Making your own biodiesel?
Anybody can make biodiesel and it's better than the petro-diesel fuel the large oil companies sell you. Your diesel engine will run better and last longer on biodiesel, and it's much cleaner too.
But it is important to adhere to industry standards during production so as to ensure the quality of the finished product.
Biodesel production- The need for effective filtration
Here are some of the most common raw materials used in the biodiesel production process.
a) Standard Vegetable Oil: Even new oil will contain some contamination and will need to be cleaned to a suitable cleanliness before production can commence.
b) Waste Vegetable Oil . WVO usually has a very high WATER CONTENT as well as a high level of the usual contamination found after cooking and has to be filtered and de-watered, and probably de-acidified too.
c) Rapeseed oil. Freshly pressed rape seed oil is becoming an increasingly attractive option. The oil however is usually highly contaminated with finely pressed seed, shell and "cake" which forms a thick sludge.
Production standards for biodiesel fuels:
EN590
DIN 51606
EN14214
Washing
Biodiesel must be washed before use to remove soaps, excess methanol, residual lye, free glycerine and other contaminants.
Some people say washing isn't necessary, arguing that the small amounts of contaminants cause no engine damage, but this is certainly not the case.
Quality biodiesel must be washed to ensure that the quality of the end product meets industry production standards.
nine reasons why to filter biodiesel
1. Removing the water
Traditional water removal and separation processes like coalescing, draining and boiling may still form part of conventional biodiesel production processes, but may be more costly and less effective than our off-line filtration method.
2. Contaminated biodiesel may cause the following problems to engines:
- Corrosion of fuel injection equipment components
- Elastomeric seal failures
- Low pressure fuel system blockage
- Fuel injector spray hole blockage
- Increased dilution and polymerisation of engine sump oil
- Pump seizures due to high fuel viscosity at low temperatures
- Increased injection pressure
3. Free methanol in biodiesel:
Corrodes aluminium & zinc and results in a low flash point. High possibility of failure due to corrosion of fuel injection equipment.
4. Biodiesel process chemicals
such as potassium and sodium compounds and solid particulate will result in blocked nozzles.
5. Dissolved water in biodiesel
will lead to the reversion of biodiesel to fatty acid and will result in filter blockage.
6. Free water
in mixtures causes corrosion, sustains bacteria, increases the electrical conductivity of fuel which results in sludging and corrosion of fuel injection equipment.
7. Free glycerine
Mono-& di-glyceride may lead to the corrosion of non-ferrous metals, and will leave sediments on moving parts and may cause lacquering resulting in filter clogging and injector coking.
8. High viscosity
at low temperature may result in excessive heat locally in rotary distributor pumps and higher stressed components . This to could lead to pump seizures, early life failures and poor nozzle spray.
9. Corrosive acids
(formic & acetic) will corrode all metallic parts if not removed effectively and will lead to failure of fuel injection equipment.
Introducing the New BD6000 Portable Filtration Unit
The BD6000 is a highly efficient filtration system which can be appliedat several stages of the biodiesel production process. From thefiltration of freshly pressed, highly contaminated rape seed oil throughto the final water removal process of the near-finished product. Thisunit is both extremely versatile and a very cost effective solution.
High performance filtration
The BD6000 is fitted with two high performance filter housings formaximum water absorption and particulate removal.
By using the BD6000 in your biodiesel production you
will produce quality, cost effective fuel every time!
Attend a biodiesel filtration open day...
PDF files contain much more in-depth information about this product
