Re: the washing process

On 3/3/08, John Harris <[email protected]> wrote:

> what would be the best temp to have your processed bio at when you wash it?

I don't think there is a "best" temperature, it really comes down to
how much energy do you really want to invest in your fuel. When we
were washing fuel at the Portland Biodiesel Co-op we had the temp set
for around 150F.

However this is misleading as the water was heated but the biodiesel
was unheated and outdoors. Considering that it was summer and the
entire contents of the big water heater (120 gal) would be dispensed
into the washer loaded with 200 gal of biodiesel.

I would imagine the fuel / water combination to reach temps as high as 80-110F.

So you just repeat the washing process over and over until you can
take a sample of your biodiesel, vigorously shake with water and after
10-20 min when the mixture separates, the water should be perfectly
clear.

After this process you can feel fairly confident that you have removed
the majority of the dissolved / suspended soaps. You could also do
some more formal testing with via titration and bromophenol blue.

You should strive to use as little energy as possible in making your biodiesel.

Just a good guideline.


--
Jeff Brandt
Sun Break Biofuels, LLC
http://www.sunbreakbiofuels.com
mailto:[email protected]