biodiesel, Kelly and others...

muchado · Mar 31, 2008

How's the biodiesel workin? With fuel prices at $4 gal some places, and $3.89 being a "good price" around town, my dad and I are talking about going in together on a biodiesel processor. Kelly, and others? it's under $4k for the one that a guy at work emailed me... Im sure there are others... We could pay that **** off quick with how much $$$ we are burning through filling up our tanks.

I guess the big question is how much $$ and time do ya have in making a batch... what's the $ equal for chemicals per gallon? I'm sure ya have a rough number :eat:

InDaShop · Mar 31, 2008

Kelly was looking for someone to buy a bunch of KOH (potassium hydroxide). I think he needed to move several hundred pounds.
I only need a couple pounds for the hydrogen by-product, and had been buying small quanities out of Warsaw, Mo. But Kelly found a better source a week or so ago.

bigsilly · Mar 31, 2008

You can do some reading on The Diesel Stop in their alternative fuels section.

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f22/

muchado · Mar 31, 2008

bigsilly said:
You can do some reading on The Diesel Stop in their alternative fuels section.

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f22/

sweet, these were the links I got from my coworker I'm startin to do the research :drinkers:

-all in one kit- Just need vegetable oil, lye and methanol
www.fuelmeister.com

-Lots of Good info
www.grassolean.com

-Book
www.electricitybook.com/fryer

bigsilly · Mar 31, 2008

Couple of others....

http://www.biodiesel.org/

http://www.biodieselnow.com/

This has a bunch of links to other sites...
http://www.veggievan.org/links.html

Welderd · Mar 31, 2008

man I really need to do this but ran into a few problems

1. quantity - my rig will hold 100+ gallons and use it up 2-3 times a weekend trip so to actually save I gotta bring 1-2 55gal drums with me
and inorder to make that much fuel it would be time consuming

2. there's a couple guys in town that make it and sell it for like 20 cents less than diesel?? They're paying restaurants up to almost $1 gal for used oil? So supply is short

other than that I got the space and the need for it just not the time or supply of used oil - when those 2 work themselves out I'll be brewin some

muchado · Mar 31, 2008

rockwild said:
man I really need to do this but ran into a few problems

1. quantity - my rig will hold 100+ gallons and use it up 2-3 times a weekend trip so to actually save I gotta bring 1-2 55gal drums with me
and inorder to make that much fuel it would be time consuming

2. there's a couple guys in town that make it and sell it for like 20 cents less than diesel?? They're paying restaurants up to almost $1 gal for used oil? So supply is short

other than that I got the space and the need for it just not the time or supply of used oil - when those 2 work themselves out I'll be brewin some

I have supply up here of as much oil as I need. I worked at a local restaurant for 5 years... Ryan actually works there right now and we will just pull outta their vat out back, they are cool with it.

Welderd · Mar 31, 2008

I don't know how big a restaurant that is but the bars and restaurants I worked at would change the fry oil 1-2 times a week depending on their size.

The biggest one did it 2 times and if memory serves that would only supply about 10-20gallons - that wouldn't keep up with the supply

Also make sure that they don't mind you skimming the top and leaving the junk in the btm of their tank - that ****'s nasty and someone will have to do something with it.

muchado · Mar 31, 2008

rockwild said:
I don't know how big a restaurant that is but the bars and restaurants I worked at would change the fry oil 1-2 times a week depending on their size.

The biggest one did it 2 times and if memory serves that would only supply about 10-20gallons - that wouldn't keep up with the supply

Also make sure that they don't mind you skimming the top and leaving the junk in the btm of their tank - that ****'s nasty and someone will have to do something with it.

You are right, could be a hunt for the oil as most restaurants do only change the oil once or twice a week.

The one I worked at that we have gotten approval from has 4 locations all within 15 miles--closest being 2 and 3 miles away... And then there are 2 Fuel locations haven't gotten approval yet but I worked there too and I can almost guarantee they wouldn't mind. I am sure there are other places local that I could get for free from--like chinese restaurants--they change fryer oil every day from what I've heard.

Although it's some hunting around, I do go through about a tank a week which is 40 gallons @4.00 a gallon $160 a week... I have a short commute, but always am going somewhere. At 11-12 mpg around town it doesnt go that far.

