Erik,
There is another company that also claims resin bed polishing replaces wet washing (also not mentioning anything about demathylation). It's name is Extremebiodiesel.com and they are located in Corona, CA.
Another question I have relates to the safe handling of methanol: After following BeachBio's purolite wash technique with methanol, I filled the methoxide mixing tank with a bout 3 qts of methanol from my 55 gal barrel and pumped it into the purolite filter housing as suggested. After pushing out the bd remains, (from the last batch), the flow slowed and came to a halt. I then opened the filter housing only to discover that the purolite had packed so much that it actually ripped the mesh in the filter tube that is supposed to hold the resin in the filter.
How is it possible to safely handle methanol when the only other option I had is to pour the resin media in a bucket, add methanol and let it soak for half an hour to clean it?
They say you can reuse the methanol for your next batch, again by physically straining it back into the methoxide tank, releasing fumes, spills ect.
Thomas
Thomas,
Just to give you an idea of what properly sized and designed resin columns look like, see the following:
Note that PVC is not appropriate in this application, as has been mentioned before:
Note that in all these cases, the columns are much taller than they are wide. Further note that they're only filled 1/3 to 1/2 full with resin (depending on the type), allowing for expansion. Flow rates are very slow, even with these large columns; with a setup up like yours, with proper flow rates, it could take days to filter a batch. According to another user, flow rate should be around 0.40 gallons / hour / pound of resin. With a 1 lb resin column, it should take about 125 hours to filter 50 gallons at the proper rate.
ErikUseful Biodiesel-related linksSupport International Microbusiness - Kiva"It is sometimes necessary to choose between clarity and precision, and an enlightening clarity (without serious distortion) is to be preferred to an obfuscating precision.
I already disasembled the whirlpool housing and am installing a 44" tall x 10" dia water purification tank which I'm waiting for the top cap. I then will modify it the same way as "legal eagle" did on his setup. I'm not sure yet if I'll stick with purolite, or if I should use different media. As for the demethylation process I'm thinking of bubble washing with the air pump and stone. If I bubble wash would the fuel be free of methanol enough to push it through the tank at a rate let's say 10 gal/hr? (Maybe I use an upside-down 55 gal barrel for the bubble wash like "Girl Mark" suggests in the tutorial).
Thomas Schwaiger:rate let's say 10 gal/hr?
Thomas Schwaiger: the bubble wash like "Girl Mark" suggests in the tutorial
I'm probably able to put about 45-50lbs. of media in my tank. The 27/3 tests I have done sofar still show droplets of FFA . So my reaction time probably wasn't even long enough.
If I bubble wash then I'll scrap the dry washing with purolite. Or I demeth like conspirator, (just spent over two hours with him on the phone).
I'm glad you're getting more help, Thomas. Let us know what you decide and how it turns out.
Hello Erik,
Yes, he is of great help. So are ALL of you.
I still haven't decided yet which route to go, I'm waiting for a reply from John at BeachBio if he would compensate me for the crappy system with some purolite for my new tank. (It'll probably never happen).
Otherwise I probably just water wash for a while.
Greetings!
I'm so happy to see people giving good information on this forum about exactly the topic that's pre-eminent in my mind: Purolite filtering from Beach Bio.
The basic story: We ordered a processor from them in May and have been trying (as of yet unsuccessfully) to make biodiesel since then. We have over 800 gallons of WVO sitting around our property now, and we're feeling pretty maxed out. (and our enthusiasm is flagging after four months)
I've made probably 30 kitchen test batches, and done heaps of titrations, but my 27/3 tests always end up with quite a few little globules in them. (before Purolite filtering). and truthfully, while some people say it's ok to use that fuel, I'm concerned about putting it in our newer (04 and 05) TDI's.
When I filter it through the 1 lb of Purolite that accompanies the Beach Bio processor (incidentally, our first batch of Purolite from them was NOT ionically charged, so that delayed our efforts some as we waited for a new batch), it's quite clear that one has to filter it VERY slowly, in fact, so slowly, that it seems pretty ridiculous to wait that amount of time. (125 hours for a 55 gallon batch as suggested earlier in this thread). But, even if one DOES filter at that rate, it seems to max out the Purolite pretty quickly because my 27/3 tests after that still don't come out right. Are those little globules of oil that I'm seeing SUPPOSED to filter out with the Purolite or do I just have poorly converted fuel?
