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Biodiesel processors

Introduction
Scaling up
Hazards
Test-batch mini-processor
Simple 5-gallon processor
Journey to Forever 90-litre processor
The 'Deepthort 100B' Batch Reactor
Ian's vacuum biodiesel processor
Chuck Ranum's biodiesel processor
Micro-Production System for Biodiesel
833 Gallon Per Day Batch Plant
K.I.S.S. processor
Pelly "Model A" processor
"Foolproof" method processors
The touchless processor
Joe Street's processor
Continuous reactors
How to make a cone-bottomed processor
Biodiesel technology

Introduction

Building your own processor isn't difficult. You don't need any special skills or special tools. There are plans, designs and ideas here to help you. There's also good advice to be had from experienced users at the Biofuel mailing list, and lots of good information in the searchable list archives:
http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/

We don't recommend buying the ready-made cone-bottomed plastic biodiesel processors on sale at quite a few websites. They're overpriced, most of them don't work well, some of them have been prone to catching fire, most of them are not properly sealed, and they can't withstand much or any pressure, which is something that might happen.

One major plastic-reactor vendor, rather than including the separate washing tank that's a standard basic requirement, claims instead that washing biodiesel isn't necessary. Or you can pay another $1,000 for a plastic washing tank. Some of these reactors don't even have a way of heating the oil (an ineffective electric heating band comes as an expensive extra).

In most cases you'd be paying a high price for a poor-quality processor that won't make good fuel and might not even be safe. You can build a better processor yourself, for much less money: "You could make an excellent processor plus more than 8,000 gallons of high-quality biodiesel for that price." -- From: Re: [biofuel] Best Processer, 14 June 2004

The processor designs that follow are for different types of processors and cover the range of the different methods used. They can be used with any of the main processing methods and all of them will produce high-quality biodiesel efficiently.

These are the original designs, they're not copies of other processors, and many thousands of people have built them using the information presented here. They can be adapted to suit a wide range of circumstances -- there's a solution for everyone. Only one design comes with precise blueprints, the others are built from recycled oil drums, water heaters, propane gas bottles, kerosene tanks (in our case), or whatever works -- they're designed to be adaptible to whatever is easily available.

Study all the designs before making your choices. The text will also give you essential information about processing techniques and how to make good biodiesel.

Scaling up

Scaling up from small test-batches to a full-sized processor might not be straightforward. Your processing procedure might need some adjusting.

Processing instructions have to use averages and approximations to some extent because processors vary so widely. Short fat reactor tanks need more and better agitation than tall thin ones, using a pump for agitation might not be the same as using a stirrer and baffle plates, stirrer speeds and blade configurations vary widely, while insulated tanks maintain better temperature control than uninsulated ones, some reactors don't have in-tank heaters and rely on insulation, etc etc.

All the processing methods provided at this website will get you close to the mark, then use the fuel quality tests to fine-tune your process to your particular processor.

You'll also need larger-scale measuring equipment. You'll be measuring methanol by the litre, not millilitres. We use a postal scale measuring up to 1,000 grams to weigh the lye for full-scale batches.

Mark out volume measures on the side of your processor or pre-heating tank for the oil. Heat some oil to the processing temperature (usually 55 deg C, 131 deg F), decant one litre into an accurate measuring flask, let it cool to room temperature and check the volume again. Multiply by 10. Using an accurate measuring flask, measure out this amount into a large bucket, mark the level in the bucket. Fill the pre-heating tank or the processor one bucket at a time, marking the tank as you go until you reach the right level for your processor's batch capacity of heated oil, whether 60, 80, 140 or however many litres. If you prefer, use 15 or 20-litre increments instead of 10 litres. For future batches, just fill the tank straight up to the level you've marked.

The main variables you'll face in scaling up are agitation, duration of the process and temperature. Adjust the rate of agitation and the process duration, stay with the usual process temperature and with your usual proportions of methanol and lye catalyst.

Agitation is usually via a pump or a stirrer. With stirrers you can vary the speed and the shape and configuration of the paddles, and you can use baffle plates in the tank.

With pumps, there's not much you can do to adjust the action. To take one example, the 1" Clear Water Pump from Northern Tools is a popular choice. Usually it's stepped down to 3/4", but then the maximum-sized batch it will handle efficiently in the usual processing time is about 80 litres (21 US gal), 100 litres at the most (26 US gal). Nonetheless these pumps are often used with 200-litre reactors (55 US gal), which can result in the washing problems that come with poor process completion. Using full-sized 1" fittings would help, but it might still need extended processing times. For 100 litres and more use a more powerful pump.

For temperature control, once the oil is hot it doesn't need much reheating during the processing, especially if the reactor tank is insulated. But accurate temperature control helps and a thermostat is useful (though not essential). It's also a safety factor -- if you forget to switch off the heating element the oil will get too hot and boil off the methanol, upsetting the process and building up pressure in the reactor. With a thermostat you can just set it to the required temperature, switch it on and leave it until the processing is finished.

Next to oil quality, the main variable in making biodiesel is user error, especially inaccurate measurements. Starting off with small 1-litre test batches not only means your mistakes are small ones, it's also the best way to learn good technique. Learn the process first, building the processor comes later. Start here.

