Chinese takeaway biodiesel man in garage explosion horror

www.theregister.co.uk ^ | 7/28/2008 | By Lewis Page

[Red Badger]

A Northamptonshire man destroyed his garage and badly injured himself at the weekend while attempting to make biodiesel from used cooking oil. A devastating explosion levelled the makeshift reprocessing plant on Saturday afternoon, when sparks from an electric drill being used to mix ingredients ignited explosive vapours.

Firemen hastened to deal with the smoking wreckage, in Middleton Cheney, and the unnamed thrifty motorist was airlifted to hospital with 20 per cent burns.

"Firefighters would like to urge members of the public to take extreme caution if undertaking such chemical mixtures in their own homes," said a statement from the Oxfordshire fire brigade, quoted by the BBC.

The injured biodiesel fancier reportedly made motor fuel from used cooking oil obtained from his local Chinese takeaway. Such oil can often be used in diesel vehicles without preparation, but this will typically knacker the engine in short order. It is normal to treat the oil with alcohol and other ingredients before use, and this process was apparently underway when the mishap occurred.

The explosion would most probably have been caused initially by alcohol fumes building up in the garage, a process likely enhanced by the hot weather this weekend. Open-air - or at least better-ventilated - biodiesel manufacture might have been wiser.

Home biofuel making is legal and tax-free to the amount of 2,500 litres per annum. With so much of the pump price of fuel being duty, such an effort is becoming more and more worthwhile to motorists as fuel costs soar. Quite apart from the risk of a devastating garage or garden-shed explosion, however - and the chance of then being mistaken for a terrorist - care is needed to avoid engine damage. ®

[azhenfud]

First wash: static, 2 gallons hot water (115*F) misted over, then settle 8hrs and drain.

Second wash: lukewarm wash 2 gallons with blower agitating, let settle 8hrs and drain.

Third wash: lukewarm wash 2 gallons, blower & bubbler agitating.

I run a test for soap after third wash, if the water is clear, I finish by drying with the blower, a 300W aquarium heater, and a 100W flood lamp. From the third washing after passing the soap test, it takes about 4 hours to completely dry 20 gallons of fuel.

I know it’s right when I can see to the bottom of 20 gallons of fuel sitting in a 30 gallon tank and it passes a 3 parts product:27 parts methanol test. Since biodiesel is 100% soluable in methanol, if there’s no fallout, the fuel’s a highly converted, quality product.

My problem is I made my outfit too darned small, but it was a 30 gallon water heater given to me for free, it was what I had so I used it.

I’d eventually like to upscale to an 80 or 105 gallon unit.
Someday, maybe....

[Old Professer]

I’ve been online and read about the two most used methods (mist and bubbling); I didn’t know that your setup was all homemade; pretty good.

Phil Valentine’s all worked up about his processing unit, even built a shed for it; just went on vacation for a week so he’s off the air until next week.

It’s like listening to a kid with a new toy to hear him go on about this thing.

He’s also got a guy trying to make the HHO gadjet work on his Lexus but the onboard computer is fighting it tooth and nail, still fun to listen to him talk about it.

We do seem to have become slaves to our motorized beats of burden, don’t we?

Thanks for the info.

[Old Professer]

beats??!! Could be Freudian...

[azhenfud]

Yes, mine’s all home-built. I put the total system together for a bit over $500 but as stated, the water heater was given to me as well as the tanks I use.

In that $500, I also built a collection vessel, a 42 gallon water tank with a refrigerator compressor pulling a vacuum on it. I have a 1”x10ft clear flex suction hose valved at the tank bottom and hose end to which I have a 3/4”x42” PVC “wand”. I can pull a vacuum on the tank in 45-60 minutes and it'll drain a 5 gallon bucket of oil in 20-25 seconds, do 35 gallons in a bit over 3 minutes. To the restaurant, into my bin, fill the “SuperSucker”, and I'm out and gone in five to seven minutes. I get home, reverse it to a pressure tank, pump it up with compressed air, and blow the oil through a strainer and into the storage tank to settle.

These things are nice, provided you secure your raw oil sources beforehand. They can consume a lot of time if you're into the chemical and mechanical process. I enjoy it, but I'd rather spend the same amount of time producing one batch of 50-60 gallons than 20.