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How to get oil Contracts |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 08 December 2008 |
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Every single one of us who tries to produce biodiesel will need a feedstock, PERIOD. It dosen't matter if your feedstock is new virgin oil, waste vegetable oil, or animal fat, you must have something to turn into biodiesel. For most of us waste oil is the answer because it is free or cheap and is available anywhere food is.
Waste oil can be found behind most restaurants and if you ask you may be surprised what you find out. A couple of years ago before diesel shot up past $3 the waste oil was trash and the restaurants paid a waste handler to haul it away and deal with it. Now however the waste oil has become quite a commodity with renderers paying restaurants up to $.30 per lb for what once considered trash.
You may be extremely lucky and find a restaurant who still pays to have the oil hauled off. If you are that lucky then you should very nicely and respectfully make friends with the restaurant owner. When you approach the owner ask him what his establishment does with their waste oil. Be very reserved when he answers and act like it is not that big of a deal even through it is if you are planning to make your own fuel. Tell the owner what you will do with it and invite him to see the process. If the answer is that he pays to have it hauled away then slowly bring up if he would be interested in your taking it away for free. Do not act like a dog about to get to treat and be overly excited because the owner may come back with the offer that you can buy the oil. If the owner is interested then draft up a simple contract that includes everything that could be of question. For example, when will you pick up, what kind of containers will your provide, will you pressure wash around your containers, who is responsible for spills, and what about termination.
If you get the contract be sure to stop in and eat lunch in the establishment every once in a while.
You may be wondering why you need a contract with restaurant, why can't you just arrange to pick it up and call it a day. You need a contract because if you ever had an issue with the restaurant or a third party then there needs to be a concrete framework for how the problem will be dealt with. For example, if somebody was stealing your oil and you caught them, without a contract it wasn't yours to begin with.
If you can't find a restaurant that doesn't already sell their oil then you should be prepared to purchase the oil. This is where explaining to the owner what you are doing and inviting him to take part will play a huge advantage because he may be willing to give you a good deal on what you need. He is also much more likely to sell you the oil, or in the best case give it to you. The normally lousy service of the renderers play into your hands here.
Good luck in your oil hunt! |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 08 December 2008 )
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New Biodiesel Specifications Published by ASTM International |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 17 October 2008 |
B6 to B20 blends are newly specified; diesel and burner fuel specifications are revised to include up to B5 blends
Higher costs at the pump, renewable energy and alternate sources continue to headline today's news, and a group of newly published ASTM International specifications sets the standard for one type of these fuels: biodiesel.
Four standards now available from ASTM International provide quality assurance for biodiesel — a fuel used in freight trucks, buses, boats, ships and more.
"The specifications define properties and controls critical to the viable use of biodiesel blends in the marketplace. These standards, when fully enforced, in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission pump labeling requirements will provide engine manufacturers and their customers confidence that the fuels will perform as expected," says Roger Gault, technical director for the Engine Manufacturers Association in Chicago, Ill., who participated in the standards' development.
The new and revised ASTM biodiesel standards include the following:
ASTM D975-08a, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils — used for on and off road diesel applications, was revised to include an allowance for up to 5 percent biodiesel;
ASTM D396-08b, Specification for Fuel Oils — used for home heating and boiler applications, was revised to include an allowance for up to 5 percent biodiesel;
ASTM D7467-08, Specification for Diesel Fuel Oil, Biodiesel Blend (B6 to 20) — a completely new specification that covers finished fuel blends of between 6 (B6) and 20 (B20) percent biodiesel for on- and off-road diesel engine use;
In addition, ASTM D6751-08, Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock (B100) for Middle Distillate Fuels — used to control pure biodiesel (B100) quality prior to blending with conventional diesel type fuels, was revised to include a requirement that controls minor compounds using a new cold soak filterability test.
Standards with History and Significance
The widely used ASTM International diesel specifications have been in existence for decades with only minor changes to their contents.
"ASTM D975 and ASTM D396 are the primary specifications in the U.S. for each of the products that they specify. D975 is the commercial diesel fuel specification. D396 is the commercial heating oil specification. Now we have actually been given allowance to put something in that historically has not been in diesel fuel and is not a diesel fuel, with really no significant change to the properties or their requirements," says Steve Westbrook, a staff scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and chair of Subcommittee D02.E0 on Burner, Diesel, Non-Aviation Gas Turbine, and Marine Fuels, the group in ASTM Committee D02 on Petroleum Products and Lubricants that oversees the standards.
Engine companies, vehicle manufacturers, pipeline operators, biodiesel and petroleum companies will use the group of specifications for fuel preparation, quality checking, engine design, and bid and purchasing contracts.
In addition, ASTM D6751 is mandated in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, signed into law by President George W. Bush last December. The bill, intended to improve fuel economy and reduce dependence on oil, also references several other ASTM biofuel standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also requires that all biodiesel intended for use as a fuel meet D6751, and internationally, both D975 and D6751 are used around the world.
About Biodiesel and the Specification Development
The ASTM specifications define biodiesel as a "fuel comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, designated B100." Based on extensive testing and research, the specifications provide details on requirements for fuel characteristics as well as the relevant standard test methods to use for each.
Those fats can come from a variety of sources and still meet the standards, says Steve Howell, president of MARC-IV Consulting in Kearney, Mo., and chair of the ASTM biodiesel task force. "We set the specifications on a performance basis for a diesel engine, not on the feedstock that you begin with or the process that you use," he says.