(Incidentally, I'm using KOH, and I've gotten a wide range of answers on good math related to KOH...any help with that would be helpful too...this last batch that I made that's sitting in my processor waiting to be Purolited was made with 6.6 gm/KOH/liter and even though through titration the oil comes out to about 1.5 mLs, (I added 1.5 to a base catalyst of 5.0 plus a smidge extra to come up with 6.6), I've still got a few little globules in my fuel.
Also, since we're talking recipes, I used somewhere between 22 and 25% methanol for this batch (It's hard to tell exactly once it gets into the hopper), mixed it for 2 hours , and kept the temperature pretty solidly between 125 and 140 deg F the whole time.
Also, regarding filtering. Our WVO settles for quite a long time (several weeks) and then I filter it through a 10 micron filter before it goes in the processor. Do I need to filter it again through a 10, 5, or 1 micron filter AFTER it's finished (and been run through the Purolite)?
Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much,
Katrina
PS---also, has anyone heard anything about using wood chips as a filtration media? I've read a little about it on-line, and we have easy access to heaps of wood chips.
Hello Katrina,
Sorry to hear about all your troubles, but they sound quite familiar.
First of all: The KOH rate you're using is wrong, it should be 7 + titration value. The reason for that is that the beachbio calculator is misleading when it says "washing"/ "Not washing" .
I made the same mistake by taking no-wash for dry-wash!
You shouldn't have to use that much of methanol, 20% should be more than enough.
The biggest problem with the system is that the methoxide mixing tank does a poor job, not to mention the high lips on the bulkhead fittings which ALWAYS leave trace material for the next step. More than once I had KOH stuck on the bottom of the mixing tank because it couldn't fully drain. (My KOH is also very coarse so it takes FOREVER to disolve)!
So, if you have fall-out in your 3/27 test BEFORE filtering then you had a poor reaction. (Conspirator gave me a great tip in doing a 3/27 test every 30 min of reacting in order to find the perfect reaction time for your particular processor).
The "Whirlpool" filter housing is a joke at best. I asked John (beachbio boss), numerous times to defend and or explain his advertised method of dry washing but he probably doesn't HAVE an explanation, (except how many idiots would buy such a stupid system?). I actually got a water purification tank (as you read from previous replies) that I will be filling with about 50# of purolite, (which I want John to supply me with for caused delays, design changes and modifications to a faulty system). (still no answer ).
And the biggest opstical is what Erik pointed out in the beginning: this system does not demethylate at any stage! Even when you send the fuel through the "water filter" it contains methanol and therefore can't be quality fuel. So you have to demeth at some point either before or after dry washing, (see the purolite webpage).
I just successfully finished a 25 gallon batch by re-reacting, bubble washing with water, and bubble drying to evaporate trace water and methanol, (NO purolite filtering at this time).
The problems I have with this particular system are:
Plastic valves bound up after the second batch, (replaced complete pvc plumbing with black pipe and 1" brass valves incl. (1) gate valve for throtteling at the purolite filter gate). BTW: Make sure when you reduce the flow rate for the filtering that you open the return valves to the reactor tank! Otherwise you put excess pressure on the pump, valves and fittings which cause them to leak and fail over time!
Bulkhead fittings at the bottom of tanks are too high, thus restricting complete drain, which causes incomplete methoxide mixing, poor reaction, and emulsion during wet washing because of trace glycerin left in the bottom of tank, (so separate wash tank is a NECCESSITY).
Plastic tanks are obviously NOT the first choice for biodiesel brewers since the max temperature for the tanks are 140 deg F! So, your 125 to 140 is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! Never go above 130 deg.
None of the tanks have provisions for venting, which also makes for a dangerous environment. (I built a complete venting line between the reactor tank and the methoxide tank by drilling holes into the top rim of both tanks, added fittings and plumbed the whole thing with 1"pvc to the outside, including valves to close the vents independently).
So yes, by now I could have afforded a BioPro, but where is the fun in THAT?
Let me know how you plan to proceed and if you need further info on how NOT to do it, (I'm great at that).
We haven't heard from you in a while and I would like to know how your system and BD processing is coming along??
Which state do you live in? maybe someone inyour area can help you out with the stored oil.