Acetone cosolvent for Biodiesel reactions

[1958steveflying]

Not sure about that, I've got some in a sample that's settling and some that's got no acetone and there's no discernible difference.

  What were the 2 sample's Tony ?

Batch of bio, bubbled off the Meth then two 500ml samples taken, to which one has Acetone added.

Currently no obvious difference between the two as far as soap settling goes (of which there doesn't seem much for either!)

Possibly a soap test of both samples may show some differences do you think.

[Tony]

Yes I need to do that now a week is pretty much up for them

[photoman290]

This sounds like the philosophers stone for veg users. There has got to be a down side we don't know about yet?
Dick

possibly your door being kicked own at 5 in the morning? the only thing i can think of is it might not work with naoh. they used koh. not a major problem but until someone  tries it with ASM we wont know. the only other thing i can think of is the need to recover the acetone/methanol. again not a problem but does mean demething is fairly essential to make it cost effective.

[nathanrobo]

You know what would be really interesting?

We make few batches of fuel,

1st using demeth / settling etc
2nd water wash after demeth but not acetone
3rd water wash after demeth with acetone
4th using acetone as a co-solvent

Then approach Ben at Chemiphase and ask him to test all 3 for a much reduced price, in the interests of progress.  For the first time we would have some meaningful data.  I'd be willing to open up my moth-balled wallet to contribute if others were interested.

What du think?

[1958steveflying]

You know what would be really interesting?

We make few batches of fuel,

1st using demeth / settling etc
2nd water wash after demeth but not acetone
3rd water wash after demeth with acetone
4th using acetone as a co-solvent

Then approach Ben at Chemiphase and ask him to test all 3 for a much reduced price, in the interests of progress.  For the first time we would have some meaningful data.  I'd be willing to open up my moth-balled wallet to contribute if others were interested.

What du think?

That's handy it does not include my method, Demeth use Acetone and settle.

[therecklessengineer]

This does make total sense.

Normally, our standard reaction only proceeds at the  boundary between a methanol bubble (also containing the catalyst) and the oil. Better agitation speeds up the reaction as more of the oil/methanol will mix - something we know thanks to Jim's eductors, and the experience of bigger pump = better.

If you use a co-solvent so that both the oil and the methanol are in solution with each other then you have mixing at a molecular level. The reaction should proceed very rapidly.

It seems acetone works well - I wonder how IPA would perform.

I will experiment with this when I get home.

[1958steveflying]

This does make total sense.

Normally, our standard reaction only proceeds at the  boundary between a methanol bubble (also containing the catalyst) and the oil. Better agitation speeds up the reaction as more of the oil/methanol will mix - something we know thanks to Jim's eductors, and the experience of bigger pump = better.

If you use a co-solvent so that both the oil and the methanol are in solution with each other then you have mixing at a molecular level. The reaction should proceed very rapidly.

It seems acetone works well - I wonder how IPA would perform.

I will experiment with this when I get home.

Ipa was used in the experiments along with many other chems, Acetone came out on top.

[nathanrobo]

You know what would be really interesting?

We make few batches of fuel,

1st using demeth / settling etc
2nd water wash after demeth but not acetone
3rd water wash after demeth with acetone
4th using acetone as a co-solvent

Then approach Ben at Chemiphase and ask him to test all 3 for a much reduced price, in the interests of progress.  For the first time we would have some meaningful data.  I'd be willing to open up my moth-balled wallet to contribute if others were interested.

What du think?

That's handy it does not include my method, Demeth use Acetone and settle.

Oh & what he said too!