Biodiesel fuel production?

[jibbby]

There are approxiametely 7 refinery companies producing bio diesel fuel here in the United States that I am aware of... This is the alternative fuel source derived from cooking oils and alcohol used for diesel powered engines...

My question is I truely believe there is a large demand for the clean air alternative diesel fuel and with biodiesel fuel being made for around .70 per gallon whole sale it is a bargain and a half... I would like to get into the manufacturing end of this while it is still in the early stages of developement...

I would like to know your thoughts or suggestion on this? Would any body like to partner up? I think it could be huge money maker to say the least the more I read into this...

Basically the Biodiesel fuel can be stored up to six months, a filtration system needs to be installed on standard diesel motors which costs around $600.. Biodiesel fuel can have particals which need to be filtered out prior to the delivery of the fuel to the motors.. It burns clean and almost as well as regular Diesel fuel. When used it produces about 10% less horse power and fuel economy but is safe for diesel motors..

What I know to date about BioDiesel fuel is that you can purchase a machine for around $8000 that makes the Biodiesel fuel mix and process... I am looking at a bigger scale of production though... (the big picture)

PM if you have an interest PM me or just respond to this thread...

The best thing about this fuel other then the price to make it, is that when burned it reduces all forms of air polution and greenhouse gases which is great for all the tree huggers battling global warming and looking for this type of fuel alternative....

 

[rivetslag]

There is a guy local to me with just such an operation. He just went live about one month ago. He is producing something like 7,000 gallons per day, targeting local fleets and trucking companies. He has spent approximately $300k on his filtration operation, as far as I can gather. I don't think this $8000 figure you have is too accurate for real life application. He has fabbed up all of his filtration plant himself, as well as the beginning of a very large outlay of individual collection dumpsters (from old fuel oil tanks and 55 gallon drums). He personally started up his accounts, cold calling all of the area restaraunts, offering them free disposal of their vegetable oil. And if they don't use the 0 trans fat oil required, he sells it to them for what they already pay. All of these establishments are apparently falling over themselves to give him their oil. I guess he's into the corportate division of some of the larger fast food chains, as well.

He has explained to me in part how he is getting around governmental regulation and such, but I still remain skeptical about how long he can go unnoticed (he's trying to maintain a low profile). Especially when all of the oil disposal companies previously raking in $80 a pop per dumpster, and exporting the used oil overseas for beauty products and such...start noticing that no one in the central NY area is talking to them anymore.

To be helpful though, I do know there is a regular seminar/convention for those in the know about biodiesel. I'm not sure where/when, but he has mentioned it's very informative, good for making connections, and a good place to see how others are running operations. I think he said the one he went to was in Dallas, or Austin..maybe? You can probably find it with google.

I do know it is an almost untapped market, and getting in now could be a huge thing. I saw a figure in a Popular Science that noted biodiesel as having an 8% market share for fuel. And the combination of ultra-low per-gallon overhead (the guy I know is just setting his prices by current diesel price - $0.20, the rest is profit), and an increasing awareness of the need for alternative fuels, it could be extremely successful.

Edit: I think the kits you mentioned do have filters, but the kit is more based on the need to heat the fuel lines. They run some kind of double insulated fuel hose...the fuel runs through the inner tube, and warm engine coolant runs through the outer sleeve. A bonus from this is a lack of standard diesel gelling problems in winter.

Edit2: I meant 7000 gals per day, not week.

 

[Toysrme]

So why not just filter the biodesil before it goes to the vehicle like we do R/C engines.
Anyways. You know what would be alot easier & smell better than dealing with all the free waste veggie oil out there? Just buying bulk fresh veggie oils at around $190-240 a metric ton. God knows the transportation costs tho... http://www.bulkoil.com/
You'd have a virtually unlimited supply of oil without all the work that way. Most of it seems to come from Africa in my 30 seconds of scanning.


If you get rich, I want in lmao!

 

[Toysrme]

To answer my own question:
they're concerned about the biodesil clogigng injectors after freeing up deposites in the fuel system. So people suggest changing within the first 1,000 miles of swapping to 100% bio.

 

[jibbby]

The $8000 filtration unit I was talking about was for a backyard small unit for maybe making your own fuel and not for mass production...I am aware of the hundred of thousands of dollars it would take to produce a refinery BioDeisel plant...

