehicle that you don't care TOO much about (until you have your filtering AND DEWATERING worked out...) conversion 'kit' companies will sell you all the parts you need for 5-600+ if you don't want to do it yourself

bio-d makes much more sense on a community co-op level/ commercially it sells for well over $5 a gal here now though!!!

check out the 'svo' forum at biodiesel.infopop.cc -the best resource online

tax forum available from my state probably yours

[purvisgs]

first make sure you can secure a supply of decent condition waste oil as others have stated demand is way up especially in liberal areas, cities

think terrayaki

[purvisgs]

re:contracts-

yes write up a contract make sure they don't put solvents etc OR water in with their oil. Starting out ask if you can just put out a barrel 'alongside the rendering company's, you will pick up for free, if you can't take the supply they have then they put the rest in the rendering co dumpster... put out a 55 gallon drum weld on a locking mechanism for the lid. Smaller scale ask the restaurants to pour it back in the 5 gallon plastic 'cubees that it comes in. water cooler container with the bottom cut out, upside down with 4 legs to make it a stand = large funnel that just fits inside the opening of a cubee

you can filter to 10 microns using jean leg material hanging bag filters over a barrel. make sure to check for water before putting in your engine by heating small sample of oil, watch for water popping out. if water in oil heat whole batch and let water settle out. water will quickly ruin your ip

good luck

[Scrapfe]

Just be careful where you drive. There was a man in N.C. arrested for using non-road tax paid diesel in his car. If you are going to drive on the highway with it, you must pay road tax on it.

I suspect that is true everywhere. I know it was/is in Alabama. Also state law & tax enforcement officers can stop diesel cars and trucks operating on public roads to "inspect" the fuel for the correct "color"...red or blue. The color indicates whether your fuel is taxed road diesel, or off-road fuel like fryoil diesel. May Oden have mercy on your pocketbook if your fuel flunks the tint test.

If you are traveling out of town/state and your fuel fails the color test, remember, you are only allowed 1 phone call, so be sure to place it to a responsible party that is capable of bailing you out quickly, or else buy your self a copy of Shank Making for Dummies.