Crystal clear biodiesel

[cranetruck]

Occasionally when conditions are right, a batch of biodiesel comes out crystal clear as shown in this image.

 

[herc69]

IMPRESSIVE!! Different recipe?

 

[alphadeltaromeo]

Looks almost like "iron brew" for any of you that know England much...almost good enough to drink hehe

 

[jodka]

Does clarity indicate anything significant, such as geater purity or better quality?

- Allen

 

[gimpyrobb]

Does clarity indicate anything significant, such as geater purity or better quality?

400 octane!

 

[cranetruck]

Not sure, but filters really easy, as a matter of fact filtering for the deuce with its tripple filtering system is probably not necessary.

A different recipe? No, I have my fixed formula (I don't do any titration), so with the right combination of grease, oil, temperature and enough stirring, the batch comes out clear. It helps to let it sit for a few days too.

 

[steelsoldiers]

Cool pic Bjorn. I still have your 55 gallon drum full of 48 gallons of WVO behind my office for you when you are ready.

 

[houdel]

I see you are still using the "Stellite" Biodisel processor!

 

[bottleworks]

You don't titrate? How do you know if you have added enough NaOH, or added too much? How much lye per liter do you add? Are you using 22% methanol...more, less? Does it pass the 3/27 test?

 

[cranetruck]

It has become an art.
I use about 21% methanol any extra stays with the biodiesel, the amount of sodium hydroxide is about 25 ml/l of methanol.
The quality of the oil has not changed much over the last couple of years, so the result is pretty constant. I'm not selling any of it so the ASTM standards are not an issue.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Whats the 3/27 test?

 

[n1vbn]

Does clarity indicate anything significant, such as greater purity or better quality?

400 octane!

Octane is a rating for Gasoline.

Centane is the rating for Diesel Fuel or BioDiesel.

Diesel at the pump is normally 40 Centane.

 

[cranetruck]

According to Google:
"The so-called 3/27 test, or Jan Warnquist's test, detects under-converted oil. To perform this test, dissolve 3 ml water-free biodiesel in 27 ml pure methanol in a sealed vial, and see whether any oil drops out. If it does, it's a 'fail'."

I might try it later today if I remember to do it. It really wouldn't matter anyway since I use a mix of BD, WVO, VO and diesel in the fuel tank, but to test the process, yes, okay.

Edit: Did the test and the result was a uniformly clear liquid, nothing dropped out. Note: It's not a "sealed vial" and the proportions are multiplied by 3 for larger sample. FWIW, a picture below.

 

[cranetruck]

The clarity of the biodiesel is also as a result of letting it sit for a longer period of time. It turns out that the pH value drops from a caustic 8 or 9 after one day to close to a neutral 7 after a couple of weeks. It shows that the process continus. It's better aged. Perhaps even an alternative to washing with water, need input from chemical engineering type here.

 

[SierraHotel]

Like the American Flag in the background...nice touch