It's funny I use to own a night time construction company for many years that only did work for restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area at night time during closing hours. I still have all the contacts with all the restaurant owners and managers for taking away there 55 gallon drum disposable oils... Did you know restaurants chains like PF Chang's and others currently pay for this oil disposal... As for a biodeisel fuel maker I believe most restaurant owners would be happy to give away their oil waste for free and save money and do something positive with the waste... It's a no brainer...

What I am looking into is government assisstant programs to help fund an operation of this magnitude....Suprisingly enough there is alot of help available in the form of government loans, tax breaks, land leasing programs, etc...The California Clean Air Act plays a big part in assistant programs in my neck of the woods...It's out there for those that want to create a clean fuel alternative...Still in the process of reseaching....

I also need to learn more about the large machinery to be used in a refinery... The small home machines take like 12 hours to create one gallon...It's a timely process from what I have read so far...

Big profits to be made in this type of business....

 

[rivetslag]

http://greasecar.com

Those kits have an on board strainer available. They also carry those personal filtration systems.

 

[Toysrme]

The only problem I see is getting people to buy 100% bio. 'Cause it would be pretty shitty for someone to use 100% & clog a filter lol.

 

[jibbby]

Well it depends on where you get the BioDiesel fuel...Some are cleaner then others from my reads.... Secondly it's like two fuel filters and they say you need to replace them every 6 months if your running straight biodiesel fuel...Filters are easy to replace and cost like $10 each...

So $40 bucks a year is a cheap price to pay for all the money you will be saving for the average consumer... Still it's a no brainer...Burns cleaner and is supposedly better for the motor once the fuel is properly filtered..

I am looking into buying a Midsize Diesel truck now to test the biodiesel fuel and filtration kit...No use on starting a business unless you try it yourself first and then stand behind the product you are selling %100....

 

[Toysrme]

Plus, you gotta have a truck to haul something. Trucks are fun! LoL!
Theeee ummmm hmmm
Expect 13mpg average with whatever you buy & bio has a small power penalty to straight. So it may be just a hair worse. But a lower cost will definately upset it.

I thought about you yesterday. I strained out my veggie oil I had fried some chicken in. LoL

Personally, if I had the money I'd buy a new tacoma & then import a 1kv-ftv 3.0L i4 diesel in it. But that's whishful thinking.

 

[jibbby]

Not true Toys....My brother inlaw recently bought a newer Ford Expedition limited Diesel...This truck is a huge monster but incredibly it gets like 23-25mpg. As you know Diesel fuel costs less the regular petrol and diesel fuel burns slower... Add all that up and these big arse trucks gets about as good gas mileage as most smaller economical cars... It's unreal... Although the truck is a bit gutless but it does have massive torque... It could probably pull your house...

I just read a report regular petrol should be reaching $4.00 per gallon this summer... All the more reason to go Diesel and Bio... I am still working out the details of production..

So when your frying up those eggs and grits save the spent cooking oils, convert, burn and save...Ha Ha..

 

[Toysrme]

Eh. I've never seen the big HD trucks get really great mileage. My uncle bought his life-long dream of an F250 with a powerstroke in it last year. I told him & told him he'd average about 13mpg, even tho they're rated at *so* much better. he get's 13mpg. Seems the same as all the TD trucks I've ever encountered. People always crow at getting high teens, and then eat crow because they really get 12-14mpg with them.
Maybe the Expedition weighs alot less than the trucks & is more aerodynamic? IDK.
The engine is completely different tho. So maybe that's why. That has the newer v8 td in them. The powerstroke was the shitty 6.0L i6.



I ran & drove my v6 off diesel by swaping the lines & pump on my pre tb water injection. Good use of around $15. Very entertaining. You can't take a date to wafflehouse for $15... I watched both bank's fuel trims go one notch leaner. (0-2% to 5-10%, 5-10% to 15% on the other bank) I wish you could spark-ignite diesel, or another fuel to run it. Apparantly you can... That way you could run it without so much compression it compression ignites & gets into detonation as the revs eventually build too high.




If someone could just make a TD engine that didn't weigh so damned much & revved out to say mid-5000rpm. I'd be a very happy person.

 

[Toysrme]

It's been years, but thinking back. I seem to remember it compression igniting afew times on me for 20-30 seconds after the key was off. Diesel fuel just dripping into the hot combustion chamber.
While that might put some people off. Seems more like a free turbo-timer to me. hahaha.

 

[Toysrme]

jibby it seems to me what you need is a system capible of producing afew thousand gallons a day/week that does all the chemical mess automatically. And has a system of self-diagnostic to let you know when it breaks & the bio turns out bad.