"This is the first time that a nonpetroleum substance has been formally allowed in a petroleum specification, at least on the diesel side," Howell adds. "We've had ethanol as part of the gasoline specification for some time, but we've never had biodiesel as part of the diesel fuel specification until now."
Petroleum corporations, biodiesel manufacturers, engine companies, military representatives, government representatives, researchers and academics participated in the standards' development. "We have engine interests, petroleum interests, biodiesel interests and third parties. It took cooperation and a lot of data and information sharing between all those parties to reach consensus on these specifications," Howell says.
In addition, the more than 2,000-member ASTM D02 committee, which includes representatives from 52 different countries, reviewed and voted on the standards.
http://astm.org
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Last Updated ( Friday, 17 October 2008 )
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Automated Wash |
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 07 September 2008 |
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Washing is the most time consuming part of the biodiesel process. The wash can be sped with a PLC and some other equipment. A PLC is a Prommable Logic Controller, this controller can be programmed to control a wash cycle so that it can be touch free for the user. For this system the PLC is wired to two float switches. One of these switches is a lower and one is an upper switch. The lower is placed about an inch above the level of biodiesel to be washed, while the upper is placed at the highest point in the tank liquid should reach. The plc turns on the mist via an electrically activated valve when the level turns on the top switch the plc turns off the mist and it starts a timer to allow the wash to settle. After this specified time the plc drains the water with the help of an electric valve to the lower float switch. Then it starts the process over again this can repeated however many times are necessary. The only Human interaction is the turn the system on and drain a small amount of wash water at the end of the entire cycle before the fuel is dried. |
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Planning your Processor |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 07 August 2008 |
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As you embark upon your journey to petroluem independence you must take an adaquate amount of time to plan your next course of action. It has been said that 1 minute of planning elminates 5 minutes of doing, and in this case alot of money. What size machine to you need? Often times for the homebrewer a large part of this question is how much space do I have because many times you are limited to a garage and the wife will not be to happy if you turn the garage into a chemical factory that dims the lights in the house when you run it. As a homebrewer you also must take into consideration how much feedstock your resturants will be provideing you. You must also take into consideration how much you will use as you will be limited in selling your fuel. For the Agriculturalists space is often times not a concern but the feedstock is. If you are producing your own feedstock you must take into consideration how much oil you can produce yearly or seasonally depending on if you want your machine to run all year or just for a certain time You must also take into consideration seed storage and crushing infrastructure. If you plan to only make enough fuel to consume yourself then you should plan based on how much you will consume but if you plan to meet spec and sell your fuel then you should plan to produce as much as possible or as much is profitable. What caliber equipment do your need? The homebrewer normally does not require high caliber equipment as his fuel will never be tested for ASTM spec or be sold. The homebrewer should however include safety features such as temperature control and the proper pressure release valves. Material compatability must also be taken into consideration while still keeping in mind what you have at hand to work with. Often the agriculturalists demand a high quality processor that can meet ASTM spec easily with multiple feedstocks and that is semi or completely automated. Keep in mind what you can build locally and give plenty of research to the most economical types of equipment. What is your budget? The budget should always be in the back of your mind as you look at your options. Do not plan an elborate processor if you can not afford it. What safety features will you include? The homebrewer should include automatic temperature control and the proper venting for tanks. As well as pressure releases and make proper electrical connections. Be sure to use the right kind of pumps and plumbing, always use an explosion proof pump for methanol and methoxide. Also keep in mind the fire hazard this project poses. What materials will you use? You should use whatever materails are under budget and readily available. For example the homebrewer may choose to use a water heater as a production tank and black steel as plumbing. Really anything goes as long as it is safe and the fuel will not be sold. If you plan to sell the fuel and meet ASTM spec then you need to graduate on up conical bottom stainless mix tanks,all the proper instruments and explosion proof pumps What exactly will you need and what will it costs? Use the internet and a spread sheet program to figure up what this project will cost you and whether you can handle the build. It is crucial that you organize all your materials so that you don't make 50 trips back to the hardware store. You should also have the processor throughly drawn out and thought through before you put the first peice together.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 August 2008 )
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3/27 test |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008 |
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If you plan to produce your own biodiesel you should strongly consider doing some quality test before you consume the fuel. When vegetable oil is converted to biodeisel there are many factors that must be right in order for the conversion to be successful. If this conversion is not successful and a complete reaction is not acheived then fuel quality will be very poor and you will risk engine damage. The 3/27 test is used to check for unreacted mono, di, and triglycerides which are known to cause buildups in diesel engines. The 3/27 will give you an idea if your fuel would meet the ASTM spec as the ASTM testing is usually way to expensive for the homebrewer. 
The first step in completeing the 3/27 test is to measure 27ml of methanol into a beaker. Next measure 3ml of finished biodiesel and place it in the beaker with the methanol. Next, you should mix this two ingredients throughly. After mixing look to see if all of the biodiesel dissolved in the methanol if it did then your fuel passes the 3/27 test. However if the biodiesel does not completely dissolve and some of it seperates out then the fuel failed the test and should be rereacted. The 3/27 test is an accurate measure of how well you converted the vegetable into biodiesel. Therefore if you failed the test then you did not completely convert all the vegetable oil into biodiesel. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 August 2008 )
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Welcome |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 17 July 2008 |
 | Welcome to Biodiesel-tech we aim to be your source for biodiesel information. Take a few minutes and register, by registering you will recieve newsletters periodically and you will be the first to know about new and exciting opportunities the site has to offer. Also once you register you will have the ability to publish articles on this site. We strongly encourage you to register and submit articles becuase we will choose the article with the highest number of views each month and that person will recieve $20 via paypal or money order. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 July 2008 )
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