The Conservative Cave
Current Events => General Discussion => Topic started by: megimoo on July 31, 2008, 08:29:02 AM
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A Northamptonshire man destroyed his garage and badly injured himself at the weekend while attempting to make biodiesel from used cooking oil. A devastating explosion levelled the makeshift reprocessing plant on Saturday afternoon, when sparks from an electric drill being used to mix ingredients ignited explosive vapours. Firemen hastened to deal with the smoking wreckage, in Middleton Cheney, and the unnamed thrifty motorist was airlifted to hospital with 20 per cent burns. "Firefighters would like to urge members of the public to take extreme caution if undertaking such chemical mixtures in their own homes," said a statement from the Oxfordshire...snip
The injured biodiesel fancier reportedly made motor fuel from used cooking oil obtained from his local Chinese takeaway. Such oil can often be used in diesel vehicles without preparation, but this will typically knacker the engine in short order. It is normal to treat the oil with alcohol and other ingredients before use, and this process was apparently underway when the mishap occurred.
The explosion would most probably have been caused initially by alcohol fumes building up in the garage, a process likely enhanced by the hot weather this weekend. Open-air - or at least better-ventilated - biodiesel manufacture might have been wiser.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/28/takeaway_biodiesel_fireball_horror/
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You have to use some pretty potent acid, then perculate water up thru the mix and that produces glycerine which, when being mixed by a DUmmie, ........creates a potential for a very large ....... BOOM!....
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You have to use some pretty potent acid, then perculate water up thru the mix and that produces glycerine which, when being mixed by a DUmmie, ........creates a potential for a very large ....... BOOM!....
Whe could publish a set of prints on the DUmp and a DIY Guide To Assist Them !Call It Make Your Own Micro-Bus Gas Free !
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You have to use some pretty potent acid, then perculate water up thru the mix and that produces glycerine which, when being mixed by a DUmmie, ........creates a potential for a very large ....... BOOM!....
Whe could publish a set of prints on the DUmp and a DIY Guide To Assist Them !Call It Make Your Own Micro-Bus Gas Free !
We need to send a free copy to those kooks up on the Hill.
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This dumbass must have been doing something really wrong...
When I "convert" used cooking oil to a diesel substitute the most flammable thing in the process is the methanol used with NaOH to help separate off the glycerides..
What I'm thinking is that he had a big batch of oil on the heat and then proceeded to dump his Methanol-NaOH into the hot oil and start mixing. Methanol, being a gas at those temperatures would have gone everywhere like a cloud, combining with the atmospheric O2 and making a nice explosive mixture.
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but this will typically knacker the engine in short order
:rofl:
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This dumbass must have been doing something really wrong...
When I "convert" used cooking oil to a diesel substitute the most flammable thing in the process is the methanol used with NaOH to help separate off the glycerides..
What I'm thinking is that he had a big batch of oil on the heat and then proceeded to dump his Methanol-NaOH into the hot oil and start mixing. Methanol, being a gas at those temperatures would have gone everywhere like a cloud, combining with the atmospheric O2 and making a nice explosive mixture.
That's good to know. :beer:
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This dumbass must have been doing something really wrong...
When I "convert" used cooking oil to a diesel substitute the most flammable thing in the process is the methanol used with NaOH to help separate off the glycerides..
What I'm thinking is that he had a big batch of oil on the heat and then proceeded to dump his Methanol-NaOH into the hot oil and start mixing. Methanol, being a gas at those temperatures would have gone everywhere like a cloud, combining with the atmospheric O2 and making a nice explosive mixture.
Can you link to a site on how this is done. Everything I have found say's you filter out the chunks and run it. Keep it warm in the winter.
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Well, there's this information
http://www.noendpress.com/caleb/biodiesel/index.php
and this kit
http://www.homebiodieselkits.com/
and a how to
http://www.biodiesel-fuel.co.uk/how-to-make-biodiesel/
http://www.jatrophabiodiesel.org/bioDiesel.php?_divid=menu6
Remember, you can't have animal fat in the mix! So, if the breakfast place is making bacon, ever starting it, in the fryer, the oil's "shot".
Best of luck!
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This dumbass must have been doing something really wrong...
When I "convert" used cooking oil to a diesel substitute the most flammable thing in the process is the methanol used with NaOH to help separate off the glycerides..
What I'm thinking is that he had a big batch of oil on the heat and then proceeded to dump his Methanol-NaOH into the hot oil and start mixing. Methanol, being a gas at those temperatures would have gone everywhere like a cloud, combining with the atmospheric O2 and making a nice explosive mixture.
Can you link to a site on how this is done. Everything I have found say's you filter out the chunks and run it. Keep it warm in the winter.
I know a guy that sells the mixing tanks with a pump setup, plus instructions. PM me for details. Methanol & Lye are the only additional compounds needed.
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Google "The Dr-Pepper Method" if you are interested in a small scale example of the process involved. Once you've got it sorted on a small scale and have a ready supply of waste vegetable oil you can upscale.
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=447609751&f=719605551&m=857600061 is a good write up on a very scaled down procedure and has helpful comments.
Sort of related , A friend of mine has purchased plans to make a fuel recovery system for waste engine oil. I'm a bit skeptical on how well it will work (it claims a 50% conversion rate). Once I've seen it working I'll give my $0.02 on how well.
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On a plus note it probably smelled nummy when the fire crews showed up.
Mmmmmmm... Porkchops!
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They have semi-automated setups... add the oil, catalyst chemicals, and plug up the water hose and turn it on. It does most of the work for you and can make 1500 gallons in a week (or something like that).
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The FuelMeister II (http://home.comcast.net/~atha/)
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Remember, you can't have animal fat in the mix! So, if the breakfast place is making bacon, ever starting it, in the fryer, the oil's "shot".
Best of luck!
Thanks for the links.
No animal fat, thats the first for me. And means I can't get from KFC.
And again, thanks everyone.