I made my first batch this week. But I was looking at several pictures and howtos on making biodiesel and it seems after everything is mixed up and you let it sit the glycerin goes to the bottom and the biodiesel to the top.
Well that's where my problem comes in. A brownish liquid rose to the top and a clowdy liquid went to the bottom.
Is this sometimes normal?
Friendly help would be great.
Thanks in advanse
Ronnie in Honduras Central America
More info about what you did is needed to tell for sure, but it sounds like not enough mixing. How much did you shake/mix? At what temp.? What did you put in?
Have you been to:
http://biodieselcommunity.org/
This is, IMO, the best source for basic how to info.
Andrew 79 Rabbit B100 homebrew 03 Dodge 2500 B100 homebrew
Thanks for the site ref. I hadn't been there yet.
This is the process that I took
I mixed 6 grams of Lye NaOH with 375 ml Methanol (purchased at a Pharmacy, for my first test).
This I mixed and let sit.
Than I purchased new oil, as this is my first test, it was vegtible oil. I used 1 1/2 lt. of oil.
I heated the oil up in a two quart mason jar (glass), in a water bath so the oil wouldn't get to hot too fast.
when it hit 120 F. I mixed in the Methanol/Lye Mixture. I put on the top of the jar and spent the next 15 min. shaking the jar.
Than I set it down and let it separte.
Thats what I did.
:)
Don't know if something was wrong?
Glad for all the help I can get.
Ronnie In Honduras Central America
Are you sure you used methanol? The reason I ask is methanol is not used for medicinal purposes, and you said you got it at a pharmacy. You may have used isopropanol. You can get methanol at auto parts stores, used as water remover for gasoline vehicles. It's called HEET in the US.
This comment has been crossposted at AT&T: 611 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA -- Room 641A.
'05 Liberty, '01 Beetle, '83 240D
Yes it is methenal. Its Lamp gas for starting Karoseen lamps, or burning in camp stoves.
Most defenetly Methenal.
The oil is starting to clear up. I figure that tomaro I'll try to wash it just to see what happens.
??
Thanks
Ronnie in Honduras Central America.
The upper layer, is it more than 2x as big as the lower layer? Is the lower layer thicker, as in viscous?
If so, you may be fine.
The lower liquid is a goldish color, was cloudy but is starting to clear up a little. Upper layer is a redish/brown color, very crisp and clean looking.
Upper layer was about 1/4 of the lower layer.
in other words the oil??lower layer was 3/4 the glycerin??upper layer 1/4.
thanks