I whole heartedly agree about the complicity of the process... it isn't. I don't mean to discourage anyone. I myself am still pursuing it and think it is great, but there is a considerable amount of time to get set-up if you build your own system. Also, you shouldn't neglect oil collection and chemical purchasing and handling. I do seem to forget that most people don't drive as much as I do. Maybe others would be just fine with a smaller amount of fuel. As far as glycerin disposal, I like the talk of simply making it into "soap" as seemed to be the general use among folks making bio-d. I think that is humorous as all get out... You know the average household probably falls short of using 55gal of soap per month. I have put mine in a heavy metal bucket and hung an old pant leg out of it like a wick and let it burn slowly for hours. That worked well, I also thought of draining it into something like wood chips or hay and burning it as fuel in my father-in-laws wood stove, but I have no idea what it might have the potential to do to his stove. As one last off hand comment... I think obtaining the methanol is one of the biggest pains, where do you guys get yours? Chemical supply outlet? What do you pay for it? Thanks again.
-Greg

 

Why don't you need to remove the glycerin before using straight WVO? I understand that the WVO needs to be heated to become a liquid, but that doesn't deal with the glycerin......
Won't the cylinder walls glaze up?

 

Greg,

Other than being concerned about the cost in time of making bio-d, I have not pursued it because of the glycerin disposal problem. A lot of folks in the city just seem to let a lot of it go down the drain or into a dumpster, but that is not an option for me -- I sure don't want to poison my septic system or my stream. A friend of mine is trying to set up a generator to run his reactor, that will draw from the vent on his tank, through a chilled condensor, to do methanol recovery. You can generate a pretty decent vacuum with a small engine before it dies, and the vapros that make it into the engine burn and help generate the heat and pumping for the reactor . . .

Burning glycerin seems to be the way to go, but I have heard that low temperature combustion of it makes for very nasty chemicals being released? Otherwise I'd be all set to pop it into the wood stove . . .

I am curious to hear more about everyone's processes.

Thanks,

Alec

 

On the glycerin, I read on the bio diesel forum reference earlier in this thread (1st page) that it does not burn well. A guy there tried to get rid of it in a wood stove and it coked up the stove really good.

 

Ken, it's Sustainable Systems in Missoula. I don't know where it stands right now but SS was in the process of being bought up by a Chinese company. The Chinese plan to build two new BD plants that will crank out over 100 million gallons each of BD annually, one in eastern MT and another south of Spokane.

Our governor is pushing for more planting of Camelina to feed the new plants. We've been growing it experimentally at the ag research station where I work and all I can say is wow! The seed can be broadcast on top of a field of wheat stubble in the fall and that's it for a crop that produces more oil per acre than soybeans or canola.
No cultivation, fertilizers, herbicides or irrigation. Heck, it's a lot easier than picking up WVO behind the Chinese restaurant. Of course you need a combine though.
It's the future.

 

Chevcummins - I like your 'big glycerin candle' idea of disposal, however I don't think that would really fly where I live in the city.

I know that my city accepts hazardous waste like used motor oil etc on two saturdays a month, for free. I wonder if one could just take the glycerin down to a similar facility and they'd accept it. I've heard of some people just throwing it out with their trash.

I find the soap idea hilarious too

 

I don't think glycerin is considered a hazardous waste.
In fact it's required that certain types of hazardous waste such as mercury be mixed with glycerin to keep the waste from fuming.
Throw it in the trash.