Making Your Own Biodiesel

[Maizefarmer]

Jamie

Biogas from manure?

I have a small homemade plant providing hot water for the house and milking parlour, but not to drive any machinery or engines.

I store the stuff in a 4cubic metre industrial chlorine gas vessel which was scraped because it faiuled some or other annual inspection. I purchased about 8 years ago (from Chon Buri Industrial Chemical Scrapyard) for Baht 19 000.

The vessel is rated at 80bar, but I never let it go above 3 bar gauge (which means atmospheric pressure + 3 bar) - effectively giving me 12 cubic meters of stored bio gas.

It's coated with 3 coats of creosote and buried in hole sourronded by granite stones chips so wet earth does not build up around it - with just the inspection hatch sticking up through the ground.

Through the hatch (which is bolted to the tank with about 20 bolts) I have tapped a drainage pipe runnin to the bottom to enable moisture to be be drained off every few months. Its amazing howmuch moisture accumulates in it. I gues a bath full at least every month. A seocnd pipe is tapped in for the bio gas to flow out, that has a T-piece and one way valve for gas to be pumped in.

The reason why I have kep tthe pressure so low was partly safety, partly because that is a sufficent storage volume, but more important was that it was at the time very much a "Heath Robinson" affair - I didn't want the hassle, complication and expense of having to deal with high pressure accumulators pumps, regulators and all the other practical issues associated with high pressure gas storage. And I am storing gas not liquid.

The slurry pit measures 9m x 4m x 2.6mdeep and is covered by a semi - flexible membrane good for about 0.25bar above atmospheric - at which point the farm "gofer" come along and turns a pump on which stuffs it into the pressure vessel.

How much am I producing per day?

Well it's a function of how much manure is in the slurry tank and how long its been there, but it's enough for what I need. Yes, I think a fair percentage is been vented into the atmosphere.

Can I run machinery off it?

Yes and no - petrol no prob's but not diesel and everything except the lawnmower is diesel, including the gennie - which I am very keen to get running on bio diesel next year.

Next year I am going to be making a big push for bio diesel, and as said earlier was on the verge of getting a used cooking oil collection setup organised having established I could collect around 80 litre per day round the area pffering something like 7-8 baht per liter. I may still do that, but this algae thing - which I know nothing about untill it was mentioned here, has got my attention now.

No, there is no system around where I am to feed excess ac back into the grid - in fact I am not even on the grid. All my power is Wind generated (2 x 12Kw), solar panel, and diesel generator.

My big expense if diesel for the farm machinary. Very keen to get that down, not only because its a figure running into a 5 zero plus Baht figure each year, but because the emmissions are doing the enviroment no good at all, and if there is one thing that is going to f-up the ag industry in South East Asia over the next 10 - 20 years, its going to be CO2/Carbon emmissions from machinary and energy production. China is starting up 1 new coal fired power station every week!!.

Whats diesel going to cost in 10 yeasr time? I don;t know, but I'm certain about one thing: its going to be a ###### side more than what we pay now, while my farming margins are almost certainly going to get tighter as well.

Either way, bio fuel has to be a good way to go.

Edited November 11, 2006 by Maizefarmer

[redbicycle]

Reading websites and looking at 'kits' that are targeted mainly to a US public has little relevance for Thailand.

Read all the material and you will come to a simple conclusion.

Coconut Oil!

No chemicals needed, no modification to engines especially engines used for farming on generators, except maybe changing rubber material that is not suited for organic oils. What will that cost? 500 baht?

Thats it!

This is completely impossible for the western world. Coconuts don't grow there. So they mess around with used cooking oil, and other not really suitable stuff. Too many chemicals needed, to get the stuff they want. Why be a chemist , and why source methanol, ethanol, other 'dangerous' chemicals. Why the long process, the filtering, the 'washing', etc, etc...

Second reason is that the temperature in the western world demands oils that stay fluid with low temperatures. All these circumstances are not here in Thailand.

In some places you have to watch out for falling coconuts. These nuts are available in abundance for a pittance.

No glycerine problem, no problem with polymers growing on engine parts. None of the 'bad' characteristics that have to be changed chemically. You might need to mix it with some kerosene (5%) or diesel (10-20%) when temperatures are lower than 25 celsius.

Keep it simple!

As you can see, i am a strong supporter for coconut oil and other products made from it. Still have no coconut orchard however.

As far i as know. IN chiang rai there are some schools using coconut oil as sub for their school bus,its work but the bus break down everyday.

[ltdknowledge]

Veg covertion kit in the UK is about £250 if you install it yourself. I had it on a 2005 mitsubshi and it never ran better. Best thing i collected used veg oil for free from take aways and just filtered the oil through an old pair of jeans. $2000 is very expensive for something so simple. After all the diesel engine was originally invented to run on peanut oil i belive.

www.l200.org has some useful info on veg oil kits. uk sire for 4x4s

Edited November 18, 2006 by ltdknowledge

[BiodieselCambodia]

Hi all,

This is my first post on the Forum. I accidentally came across one of your posts when doing a Google search.

Im currently making biodiesel from waste vegie oil and growing Jatropha. Have a look at my website www.biodieselcambodia.com I also encourage you to look at it in another 2 weeks after it has been updated with our newest information.

Goodluck!