I am not getting the reaction to make biodiesel. I believe the problem is that there is no chemical reaction when I mix the Sodium Hydroxide and Methanol. I have read that the problem might be water in the methanol? Anybody else have an ideas?

There should be a chemical reaction whether or not there's water in the methanol. NaOH will heat up immediately when it starts to dissolve in the liquid-is that happening when you mix it?

no..it was not getting hot..i am assuming that was the problem...

I would venture that it's your NaOH that's lost its potency, because from what I know, NaOH reacts violently when it's introduced to water. So I'm assuming that for it to NOT be reacting means that it's the source of the problem, as opposed to there being water in the methanol. Lye reacts the same with water as it would with methanol. How are you storing it?

Did somebody slip you NaCl in place of the NaOH?

Did somebody slip you NaCl in place of the NaOH?

Oh man. LOL! I hope not!

alright...went back to run a small sample and see what happened...i mixed up the NaOH and the methanol got hot....guess that was the problem....i store it in a 5 gallon bucket....guess i need a better 5 gallon bucket?

With the NaOH that is in the WVO already, and to make a reaction, do I need to worry about making soap by adding more?

I don't know enough about your process to say whether or not you'll get soap. I will tell you that I process with quite a bit of KOH in order to get my bio to pass ASTM, but I've never made a batch of soap, per se. I've made emulsions, but that was because of water in my oil. The best thing I can say is that too much lye is better than too little lye. Not using enough will make low-quality bio, which the Duramax doesn't like. So I've made batches with a lower base amount, not passed the 3/27, and had to go back and reprocess, which means using more methanol/KOH. I'm now using a base amount of 20, and so for a 30-gallon batch I'm using 6 lbs. of KOH! But my stuff passes ASTM.

BTW, when you write that your lye is in a bucket, does that mean it's only in the bucket? Not in a plastic bag and then a bucket? If it's loose in the bucket, I'd think about making sure it's airtight. Once the lye absorbs the moisture in the air, it's no good.

For my process I am using the base/base method. I make about 50-60 gallons at a time. I use a 16% methanol (about 9 gallons) mixture with about 1300 Grams of NaOH depending on the titration levels. I just have it lose in the 5 gallon bucket.....no bag. I guess I need to get some kinda bag that I can seal off? Thanks for the help. I almost always pass the 23/7 test with this. I always dry oil before processing...

For my process I am using the base/base method. I make about 50-60 gallons at a time. I use a 16% methanol (about 9 gallons) mixture with about 1300 Grams of NaOH depending on the titration levels. I just have it lose in the 5 gallon bucket.....no bag. I guess I need to get some kinda bag that I can seal off? Thanks for the help. I almost always pass the 23/7 test with this. I always dry oil before processing...


I get my KOH in 50 lb. bags, so they're already double bagged. I make sure to roll up the top and put something heavy on it to make sure that no air gets in. So far I've had no problems. You might consider using those thick, industrial garbage bags to line the inside of the bucket.

I'm now using a base amount of 20, and so for a 30-gallon batch I'm using 6 lbs. of KOH! But my stuff passes ASTM.

:eek:WOW! That's alot of KOH! The price of KOH has really taken off lately. Who's your source? Also, what kind of titration numbers are you getting on your oil?

:eek:WOW! That's alot of KOH! The price of KOH has really taken off lately. Who's your source? Also, what kind of titration numbers are you getting on your oil?


It is, but I've been using lower base amounts and not passed 3/27, so I have to add more in the end, anyway, for the reprocess. My source is out here in SoCal, and I bought 100 lbs. for under $100 last month. I've been told it's higher in other parts of the country, but out here, it seems that the methanol is the higher-priced of the two chemicals compared to the rest of the country. We seems to have cheap KOH/expensive methanol, whereas everywhere else, the opposite it true. My titration can run anywhere from 4 to 7.

alright..thanks for helping me pinpoint my problem. Went home during lunch and got some of the NaOH out of the middle and it got hot...hopfully when I check it when I get off I will have some glycerin this time.

If you have cats and use Scoop A Way litter that comes in a 5 gallon square bucket, those lids seal air tight. That is what I use for my NaOH and they barely hold a 50 lb bag but they do. I've also used these buckets to collect oil and have had them fall over in the back of my truck and do not leak. Just a suggestion.

that sounds good but I don't have a cat...i wonder if it is cheaper than buying a 5 gallon bucket though....what about a pickle bucket.

just buy the stuff and use it to clean up spills in the garage

very ture.....very true....i do that a lot....

Yes it works great to clean up oil spills. I think it is about $12 at Costco

ok..another question...went to drain glycerin this evening....it did seperate but the glycerin was really thing compared to normal and seemed there was a whole lot...maybe 12-13 gallons......is glyverin based on the amount of just methanol or on the methoxide?

Based on the methoxide. And as it cools down, it thickens up

it was still warm when I drained it last night...maybe it didn't seperate really good either since it was only 10 hours.....i'll check the buckets and see if there might be diesel on top of the glycerin....there wasn't a whole lot of bio left in the processor.....

The "glycerin" that you drain off actually contains a lot more than just glycerin. It also contains the neutralized FFA's, most of the NaOH & methanol and soap. If your chemistry or oil was contaminated with water then you would have created soap, depending on the amount of water it could have been a lot of soap.

As the glycerin cools, it will thicken. If you drive off the methanol, the glycerin will become semi-solid.

There is a test you can run to see what the soap content is in either your fuel or glycerin. You'll need bromophenol blue and muriatic (hydrochloric) acid.

well i did a 23/7 test on what was left in the tank. It passed so I am just gonna go with what I've got....already washed just need to dry and hope it runs well. This is from a new source and so the oil is just alot darker. It kinda scared me at first.

Thanks for everyone that got me through this one.

Ap coach, I don't know if you're aware, of it's a typo, but the test is not 23/7-it should be 27 ml methanol/3 ml bio.

wow a $1 a lb. for lye maybe we're just spoiled but we're only paying $30 plus tax for a 50lb. bag...

dirtcheap-I paid .77/lb last month. According to my chemical supply company, the price for everything potassium-related (i.e., KOH) has been allocated, due to a miners strike in Canada. Now, the same place is charging $1.40/lb. The price for lye has remained the same, so when I run through all my KOH, I might change to lye.

Around here we are thrilled with $2 a pound. $3 is more typical and even at that it is hard to get. Methanol runs about $4 a gallon here in a 55 gallon drum.

yea....typo...sorry about that