Hazards

The main hazards of making biodiesel are poisonous fumes, dangerous chemicals, and fires. For poisonous fumes, the best advice is not to expose yourself to the fumes in the first place. Don't use "open" reactors -- biodiesel processors should be closed, with no fumes escaping. See Safety. In practice this either means having a reactor vessel built to withstand some pressure, or having a vent leading to the open air outside.

Here we'll deal with fires. There have been several fires, one operator lost all his equipment, his shed, and was slightly burned. But don't be put off, as he admitted it was due to his own carelessness and shouldn't have happened. It's easy to avoid fires. Most important, again, use closed processors.

Good advice from Todd Swearingen of Appal Energy:

The main fire hazard is using an open reactor and poor ventilation in the presence of an ignition source.

Ignition sources can be:

• Using combustible fuels as a direct heat source (propane, natural gas, wvo, wood, etc.), rather than a heat exchange system where the flame is far removed from the processing area.
• Open electric motor housings, rather than TEFC motors (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled AC Motors) or explosion proof motors.
• Disconnecting an electrical appliance by pulling out the wall plug, rather than using enclosed switches.
• Any open flame.

Other fire sources can be over-taxed pumps and motors in close proximity to combustible materials (garage walls, plastic barrels, almost anything), oversized breakers and/or fuses, undersized wiring (such as 14/2 Romex) for higher amperage draws. And there always is the danger of spontaneous combustion in the presence of oily rags, especially when working with drying oils such as hemp and linseed. This threat decreases as the saturation of the oil/fat increases. (See Iodine values)

K.I.S.S. processor

A thousand gallons of fuel a year is more than enough for most people. That's about 20 gallons a week. Homebrewers say their biodiesel costs them about 60 cents US a gallon or less, so in that first year you'll save at least a thousand dollars, or much more if you live almost anywhere but the US. No need to spend it all on a processor though -- a K.I.S.S. processor (Keep It Simple, Stupid) is all you need. Here's one way:

"The easiest and least expensive processor setup for 15-20 gallon batches would be a steel drum WVO collector/separator and a steel drum reactor, with reclaimed motors and stirring attachments 'duct-taped' together. Methoxide mixed in a 5-gallon HDPE carboy (see Methoxide the easy way). A glycerin drain on the reactor drum. Wash in a 55-gallon drum.

"Use either an immersion heater at the bottom of the reactor and WVO collector (for dewatering the oil) or plumb in a recirculating pump from your household hotwater tank. A little submersible pump like the Little Giant Pump at Surplus Center:
http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=
2003050414093431&catname=water&qty=1&item=2-1225
can be fitted with fluid-tight conduit to the electrical inlet and flexible hose to the pump ports, making it transferable from one application to another, pumping glycerin, water or biodiesel. This way you can get away with only one pump, rather than having a separate pump for each tank.

"Such a system would get you through years of personal use with the least amount of headache and the least amount of cost. If you ever upgraded, you'd just expand on the system as you've made it work for you."

-- Todd Swearingen, Appal Energy

'Foolproof' processors

Aleks Kac (left) and friend Matevz with Matevz's beautiful round-bottomed stainless steel processor, built for the Foolproof method.

Bulk processor outline for "Foolproof" process

Applicable for almost any size

By Aleks Kac

						Click on pictures for bigger images
			Phase 1 -- primary settling
								Phase 2 -- main reactor
		Phase 3 -- washing processor

Touchless processor

Dale Scroggins's processor is "a 100-liter processor made from mostly salvaged materials that almost fills itself, mixes everything, recovers the unused methanol, washes and dries the ester pretty much by flipping a few switches... I first evacuate the tank, then suck in the oil through a filter setup that I'm a little too proud of. I mix the methoxide separately, using a drill press with a paint mixer installed, then suck it into the tank. Then flip the pump switch. Watch through the clear hoses and marvel. Later, flip off the pump switch, check for separation, flip on the vacuum pump (which is connected to a liquid trap which is connected to the condenser which is connected to the tank) and watch the excess methanol collect in the trap. When no more collects, I open the tank to the atmosphere and drain off the glycerine. Then suck in water and begin the wash." (From a message to the Biofuel mailing list, 11 Jan 2001)

Full description, more photos and drawings at Dale's website:
http://home.swbell.net/scrof/Biod_Proc.html

Joe Street's processor

This processor is made from a 36-liter hot water tank and employs vacuum which has many advantages in safety and reduced processing time.

Vacuum drying the oil ensures low water content, which is critical to a good process, and vacuum allows catalysts to be drawn into the processor rather than forcing them in by pressurizing containers, which eliminates a potential serious hazard. Vacuum allows fuel to be quickly dried at the end of the process as well giving considerable time savings from start to end of process. The reactor employs forced exhaust for safety and is designed to allow methanol recovery and two-stage processing without any additional modifications.

The design is easily scaled up in size, and makes quality fuel consistently, and easily. From the start, the purpose of this project was to offer something easily reproducible so that as many people as possible can have a chance to make their own fuel. Full details:
http://www.nonprofitfuel.ca/Reactor.html
Biofuel cooperative

© Copyright of all original material on this website is the property of Keith Addison, unless otherwise stated, and may be copied and distributed for non-commercial education purposes only as long as the source of the material is stated and a reference to the Journey to Forever website URL is included (http://journeytoforever.org/). All material is provided “as is” without guarantees or warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied.