Hey yall diesel freaks, I am seriously thinking about biodiesel. Here in Louisiana somebody is smoking crack. I am paying 3.90 a gallon and it is still climbing. So biodiesel is starting to sound real nice to me. I am looking at utah's biopro150, I know it is a little pricey but they seem too know what they are talking about, and i really want something user friendly. I have read about fuel filters clogging, and converting vehicles. Some of my questions are does my truck need to be converted for the transformation? What exactly is B100 and 80/20. Can I run biodiesel and then put a tank full of regular in if i take my truck on vacation? I was seriously thinking of water/meth injection, can that be run with bio? Give me some of yall's advice and expertice, I will be looking for your input thanks.

There are others thinking about biodiesel over in Maintenance and Fluids. Do a search of that forum and you will find a lot of information.

Let's take this discussion over there.

There really isn't anything required to convert to biodiesel. Just after the first couple tanks you'll want to change your fuel filter. Biodiesel is a bit of a solvent so any junk in your tank and fuel system will loosen up and load up your filter. Most people have trouble with their filters clogging in cold weather because Biodiesel above ~20% will gel at a higher temperature than regular diesel. http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/ is a good place to start about biodiesel info.
B100 is 100% biodiesel. B5 is 5% biodiesel and 95% regular diesel.
I haven't looked into the 80/20 method so no info there.

I would not worrie about the bio cleaning out your tank, if you had a 30 year old diesel and used alot of crappy fuel, then I mite carry a extra fuel filter with me, I tried it and love it, no problems what so ever...

B100 = 100% pure bio diesel
B-99 = 99% bio diesel and 1% regular diesel
b-50 = 50% / 50%

Peronally I would start off with B-50 and see how your truck responds, the last thing you want to do is put 20 gallons of bio in your tank and your truck not like it and then you have to drain it out.

also if they dont sell B-50 make your own, 10gal b-100 and 10 gal of regulad diesel and like magic you have B-50, but dont tell anyone, its a secret

Rick

Here is another good site for reading...

http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/

and

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums

I'm going in with a buddy of mine on a BioPro 190. I have a line on a few restaurants who'll give me their oil free. I crunched numbers and by getting chemicals as cheap as possible I can make B-100 for $0.84 a gallon and on the high end at $1.24. Road diesel is going for $4.19 :eek: here and ORD is $3.67 at a commercial fueling station. I can make up the $8,000 cost of the machine in under 2 years. I'll also sell B-100 @ $2 a gallon and get into a profit margin in short order. I see a business on the horizon....

http://flowplayer.sourceforge.net/video/FlowPlayer.swf?config=%7BvideoFile%3A%27BioPro190o verview%2Eflv%27%2CinitialScale%3A%27fit%27%2Cbase URL%3A%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eutahbiodieselsupply%2E com%2Fbiopro%2Fvideos%2Fbp190overview%27%7D

im also thinking of bio but i was going to build the appleseed reactor like the one that is in the first websight of beermccoy. still trying to line the oil from restarunts.

You'll need to get a source for methanol (55 gallon drums) and a place to dispose of your glycerin by-product.

An appleseed processor is much cheaper but a lot more labor intensive. I'm a self-proclaimed lazy dude and would prefer a push button approach and will pay the extra dough. I can't lose since I'll break even and even and make my money back in no time. I can picture my neighbors lining up in my driveway like they're at a Shell station. I already have plenty of interested customers.

I've done a lot of research on the topic, here's all the links I have saved:
http://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/biopro190.php
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums
http://www.homebiodieselkits.com/
http://biodieselnow.com/
http://biolyle.com/biopro/index.html
http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/index.php
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html
http://miybiodiesel.com/
http://www.chemistrystore.com/potassium_hydroxide.htm
http://www.chemistrystore.com/Sodium_Hydroxide.htm
http://wardsci.com/product.asp?pn=IG0015590&sid=google&cm_mmc=google-_-cpc-_-ward-_-wheretobuysulfuricacid&bhcd2=1205635179
http://www.aaa-chemicals.com/64-pounds-potassium-hydroxi.html

I would be very careful when thinking about selling it,could be opening a can of worms you really do not want to open!:eek:

I have a line on a few restaurants who'll give me their oil free.

This is the key part of the equation.

I would be very careful when thinking about selling it,could be opening a can of worms you really do not want to open!:eek:
What sort of problems would this pose?

What sort of problems would this pose?

Tax man and safety regulations.

How do you get the salt out of the oil???

I would be very careful when thinking about selling it,could be opening a can of worms you really do not want to open!:eek:
What are the legality issues of selling it? I've read you need a liscense and permit of some sort to legally make it... what about selling it?

To sell it commercially you would have to add road taxes and then pay the government those taxes. In short a big p.i.t.a.

To sell it commercially you would have to add road taxes and then pay the government those taxes. In short a big p.i.t.a.
Is it true there a tax per gallon you produce even for personal use? I'd like to learn a lot more about it... diesel prices are nasty lately!

Yea, I have been doing my research and i am all for the bio bandwagon. There are rules and regulations to produce this stuff period. Some places will only let store a certain amount of methanol. I think, depending on where you live, you do not have to pay taxes if it is for personal use, but if you sell it you have to pay taxes and if you dont that could be tax invasion which is a hefty fine and a federal record. I just want to save a few dollars which i assume would take me a year or so to recovery for the machine. There are no places near my home that sells bio, and yes i do smell something in the future, my concern is where i will continue to get the oil. First things first, I need to be able to produce this stuff right and save myself a few dollars. Later.

Hey any of you guys know if you can run a fass system with biodiesel, and what about a water/meth injection.

More on tax issues: That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you intend to sell for a profit you'll need a business license and be registered with the state taxing authority. You can't expect to be allowed a long line of vehicles pulling up to your driveway for fuel. That means you need a business zoned location. No doubt there are extra regulations for dispensing fuel and storing chemicals and very likely insurance and bonding requirements for such a venture. I pay federal and state fuel taxes on the biodiesel I buy and have it on an itemized receipt in case of any questions. You'll very likely need to collect these taxes as well as pay Business & Occupation taxes, plus federal taxes and self-employment taxes on any profit. States vary in their requirements. If you're serious you'd better check up on this stuff prior to counting your chickens.

Oh, and all that free oil you will be getting? Don't plan on it. Oil is a commodity and as it gets more valuable people will realize this and not continue to give it away. I think you can plan on competition for the oil. That's the big reason for the rise on price of bio. This is based on speculation rather than demand.

I would be very careful when thinking about selling it,could be opening a can of worms you really do not want to open!:eek: Thats a good point. The least little problem people that buy fuel from you have with their truck you will be the first one they blame and/or sue.

I don't think he could even make enough bio with that machine to sell very much.

I've read you need a liscense and permit of some sort to legally make it... what about selling it?
There isn't any universal regulation or permit procedure to make it. It's a recognized alternative fuel by the US Government. The only regulations that you'd need to consider are those of your local government or fire department due to the chemicals involved in its production. I've already checked with mine and there are NO regulations that affect me.