mercedes diesel biodiesel

[hedgehog69]

Just bought an '86' Mercedes Benz 300 SDL Turbo sedan. Commuting about 100 miles a day in a Kia Sorento..20-23 mpg...is costing us about $400 a month just in fuel costs.
I bought the Benz from a guy at work and will be topping the tank off with homebrew biodiesel today. This should knock monthly fuel costs by 75% !!
From what I have read, I should have no prolem running 100% homebrew.
I have a 99 Ford F250 with Powerstroke. Runs great on the homebrew. I am going to get a WMO filtering system set up so I can start blending a little WMO in with the homebrew.

 

[toomanytools]

Hedgehog, what are using equipment-wise and feedstock for your homebrew. A couple of us here have been discussing setting up an operation to back-up/offset crazy fuel prices. Rick

 

[hedgehog69]

biodiesel processor

Hedgehog, what are using equipment-wise and feedstock for your homebrew. A couple of us here have been discussing setting up an operation to back-up/offset crazy fuel prices. Rick

I use an "Appleseed" processor. I built it from an 80 gal. electric hot water heater. You will also need a decent pump. The $35 one from Harbor Freight is too small for an 80 gal processor, but we used them on smaller ones and they work fine. They are a throw-away pump...but are cheap. You also need valves, piping, elbows, unions, etc...all available from Menartds, Lowe's, etc.
I probably have $1000+ into my setup....but I think I am on 4 or 5 years with it. It has paid for itself again and again.

You also need some settling tanks...we used 55 gal steel drums with drain fittings welded to the bottom. those work ok, but I got access to some plastic conebottom tanks and those work excellent.

Process requires methanol and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH). I get the methanol from a local race car fuel/parts supplier. Was $2.25 gal. I use 12 gal with app 65 gal of oil. I use app. 6-8 lbs of KOH per batch. I get the KOH locally...50 lb bag for $100. The KOH is the NASTY and dangerous part,,,but minimal commmon sense goes a long way.

Glycerine is the waste product...I get 10-12 gal per batch. You have to deal with it. I burn a lot of it when I can...or if I get lucky, I see someone that needs help with a brush fire and I donate to the cause.

I will get some pictures of my set up. It is really quite simple after you do it a few times. Always seems to be messy...no matter how hard you try to keep it clean.
OIL....restaurants are different. Some have excellent oil....others have oil that is so abused and damaged that you can't make biodiesel with it. Will add...I won't eat at these places either!!!!!!!! tHERE IS A SIMPLE TEST you can do to check FFA's...(free fatty acids). New oil is next to 0. The higher the FFA, the more KOH is required. Methanol quantity is constant @ 20-22%...

I found the instructions on the internet and books to be a bit confusing...make it sound more difficult than it really is. Be glad to help however I can. Ron

 

[hedgehog69]

hoping these pictures upload

 

[hedgehog69]

well...that plan didn't work...not sure why. When I get some free time, I will attempt picture upload from another angle. I tried from the SD card and that failed.