[Biodiesel In Utah] Lots of Oil and methods.

[Karl Peterson]

Hello all.

I have a degree in Chemical Engineering and teach High School 
Chemistry, Physical Sciene and Earth Science.  I have been collecting 
equipment as my budget (teachers salary) allows.  I expect to be able 
to begin producing BioDiesel in quantity in a few months.  I want to 
get the Federal credit, so I am trying to design a process that 
virtually guarantees ASTM qualification.  I am also looking at 
producing ethanol.

I have scrounged two gas fired water heaters.  I am leak and pressure 
testing them now.  I want to make them into "Appleseed" type 
processors.  I may have to break down and purchase a couple of 
electric heaters if I cannot figure out an easy way to heat these 
ones.  I was thinking of using a Waste Motor Oil setup to heat them, 
but the laws about waste motor oil are enough to give you grey hairs.

For construction, I have had stick and gas welders for years, but it 
has been a few years since I did much welding.  I purchased from 
Harbor Freight both a MIG and a TIG welder so that I can weld the 
thin metals that barrels are made of and fabricate my own 
equipment.  Gotta practice.  I have a source of lots of small pieces 
of 10 guage steel that I can practice on.  I have a bunch of closed 
top barrels that I plan to make into settling tanks and other vessels.

I am located in American Fork.  I have really nice, heavy guage, open 
top barrels, with more on the way.  More than I can use.  If anybody 
is interested, I will sell them for $5 dirty to cover my costs, a 
little more if you want them clean and pretty.  I am also getting 
Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC) or Totes.  These are the big 
square plastic vessels that I have seen advertised for $80.  They 
each hold just over 275 gallons - I am thinking of $30 dirty if you 
pick them up and $50 dirty if I deliver in Utah or Salt Lake 
counties.  I am thinking add $20 if you want them clean.

I currently have storage (IBC's that are cleaned out) for 825 gallons 
with another 825 gallons coming on line as soon as I clean the 
totes.  If the guy with "lots of oil" is near me, or within driving 
distance of me, lets talk.

The rest of my comments are from research and not from 
experience.  Take what I say with a grain of salt.

The reaction we want is: all the Fatty Acid groups present in the 
feed-stock, both free and attached to the Glycerine molecule, 
converted into an Ester.  This Ester is what we call BioDiesel.

The formation of the ester requires an alcohol to donate an R 
group.  The alcohols that are commonly used are Ethanol and 
Methanol.  The ester that is produced is the Fatty Acid with the 
Ethyl group or the Fatty Acid with a Methyl group.  This is about as 
simple as I can make the organic chemistry.

Our goal is to make as much ester as possible and have all the 
glycerine settle out as glycerol or 1,2,3-propanol.

The reaction between Alcohol and Vegetable Oil or Free Fatty Acid is 
a slow equilibrium.  To speed things up, we must use a catalyst and 
It helps to remove one of the products of the reaction as soon as it 
is formed.  This forces the equilibrium towards one side of the 
equation or the other.  Anybody know how to build liquid-liquid centrifuges?

A catalyst is a thing that helps the reaction along, but is not 
consumed in the reaction.  Generally , the more catalyst you put in, 
the faster things come to an end.

In the case of BioDiesel, many catalytic routes have been suggested and used.

The most common method uses base catalysis.  Sodium Hydroxide or 
Potassium Hydroxide are most commonly used.  The drawback of this 
process is that any Free Fatty Acids, Fats that are not tied to a 
glycerine molecule, will react with, and consume, the base forming 
soap.  This is not a good thing.

Recently, some have suggested starting with acid catalyst.  The idea 
here is to convert all the Free Fatty Acids into Ester, then 
neutralize and introduce the base.  No soap, but more chemicals.

My searching has revealed some published work on solid 
catalysts.  One study found that Nickel is a catalyst for the 
BioDiesel reaction.  The study found that the time for 80% conversion 
was 24 hours using only nickel as the catalyst.  They were testing a 
catalyst named ETS-10.  ETS-10 showed 94% conversion after about 8 
hours.  Sure wish I could get my hands on some of that catalyst.  The 
company that made ETS-10 has been acquired by BASF and ETS-10 is no 
longer available.  You cannot purchase it even if you could afford 
it...  They tested the nickel to make sure that the reaction vessels 
would not add to or detract from the action of the catalyst.  I found 
a plating shop that will nickel plate things for me.

I want to use no acid or base, just nickel.  I am building two 
reactors, so that I can drain off the glycerol and go round and round 
forcing the reaction as far to the ester as I can.  I am hoping that 
by removing glycerol from each stage, and using an excess of 
alcohol.  I can force the equilibrium to give me nothing but 
ester.  Experimentation and testing will tell me how many times to 
drain the glycerol.  I have a good amount of nickel plated copper 
bits and plan to make a couple of columns out of it and plumb it into 
the circulation loop of my reactors.  If it works as good as I hope, 
then get some metal packing and have them nickel plated.

My biggest problem right now is finding the time to build the 
reactors and then sources of WVO.

Karl Peterson