anyone else feel smug while refuelling???

[GSMGuy]

Originally Posted by humphrey999

...and presumably 7p is the cost of production but does not include Mr Darling's cut?

I (legally) don't have to pay ANY duty on the first 2500L I produce per year...

Mike

[FatLadZ]

Originally Posted by GSMGuy

Nope, accurately costed @ £0.07 per L incl electricity and chemicals - And how would it invalidate my home insurance? They don't have a prob with it.

Mike

a friend of mine "used" to make his own also
until his garage containing his porsche 911 and motorbike collection went up.
insurance wouldnt pay out when they realised what he had in the garage that caused the big bang

[GSMGuy]

Originally Posted by FatLadZ

a friend of mine "used" to make his own also
until his garage containing his porsche 911 and motorbike collection went up.
insurance wouldnt pay out when they realised what he had in the garage that caused the big bang

My insurers are aware, and have endorsed the policy accordingly - No special restrictions other than no more than 50L of Methanol to be stored inside the garage at any one time - My 205L drum is in a seperate steel shed.

Mike

[Penguinistics]

Originally Posted by GSMGuy

Yup, 100% Bio Diesel, not Bio Fuel - I use a process called transesterfication to produce RME (Rape Methyl Ester) as added to normal Derv @ 5% and Morrisons B30 @ 30% - XC90 loves it.... As does my van

Mike

Mike,

Looks like you've done your homework. Wish I remembered enough of the organic chemistry I did at school to know what "transesterfication" actually means. I'll have to look it up now......no use to me anyway (at the moment...) seeing as my car is petrol. Incidentally do you have to registered with customs and excise to buy methanol? Years ago I had to buy industrial methylated spirits in fairly large volumes (in this case to make nital and etchant used to highlight particular ferrite microstructures in steel) and it seemed to me that it was assumed I would be making moonshine out of it. Things are probably different for methanol though seeing as methanol would blind you / kill you in that order

[LankyTim]

Just been to Autogas in Etruria, Stoke on Trent. Gas has gone up from 38ppl to 39.5ppl!

What a ripoff!!!

[GSMGuy]

Originally Posted by Penguinistics

Mike,

Looks like you've done your homework. Wish I remembered enough of the organic chemistry I did at school to know what "transesterfication" actually means. I'll have to look it up now......no use to me anyway (at the moment...) seeing as my car is petrol. Incidentally do you have to registered with customs and excise to buy methanol? Years ago I had to buy industrial methylated spirits in fairly large volumes (in this case to make nital and etchant used to highlight particular ferrite microstructures in steel) and it seemed to me that it was assumed I would be making moonshine out of it. Things are probably different for methanol though seeing as methanol would blind you / kill you in that order

No registration necessary for buying it, although over 60L in one container must be transferred in a trailer etc, and 205L and over needs to be collected in a commercial vehicle (my van )

Mike

[GSMGuy]

Re: Transesterfication...

Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterfication whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin, a byproduct that can be used for the production of soap. This process can happen on any scale: in a mason jar or in a large-scale production facility.

Transesterfication is quite simple. One need not be a chemist to make biodiesel, though it certainly helps. Many such people have outlined reliable and proven biodiesel production recipes. In this process the vegetable oil or animal fat reacts with alcohol, like methanol, and a catalyst, like lye (which helps the reaction take place). By volume, these reactants are about 75% vegetable oil or animal fat, 22% alcohol and a little lye. Once together, they are mixed thoroughly for about an hour and then left to settle. The heavy glycerin settles to the bottom and biodiesel sits on top. Oftentimes producers water wash the biodiesel to ensure that it's clean.


Personally I process in batches of 150L at a time, using 20% methanol and LYE (Caustic Soda) as the catalyst - I don't water wash, as we are on a meter - I de-methylate, settle out the soaps (very little) and remaining glyc and then filter to 1 micron - it then it goes straight into the car, van and also kerosene space heater in the garage!

I have had my fuel analysed, and it comes back at over 99% esters, better than most commercially sold Bio!!!

I built my own processor from scratch, based on the safe and proven GL Eco design, total cost of build to date is about £450 with all the additions and modifications made over the last 22 months - I can go from preheated oil in the processor to fuel in the tank in around 30 hours incl all settling/demethying etc, of that time I only need to be present whilst the heaters are on (for safety) total of about 3 hours.

Mike

[magneto]

Never mind your biodiesel - how much do you charge for the moonshine?

[FatLadZ]

Originally Posted by GSMGuy

My insurers are aware, and have endorsed the policy accordingly - No special restrictions other than no more than 50L of Methanol to be stored inside the garage at any one time - My 205L drum is in a seperate steel shed.

Mike

great
id hate to see another huge loss like my friends
sounds like youve got a great cheap fuel going there

[GSMGuy]

Originally Posted by FatLadZ

great
id hate to see another huge loss like my friends
sounds like youve got a great cheap fuel going there

Yup, I do, just dropped another 250L into the storage tank, and another batch on the go as I head off to bed!

Mike