nightmare batches!!!

[Vijay]

I seem to remember a post about electricity and making bio......

I just love the knowledge on here!

[dgs]

slight dropout on the 27/3 test but I'm not worried about that as the car is a veg runner anyway.

Separating the glycerol has been a little fun with dark bio but the main thing is I have bio - happy days!!!

So how did you know adding old glycerol would drag down the new glycerol, just experience?

Yes, I've recovered lots of batches for people using glycerol.

Look at this one; a quote from someone on the facebook group.

It worked! You're a bloody genius! I used 20 litres of good stage 2 glycerol, and got around 35 litres back out 😁 going to bubble it for a couple of days. Thank you David

[Vijay]

Massive thank you to everyone who helped me get through this batch. Got just under 60l of bio out of an 85l batch in the end, so I'm happy.

Bit more of crappy oil to get through but fingers crossed it'll be easier

[dgs]

Thats great, well done.

[Vijay]

Moved back onto the previous batch that went wrong. IIRC it titrated at 8 so added 1200g Naoh and 18l meth. No glycerol dropped. So today I got everything back into the processor with extra glycerol, mixed for 30 mins at 50c and took a sample. No glyc has dropped. Where do I go from here with this batch?

[countrypaul]

I would titrate what you have in your processor and see whether it still appears acidic or is now alkaline.  Assuming the latter, take a 1L sample and try a dr pepper test on it. I assume it was an 85L batch and base of 6 so 14g/L of NaOH.

Have you any more glycerine you could add and how much did you add?

You should try a 27/3 test even if the glyc has not dropped, that way the amout of conversion can be estimated and if very low gives an idea of what has gone wrong.

For the Dr pepper I would try 50g NaOH and 100ml Methanol - but I suggest posting the details of your glycerine first.

[dgs]

Moved back onto the previous batch that went wrong. IIRC it titrated at 8 so added 1200g Naoh and 18l meth. No glycerol dropped. So today I got everything back into the processor with extra glycerol, mixed for 30 mins at 50c and took a sample. No glyc has dropped. Where do I go from here with this batch?

How much extra glycerol did you add.

[Vijay]

Just titrated at 3.

I added approx 40l of old glycerol back in. Yes I have more.

[dgs]

Just titrated at 3.

I added approx 40l of old glycerol back in. Yes I have more.

Strange, you have run off more glycerol than you added proving some reaction has taken place. Yet your resultant mix is still acidic.

If I were you I would do an accurate 10/90 to see exactly how much chemical to add.

Have we established that you have a 10/90 tube, if not i can give you details of how to meke one out of an old syringe and a 500ml coke bottle.

[Vijay]

done a 27/3 test but only got a straight graduated flask. Funnily enough I was just trying to find the name of the graduated cone ones that I've seen some of you guys use. What are they called?

Happy to knock one up if you tell me how

[dgs]

done a 27/3 test but only got a straight graduated flask. Funnily enough I was just trying to find the name of the graduated cone ones that I've seen some of you guys use. What are they called?

Happy to knock one up if you tell me how

i do keep the proper astm tibes in stock but a poor mans version is ----

glue the body of a 5ml or 10ml  syringe into the top of a 500 ml coke bottle or similar. Block up the syringe tip outlet. mark 300mls on the side of the bottle with it upright. To use, measure 30 mls of sample into the bottle, top up to 300mls with methanol. Screw on the top, give it a good shake and retutn to its upside down position, wait for the result, residue will appear in calibrated portion of syringe body. test is 30/270 ratio so 10 times more accurate than 3/27/

https://imakebiodiesel.webs.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=13499644

Look at conversion tester on the photo's.

[Vijay]

how much are they mate?

I only have 3 or 60ml syringes so will look at making something up with that

[Vijay]

On the titration I did earlier, it went clear after a while, so I added more fluid and it stayed purple at 5

No dropout on the 27/3 test earlier and the later 270/30 test

[countrypaul]

How old is your titration solution? Did you blank the solvent before adding the oil/bio?  A titration of 3 is very strange especially as the conversion appears nearly complete - or totally incomplete if there is a colourless layer above the oil!

Under normal circumstances if you leave a titrated sample alone it will slowly saponify using up the NaOH so the solution might go clear depending on the indicator you used.

The bio in the samples does not appear completly clear, is that just due to the photographs or does it appear cloudy when viewed directy?

[Vijay]

Titration fluid is only a few weeks old

Blank the solvent??

The earlier 27/3 test does appear cloudy, but I had this with the ones I did on the previous nightmare batch, which went clear later on.

On the 270/30, the mix in the bottle part looks cloudy but the syringe is clear, I can read the markings easily through the syringe