Catalysts for Biodiesel Production

[Jo Clute]

Catalysts for Biodiesel ProductionJust some interesting Biodiesel info


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ash Ried 
To: jo clute 
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 2:20 AM
Subject: Jo, Catalysts for Biodiesel Production


Dear Jo,

The process of homemade biodiesel production is similar to making 
soap.  Vegetable oils and animal fats are triglycerides, containing 
glycerin. To turn vegetable oil into biodiesel fuel you must first 
eliminate the glycerin. When fat or oil is separated from glycerin 
it is considered to be 'esterfied'.  

During both homemade and professional biodiesel production, alcohol 
(either methanol or ethanol) is added to displace the glycerin so 
that it becomes a waste product. The chemical reaction for this 
process is triggered by the addition of lye.

Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel 

When you purchase Methanol you might notice that it is also 
marketed under a lot of different names. Among them are alcohol, 
wood alcohol, wood naphtha, wood spirits, methyl hydrate (or 'stove 
fuel'), carbinol, colonial spirits, Columbian spirits, Manhattan 
spirits, methylol, methyl hydroxide, hydroxymethane, 
monohydroxymethane and pyroxylic spirit. The bottom line is that 
all of these nicknames and brands describe one product - methanol.

Be careful when buying something called methylcarbinol as this name 
can be used to describe both methanol and ethanol. Check the 
ingredients to make sure that it is methanol you are buying and not 
ethanol. Ethanol is just simply harder to work with when it comes 
to creating homemade biodiesel.

Another mistake would also be to substitute Methylated spirits 
(denatured alcohol) or isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) as 
neither succeeds in creating biodiesel fuel. You can also buy large 
amounts of methanol from bulk liquid fuels distributors who supply 
to biodiesel production.

Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel 

It is lye that changes the glycerin into biodiesel fuel (or the fat 
to soap in the soap making process. The lye catalyst can be either 
sodium hydroxide (caustic soda, NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH). 
Sodium hydroxide is often easier to obtain and it's cheaper to use. 

If you use potassium hydroxide, the process is the same, but you 
need to use 1.4 times as much. You can get both NaOH and KOH from 
craft stores, soap makers' suppliers and from chemical suppliers. 
Other chemicals that are necessary for biodiesel production, such 
as isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) for titration, are available 
from drug stores and chemical suppliers.

Of all of the chemicals used in biodiesel production, the lye is 
the most dangerous. Don't get it on your skin or in your eyes, 
don't breathe any fumes, keep lye away from food, and keep it away 
from children and pets. Lye also reacts with aluminum, tin and zinc 
so don't use any of these metals as a vessel or container for 
holding your biodiesel.

By the end of the biodiesel production process the glycerin will be 
sitting at the bottom of a container in two floating layers. The 
bottom glycerin layer will clearly separated from the biodiesel. 
The biodiesel at the top can then be removed or siphoned off and 
used neat in a diesel car or diesel engineer blended with 
petroleum-based diesel fuel. 


Read more on how to Make Your Own Biodiesel 

Kind regards

Ash

Eutech Associates 2nd Floor, 145-157 St. John Street, London, EC1V 4PY, United Kingdom 

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