BioD+Team

tip: put the date of your post/update, so we know how recent the info is.

A-Block Biodiesel Kitchen batches for the week of 1/10/11 to 1/14/11
 * A Block: || B Block: || C block ||
 * 1/24/11

Batch # Oil Type Amount of Oil Temp. of Oil Amount of Methanol Amount of Potassium Hydroxide 003 Virgin 1 liter 140 degrees 200 mL 7.5 grams 004 Virgin 1 liter 160 degrees 200 mL 7.5 grams 005 Recycled 1 liter 130 degrees 200 mL 8 grams

Observations: Batch 003 settled very quickly. About 10 minutes after adding the potassium hydroxide and methanol to the oil you could clearly see the glycerin settling out. The glycerin in batch 004 began to settle out a few minutes after batch 004. By the end of class the glycerin appeared as if it had completely separated from the biodiesel. This process happened over the course of around 20-30 minutes, and it normally takes 8 hours. Batch 005 was pretty normal, the glycerin had not settled out by the time class ended. The first bottle we had batch 005 in had a lead in the cap so we had to transfer it to another bottle before we shook it.

Conclusions: It is possible that by heating the oil past 130 degrees, which is the recommended temperature, the glycerin will settle out from the biodiesel quicker. The quickness of the separation could also be due to the fact that both batch 003 and 004 were made with virgin oil, whereas batch 005 and all other kitchen batches we have made so far have been made from recycled oils. || Updated: 01/20/11 Our second batch Virgin Oil: 500 mL 130 degrees, 100 mL of Methanol, 3.6 grams of KOH. Denys took lead on this one following a video on the internet. Currently have no reasons for why it turned out different than our first batch. Currently running third batch with same settings as second. ||
 * 1) Continue to do small scale batches of BioD to figure out the optimal recipe.
 * 2) Be capable of doing a batch in terms of know-how (pretend we had the fire permit, what would be stopping us?)
 * 3) Organize the shop area, paying attention to the flow of work.
 * 4) Do a "dry run" batch with safety team.
 * 5) Get all the logistics of BioD production worked out.
 * 6) Note: Stop work several minutes before class ends to clean any beakers, syringes and gloves that were dirtied. || 2/17/2011