Nasty oil and HMPEs

[Tony]

I've been processing some really horrible stuff recently, very slimy and wet.  From 125l I'm condensing out between 4 and 6 litres of water before processing, then go on to two stage to clear 10/90 pass.  I drain all the glyc to avoid reverse reaction before demething up to 90C, sometimes 95C.  This I then bubble violently for 24h.

What I end up with is perfectly lovely bio, but also an amount (5-10l, possibly more) of waxy creamy nastyness at the bottom of the settle drum, which is not something I expect to see in the warm summer months.

So I am left wondering why, given the clear pass and demething without glyc present. I can only assume long chain hydrogenated fatty acid chains in the lumpy source oil?

[1958steveflying]

My last batch was mainly whites and crappy I have had exactly the same as you, now its all settled or fuged out the Bio is fine.

[Jamesrl]

Tony,  it ain't summer yet.

I haven't started on whites yet but have seen the same dropout in the past.

[Tony]

I'm on the south coast, sometimes we take the grass skirts off and put on leggings if it gets particularly chilly in December.

[Julian]

Ooo, spooky coincidence ... The batch I finished yesterday form really good, clean dry oil titrating at just 0.5 was bubbled overnight.

When I went to turn off the air pump this morning the cintered bubbler and, on closer inspection, the inside of the tank were coated in a light brown lumpy slime.  Bio looks OK though.  No idea what it is but I'm tempted to say HMPEs.  If it is, it's the first I've had since last winter.

[Jamesrl]

Ooo, spooky coincidence ... The batch I finished yesterday form really good, clean dry oil titrating at just 0.5 was bubbled overnight.

When I went to turn off the air pump this morning the cintered bubbler and, on closer inspection, the inside of the tank were coated in a light brown lumpy slime.  Bio looks OK though.  No idea what it is but I'm tempted to say HMPEs.  If it is, it's the first I've had since last winter.

That's not HMPEs it Brown lumpy slime without a doubt.

[Tony]

Definitely more brown snottyness than yellow creamyness.

[Dickjotec]

My recent batches have been having the creamy fall out. Never used to have it and the oil has not changed (still use from the same places for bio). I filter the bottom of the settling tank through a sheet which removes it easily.

[Julian]

Update ... my Brown lumpy slime seems to be drying out a bit now and feels a bit greasy when rubbed between the fingers.

I've had a lot of oil which contains flour recently.   It's not happened before, but I'm wondering if the flour has survived the whole process and come out in the bio rather than the glycerin.




It's my cintered bubbler in case anyone was wondering.

[orange vito]

Are you still getting this hmpe type fallout now tony???
I've completed 2 batches using ASM and with a 50/50 ish mix of good clear oil and complete snot and i've had what i assume is HMPE'son both batches.
Clear pass on both then bubble and settle then J cloth filter into my 20lt jug which is when i see the bits....blocks the J cloth very easily but i can scoop it out with a spoon...looks a bit like semolina!

[Tony]

It has generally ramped down as oil quality has gone up.

That said last batch was with some rather nasty oil, and I had what Julian describes (I think).  Went to turn off air bubbler, there appeared to be brown "bits" moving about in it which settled in a sample I took.

Usually nasty fallout slime has been yellowy mayo, but this was more like brown slime.  A 3/27 shows a small amount of dropout (I didn't actually check when making the batch, my fault really for being in a hurry).

[THE-DOLPHIN]

Looks like food waste to me I never use any nasty stuff just the oil from the top Tony I have friends live in swaythling is that near you could pop in say hello could bring my oil whites for you but now you get paid you proberbly don't need more oil coming up early august may see you then

[Tony]

Hehe not so keen on whites here that's for sure