People, Pieces, and Pothers

“Home-brewing”

Maria Alovert aka “Girl Mark”Author of “BiodieselHomebrew Guide”available for $15 athttp://www.localb100.com/

Puts on classes acrossthe US

Expert on makingbiodiesel

“Folk Hero” in themovement

Major proponent ofopen-source biodieseltechnology

Backs the “Appleseed”system

Joshua TickellAuthor of “From theFryer to the Fuel Tank ”(note much homebrew information out-of-date)

New book due soon

VeggieVan founder

Working on movie“Fields of Fuel” aboutbiodiesel

Endorses FuelMeistersystem

Biodiesel America –100,000 school buseson biodiesel by 2010

“Salesman” in themovement

Other playersMike Briggs – UNH, algae, http://biodieselnow.com

Jon Van Gerpen – ISU, co-author “The BiodieselHandbook”http://www.me.iastate.edu/biodiesel/

Rachel Burton and Lyle Estill – Piedmont Biofuels

Appleseed Biodiesel Processor“open-source” design –improved upon bycommunity

Build-it yourself, $200-$500

Kits:http://www.biodieselwarehouse.com/http://www.b100supply.com/kits.htmlhttp://utahbiodieselsupply.com/

Range from $200 for hardwareless tank/vents, $700 w/tank,$2000 built on-site.

Appleseed cont’dBuilt around hot watertank, no-weldplumbing, single pump.

Fuelmeister BiodieselProcessor

Commercial productfrom BiodieselSolutions.http://www.biodieselsolutions.com/

Price $3000. $4000with wash tank.

Available from severaloutlets.

Fuelmeister cont’dBuilt aroundpolyethylene non-pressurized tanks.

40 gallons / day

150 lbs

New model in the works

Appleseed vs. Fuelmeister+ Safer encloseddesign able to run atpressure or vacuum

+ Off-the-shelf parts

+ Low cost

+ Communityimprovements

+ No weld, limitedplastic content

- Many valves tomanipulate

- lower quality, slownon self-priming pump

+ Commercial productwith company behind it

+ Marketed well

- High cost

- Plastic tanks aproblem

- Community points outissues with timer,heating and end quality

Other processors / processesSmall kitchen batch with blenderhttp://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.brevardbiodiesel.com/Mresplan.html

Journey to Forever list:http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_processor.htmlranges from 5 gallon up

Misc bookHow to make Biodieselhttp://www.lowimpact.org/booksbiodiesel.htm

Instructors:

• “Girl Mark” (MariaAlovert)(“star” of the open sourcebiodiesel movement)

• Rachel Burton (CentralCarolina Community Collegeinstructor)

• Are they:• Organic Chemists?

• Welders?

• Electricians?

• Plumbers?

• Diesel Mechanics?

• Lecturers?

Students from• N.C., Fla., N.Y., Kansas,

Mississippi, Ohio, Ontario

Piedmont Biofuels Biodiesel ClassSeptember, 2004

Topics:• Chemistry, Safety, Legal &

Environmental Issues

• Diesel Engines

• “Tailgate Titration”

• Transesterification

• Washing

• Emulsions

• Quality Control

• Building “Appleseed”Reactors

Piedmont Biofuels Biodiesel ClassSeptember, 2004

Filter

Glycerin

Methanol Recovery Wash

Transesterification Reactor

Holding/Settling Tank

Low-FFA Waste Vegetable Oil

Screen

Triglycerides

Free Fatty Acids (FFA)

Water

Catfish & French Fries

Catfish &

French Fries

Triglycerides

FFA Water

Triglycerides

FFA

Water

NaOH or KOH

Methyl Esters

(biodiesel)

Soaps

Diglycerides

Monoglycerides

Excess Methanol

Glycerin

Excess Methanol

Heat & Time

Heat & Agitation

Methyl Esters

(biodiesel)

Settling & Separation

Compost(KOH only)

Waste Water

Pump & Drive

Soaps

Diglycerides

Monoglycerides

Excess Methanol

Reversible Reaction

Equilibrium @ ~60%?Boost using:

Excess MethanolHeat (<148ºF)PressureRemove some glycerin & biodiesel

BiodieselHomebrewing

Copyright 2005 Brevard Biodiesel

Methanol

Distillation

Titration• Determining the quantity of FFAs

• 1ml WVO in 10ml isopropyl alcohol(90-99%)

• 2 drops phenolphthalein or phenol redin WVO/alcohol

• 1g NaOH in 1l distilled water

• Count drops NaOH mixture addedtill solution turns purple (pH~8)

Piedmont Biofuels Biodiesel ClassSeptember, 2004

Things to think about beforeyou start…

Safety

Regulations

Raw material and byproducts

WVO Collector Etiquette

SafetyGet informed. A few starting places:Storage/Material considerationshttp://www.biodieselcommunity.org/storageconsiderations/Biodiesel Handling and Use Handbookhttp://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/pdfs/tp36182.pdf

Familiarize yourself with MSDSs of materials(Biodiesel, glycerol, methanol, ethanol, sodium hydroxide, potassiumhydroxide, etc.)http://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/

Gear – Gloves, Respirator, Safety Glasses – e.g. Methanol and Lye

are poisonous.

RegulationsZoning considerations. For example, City ofMelbourne incorporates Florida Fire Prevention Codehttp://www.fldfs.com/sfm/florida_fire_prevention_code_2004.htm

Limits on storage of material, methanol is one ofmost concern. Recommend talking to nearest firestation captain before starting to review your plansand configuration.

TaxesFederal excise tax: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p510.pdfanalysis of excise tax re: biodiesel: http://www.unclefed.com/Tax-Bulls/2002/rr02-76.pdfFL State excise tax: ???

Raw Material and ByproductsWhere/How to getVegetable Oil – restaurants, Prefilter WVOhttp://www.thecarycompany.com/containers/ez-strainers.html

Water settles to bottom of waste oil, scoop from top

or press oil from seeds:http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_supply.html#Oilpress

Methanol/Ethanol – racing fuelhttp://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_supply.html#meths

Sunoco Racing Alcohol = Methanol

Sodium/Potassium HydroxideRed Devil Lye = NaOHKOH $2-$3/lb at http://www.braintan.com/

What to do with Glycerin…Making soap:http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/739605551/m/520604982http://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/biodieselsoap.php

Compost? – but probably not if NaOH, only KOHhttp://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_glycerin.html

WVO Collector Etiquette

Get permission from restaurant owner/manager

Don’t be offended or surprised if they say no

Don’t take up restaurant employee’s time

Don’t violate recycler’scontracts

Don’t make a mess!

Make it easy for theowners/managers

Offer to pay for oil(gives incentive tochange often)

Overall cost benefits ofhomebrew…

Make your own for ~ $1/gallonmaterial costOR

Have ASTM D6751 B100 delivered for $3.50/gallon

Homebrew time per 50 gallons ~ 3hours + materialmovement. System investment $200-$2000.@$10/hour = +0.60 cents/gallon.

End