A friend and I are going to purchase a biodiesel reactor system, and I have a few questions...
I know the best feedstock is clean WVO. Does this include peanut oil, too. Alot of restaurants seem to be using it these days.I was wondering what the "shelf life" of the finished product is. How long can it "sit" before it is used and what should it be stored in? Is a 55 gal steel drum okay?Also, I know selling it as a fuel requires all kinds of legwork. How about selling the surplus as a performance additave or injector lube/cleaner?Finally, is anyone running B100 in winter? If not, what is the safest blend for winter use? ...or is there a commercial grade anti-gel additive for B100?
I think thts all for now. Thanks for all your help.
Lawman,
Your user name may make people run for cover......Anyways to answer some of your questions. What people call the best feedstock can be a lot of personal preference. You need to remember that all wvo is not created the same. A lot depends on how much the restraunt uses it and what they cook in it. If they cook a high volume of frozen food it could have a lot of water in the oil. The water will give you soap problems. The color and gel characteristics will come directly from the wvo that you use. If the oil is dark your bd will be dark. If your oil has a high gel point like lard or creamy shortening, your bd will gel at a higher temperature. I don't use peanut oil so I don't know about the gel point. I think it is on the high side, but someone else will need to answer that.
The storage period for bd also depends on a few factors. If you are going to store it for long periods, you should put some biocide in it. You should store it in sealed containers. Your steel drums should be fine. Most people have problems storing bd for over 6-9 months.
The selling it as performance enhancing stuff isn't a good idea. I know people do it, but I can't recommend it.
The gel point of your bd will depend directly on what oil you are using. A good idea is to make little test bottles with B100 , B90, B80 etc. down to B10 and leave them out on the back porch. You will get a feel for how your bd behaves. Some people will do freezer tests to see what temp it gels.
DD
www.biofuelclinic.com
DD-
Thanks for the info. I guess i should've thought my screen name out a little better, but since I intend to 'play by the rules" so to speak, I figure it shouldn't be a problem. That's why I am asking the questions...I need my operation to be all legit.
The info you gave on the shelf-life and front porch testing is good info...THANKS!!
The national biodiesel board (NBB) recommends not storing it for longer than 6 months.
The porch idea is very simple and gives the wife something to talk about.
And I forgot to mention that right now there is no anti-gel additive for B100.
Glad it was a help to you.
just for future reference, the diesel engine was designed to run on peanut oil. while technology marches onward, I still think peanut oil would probably be the best in lubrication, MPG, and quite a few other factors I havent even thought of, such as life expectancy of gaskets, rings, etc.
but then again, Im growing jatropha curcas for biodiesel and not bothing with WVO's even pure ones.
South Texas Jatropha Farms. http://biodiesel.blogdrive.com/
I consider peanut biodiesel SUMMER ONLY fuel. I made a batch from Thanksgiving turkey fryers in April, and promptly gelled when the temperature dropped into the 40s F.
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