Biodiesel Recipe from New Oil

The following are recipes from research reports acquired from the National Biodiesel Board.

University of Idaho
Transesterification Process to Manufacture Ethyl Ester of Rape Oil by Roger A Korus, et al.

Ingredients:

  • 250g of rapeseed oil
  • 2.5 g (1% by weight of the oil) of potassium hydroxide - The catalyst
  • 72 g of ethanol (200 proof) (twice as much as the minimum necessary)

Dissolve the catalyst in the ethanol which will require stirring and slight heating. Add ethanol/catalyst mixture to the oil and stir the mixture vigorously. After 120 minutes of reaction time at room temperature the mixture was allowed to sit overnight while separation occurs. Pour off the biodiesel from the top of the container.

Washing the biodiesel
Water is sprayed at low velocity on top of a tall column of biodiesel. The water will wash away any excess alcohol and catalyst.It will emulsify somewhat with the biodiesel. The less this is agitated the better as agitation will cause more emulsification and less useful biodiesel. Let this sit for 24-48 hours until the water has settled.

University of Idaho
Production and Testing of Ethyl and Methyl Esters by Charles L Peterson, etal. 1994

Methyl Ester Biodiesel Ingredients:
For Methyl Ester Biodiesel

MeOH = .225 x Oil
KOH = Oil/100

where:

  • Oil = desired amount of oil in liters
  • MeOH = amount of methanol in liters
  • KOH = amount of potassium hydroxide require in Kg
For Ethyl Ester Biodiesel

EtOH= .2738 x Oil
KOH = Oil/85

where:

  • Oil = desired amount of oil in liters
  • EtOH = amount of ethanol in liters
  • KOH = amount of potassium hydroxide require in Kg

Methods
The catalyst is dissolved into the alcohol by vigorous stirring in a small reactor. The oil is transferred into the biodiesel reactor and then the catalyst /alcohol mixture is pumped into the oil and the final mixture is stirred vigorously for 2 hours. A successful reaction produces two liquid phases: ester and crude glycerol. Crude glycerol,the heavier liquid will collect at the bottom after several hours of settling.Phase separation can be observed with 10 minutes and can be complete within 2 hours of settling. Complete settling can take as long as 20 hours.

After settling is complete, water is added at the rate of 5.5 percent by volume of the oil and then stirred for 5 minutes and the glycerol is allowed to settle again. After settling is complete the glycerol is drained and the ester layer remains. Washing the ester is a two step process which is carried out with extreme care.A water wash solution at the rate of 28 percent by volume of oil and 1 gram of tannic acid per liter of water is added to the ester and gently agitated. Air is carefully introduced into the aqueous layer while simultaneously stirring very gently. This process is continued until the ester layer becomes clear. After settling the aqueous solution is drained and water alone is added at 28 percent by volume of oil for the final washing.

Anonymous Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 100 lbs of Soybean Oil
  • 15 lbs of alcohol (methynol)
  • 1 lb of catalyst (sodium hydroxide)
Products:

  • 100 lbs biodiesel
  • 10 lbs glycerol
  • 5 lbs methynol (reusable)
  • 1 lb soap