Figure ~600 a month in fuel plus extra for wheelin' trips. If I could hunt down oil a few hours a week, it would yield savings like a second part time job.

InDaShop · Mar 31, 2008

I dont think we are talking running BIO on every tank all over the country. If you can just run it a 3rd of the time you are saving on the trip. Anything helps right.

muchado · Mar 31, 2008

InDaShop said:
I dont think we are talking running BIO on every tank all over the country. If you can just run it a 3rd of the time you are saving on the trip. Anything helps right.

yup

in a "perfect world" you'd be able to save on every tank :flipoff1:

But I know it's not gonna be like that

Welderd · Mar 31, 2008

my only diesel now is the toter so I'd need to be able to make what I need for a trip in 2 weeks

short trips I could fill before leaving and get there and back. I have 2 75gal tanks but I've never been able to put more than 100gals in them total.

Most of the events are 900miles one way, at 8mpg that's 112.5 one way so I need to fill up at home, carry 2-3 55 gal drums of it with me to get back home which would be ideal and i have room for it on those trips.

I'll be travelling close to 9500 miles this year at 8mpg that equals ~1200gals - at $4/gal it's gonna hurt and even worse at $5/gal

so if I can make biodiesel for even $2/gal I'll save ~$2500 this year alone. I got one of these DIY kit plan guys to give me his plans for free but it will only do ~30 gal a week and won't cut it. I do have a 24x12 shed that's got electricity and is mostly empty for doing this

Maybe seeing these #'s again will lit the fire under my ass

blacksheep10 · Mar 31, 2008

we made our own processor because we had the dairy barn **** leftover since we quit milking. all stainless, the pump is impervious to the chemicals, and a magnet pump with stainless impeller for mixing teh caustic. I need oil soon enough. Methanol is your big cost. You are looking at $3-$4 a gallon for meth. you use it at about 20-22% oil volume (100 gallons of oil in the process and you use 20 gallon of meth). that's $.60 a gallon to start. Now, if you want to buy a processor, I think its the best way to go. If you use the volume, you will pay it off quick. get the biggest one you can afford/fit. there are lots of good sites on it, one of my favorites spoon feeding the the info is:
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html
and here is a forum with assholes and arguments and all that good ****, good info too:
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/cfrm/f/498605551

I actually just got back from picking up some KOH. I bought 150 lbs

We use 5# per 100 gallon batch with the oil we are currently using. that's 3000 gallons of oil I can process now. Got it for under $2. On the web, the cheapest I found it was like $5 a pound. Now, there was a min. order. If any of you want to do it, I can bag some up for you and bring it to an event so you don't have to **** with getting it. We also have 55 gal of meth ready. next warm day, we're doing another batch.

Welderd · Mar 31, 2008

you keep typing meth and we're gonna get some big brother lookers

blacksheep10 · Mar 31, 2008

ha, I was talking to a buddy from college whos dad races really fast cars. its who I'm getting my methanol from. He has some white powder sprinkled past, so when I was talking about when to come get the race fuel, I'm like, "when are you there so I can get the meth?". He's like, whoa, better call it methanol man. molaugh

muchado · Mar 31, 2008

blacksheep10 said:
ha, I was talking to a buddy from college whos dad races really fast cars. its who I'm getting my methanol from. He has some white powder sprinkled past, so when I was talking about when to come get the race fuel, I'm like, "when are you there so I can get the meth?". He's like, whoa, better call it methanol man.

RED BALLS -- COCAINE IN A CAN BABY!

6uldv8 · Mar 31, 2008

Kelly's fabrication business and 55 gallons of methanol on the same farm with one another doesn't sound like a good combo!

kid rok · Mar 31, 2008

I have been seriously thinking about making Bio Diesel also. Thanks for the info. Kelly , my parents will be coming through your neck of the woods when they retire and start RVing. Would you be interested in selling them some if they come your way.

blacksheep10 · Apr 1, 2008

unless they are already running it, not a good idea. at first it cleans so well that it knocks all the **** that the petro diesel had in your system off and you clog filters for quite a while. after its all cleaned out, then yes.