Best way to mix large batches of methanol and KOH safely????

[Head Womble]

Thanks.

Are there any precautions as to what chemicals you should add to what or can you simply poor the ASM into a conical tank and then top up with Methanol? I know you should at KOH/sodium to Methanol and not the other way round. Does the same go for ASM?

As ASM is 30% NaOH 70% methanol it doesn't matter which way round you do it.

[Jamesrl]

Though Jules give a good example with loads of info in the wiki i use less ASM and a slightly different methanol ratio.

I process 100ltr batches and never go above an ASM base of 3 and a total of 15% Methoxide.

Example.

ASM volume, 100 x 3 x 5 = 1500ml.

Methanol at 15% = 15ltr - 1.5lt (ASM) = 13.5lt.

As I demeth the finished Bio I usually have 3.5 - 4.5ltr of reclaimed so I only need between 9 and 10lts of virgin meth.

I religiously dry and glyc wash ALL WVO before processing allowing me to produce more bio than oil started with. (I'm not the only one achieving more than 100% yields)

 

[nigelb]

Thanks.

Are there any precautions as to what chemicals you should add to what or can you simply poor the ASM into a conical tank and then top up with Methanol? I know you should at KOH/sodium to Methanol and not the other way round. Does the same go for ASM?

As ASM is 30% NaOH 70% methanol it doesn't matter which way round you do it.

Not wishing to be too pedantic...but there is no NaOH in Anhydrous Sodium Methylate. It is made of Sodium metal in methanol.

As Jim says there is a slight saving against the cost of ASM whereby the volume of ASM used can be offset against the quantity of methanol.

[therecklessengineer]

Not wishing to be too pedantic...but there is no NaOH in Anhydrous Sodium Methylate. It is made of Sodium metal in methanol.

If we're being pedantic, then it's sodium reacted with methyl alcohol. The resulting chemical is ASM and is a powder. It's normally then dissolved in methanol to give the gloopy reactive goodness that we know.

Source: http://www2.dupont.com/Reactive_Metals/en_US/products/sodium_methylate.html

[Bio-boy]

Not wishing to be too pedantic...but there is no NaOH in Anhydrous Sodium Methylate. It is made of Sodium metal in methanol.

If we're being pedantic, then it's sodium reacted with methyl alcohol. The resulting chemical is ASM and is a powder. It's normally then dissolved in methanol to give the gloopy reactive goodness that we know.

Source: http://www2.dupont.com/Reactive_Metals/en_US/products/sodium_methylate.html

Does it give of the same toxic fumes as methoxide?

[nigelb]

ASM mixed with methanol doesn't create an exothermic reaction. Methanol is toxic and any vapour/fumes given off or breathed in, irrespective of the catalyst or temperature will still be poisonous.

[Head Womble]

Thanks.

Are there any precautions as to what chemicals you should add to what or can you simply poor the ASM into a conical tank and then top up with Methanol? I know you should at KOH/sodium to Methanol and not the other way round. Does the same go for ASM?

As ASM is 30% NaOH 70% methanol it doesn't matter which way round you do it.

Not wishing to be too pedantic...but there is no NaOH in Anhydrous Sodium Methylate. It is made of Sodium metal in methanol.

As Jim says there is a slight saving against the cost of ASM whereby the volume of ASM used can be offset against the quantity of methanol.

I didn't know that and wasn't sure when I posted that it was 100% correct, but I was right about the mixing (but I'm questioning myself now).

Ps. thank you for clearing that up.

[knighty]

for mixing I was going to use a conical drum, with some mesh in the bottom.... add the catalyst first (so it sits on the mesh)

add the meth, then suck the meth out of the bottom and pump it back in the side near the bottom (to create swirling action)


once it's mixed, pump out into reactor


sound ok to everyone ?

[therecklessengineer]

That's more or less what I did. It worked very nicely - until the pump died.