Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

I was researching methods of bulk hulling sunflower seeds and came across some information regarding approximate vegetable oil yields per acre per year. Here are the interesting ones.

Sunflowers: 100 gallons
Peanuts: 110 gallons
Coconuts: 280 gallons

Honorary mention goes to something I've never heard of, oil palm, which is rated at 635 gallons per acre per year. Corn yielded a pathetic 18 gallons.

It's pretty clear to me that a guy with a few acres to spare ought to be able to find something there he can grow and produce interesting quantities of biodiesel to run a generator or motor vehicle. I could almost but not quite cover my yearly fuel requirements with just 1 acre of coconuts.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Interesting stuff, unfortunately I cant grow coconuts anywhere near my climate.

I wonder what the yield from soybean is compared to the others?

And how expensive of equipment are we talking about here for pressing these crops into oil sufficient for fueling bio-fuel-compatable machinery?

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

I'd be interested in finding a SMALL press.....I already have a small hammer mill to crush beans or whatever......the oil press is the key. Everything I see is the big stuff like the guys above have, rated in tons per hour.....if this is ever gonna work on a small scale, we have to find small presses.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Hmm, I found this site: http://www.oilpress.com/ from a quick google search

Its quite a sloppy site design but they sell some interesting small scale presses.

I got scared by the 25,000 SEK price tag for their model 40 but that comes out to $3,700 which can output 1/2 gallon to 1 1/2 gallons per hour

their description is:

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

I've heard that sugar cane yields the highest amount of fuel (make's sense when you think of "calories"). I believe Brazil is big on sugar cain fuel additives. However, I think they are using it like we use ethanol. Not sure how you would refine it to produce a diesel fuel substitute.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

I think you might be looking for this:

http://www.flinthillsdiesel.com/

Just add the appropriate Lister bio-diesel engine.

For more info, try this:

http://www.wikigreen.org/~wikigree/i...Oil_Extraction

If I remember, rapeseed (canola) has very high oil content, but I believe it needs to be processed to remove euricic acid, not sure what this would do raw in engines, if anything. Rapeseed is good for your far-north climes. 127gal/acre. Good chart here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel

For you southern boys, castor oil is more the course at 151gal/acre. Watch it, because that stuff really is toxic.

TS

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_yield.html#ascend


here's a list of plants and their output in gallons/acre

info about the most productive one: oil palm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_palm

nope, wont be growing it here :)

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

You forgot to mention HEMP
Hemp: 180 gallons per acre, with 2-3 growing seasons per year! But Uncle Sugar say's NO, NO, NO!

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

I just ran some quick numbers on the unit above. Not including the expense of lye, H2SO4, Methanol, electric (assume the oil is free) etc.

To recoup the $8K unit cost - assuming diesel at $4/gallon - it would require one to make 2000 gallons, or at 50 gallons per batch - 40 batches which, at 60 hours (2.5 days) per batch would take 100 days running continuously 24/7.

If you had a diesel VW Passat @ 50mpg you could drive 2500 miles per batch. Most folks drive @ 20K miles a year, so 8 batches per year would do it ($1600).

At $200 per batch - 5 years to pay off unit - assuming it lasts that long.

How does this compare to not buying the machine in hours and hassle? Growing the oil? Costs?

I don't think the oil will be free once they realize "thar's gold in them fries". Now would be the time to contractually lock in a lifetime oil source from MickyD's.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Here's a press that can be built easily, along with an article about processing sunflower seeds on a homestead. Basic and interesting.



http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_.../oilpress.html

Sunflower Seed Oil Press

The press was designed so that homesteaders can produce sunflower oil from their own seeds. The oil can be pressed as is or heated to 170 degrees F., which doubles oil yield.

Both methods require the seed to be ground to fine powder. If you are pressing the oil seed variety, a meat grinder or electric blender will do an excellent job of grinding the seed. The confectionary type of seed will require the seed to be hulled and winnowed before it is ground. A food mill with the stones set at the coarse setting can be used to accomplish this step.

The ground kernels are placed in the cylinder with the piston closing the bottom portion of the cylinder.

The cylinder is mounted in the press frame and a three-ton hydraulic jack is used to supply the pressure.

Because of the great pressures created by the hydraulic jack, it is important that the frame be properly constructed and firmly mounted to the work surface before the pressing operation begins. The following instructions can be given to a welder.

Tools Required

1. Power Hacksaw
2. Metal Band Saw
3. Metal Lathe
4. Drill Press
5. Belt or Disk Grinder
6. Arc Welder
7. Hand Clamps


Secure welds on all parts are needed because of the high pressures exerted to squeeze the oil from the seeds.
Procedure (Frame)

1. Cut two pieces of 1-3/4" O.D. x 1-3/8" I.D. x 24-1/2 inch long tubing for the uprights.

2. Cut one piece of 1-3/4" O.D. x 1-3/8" I.D. x 6-1/2 inch long tubing for the center tube.

3. Cut one 3/4" x 2-3/4 x 5-1/2 inch steel bar for the top cross member.

4. Cut two pieces of 1-3/4 x 1-3/4 x 8 inch angle iron for the base members.

5. Drill two 9/32-inch holes in each base member 1/2 inch from the outer edges.

6. Weld the base members, tubes and cross member together as per the drawing.

7. Grind all edges to remove any burrs.

8. Paint the frame.

9. If a mounting board is desired, cut a piece of pine 1-1/4 x 6-1/2 x 12 inches long.

10. Center the frame on the board and mark the location of the four mounting holes.

11. Drill four 7/8-inch holes 1/4-inch deep to accept the T-nuts.

12. Drill four 5/16-inch holes through the mounting board using the same centers created by the 7/8-inch holes.

13. Round the edges of the base and sand all surfaces.

14. Install four 1/4-20 T-nuts.

15. Finish the base with clear lacquer finish.

16. Assemble the base to the frame using four 1/4-20 x 1-1/4-inch round head bolts.

Procedure (Cylinder)

1. Cut a piece of 3-1/2" O.D. x 3-1/4" I.D. tubing 5-3/8 inches long.

2. Face both ends on the lathe.

3. Cut out a 3-1/2-inch round disk from 1/4-inch plate steel.

4. Weld the disk to one end of the tube.

5. Drill a series of 3/32-inch holes around the side of the tube on 1/2-inch centers.

6. Remove all burrs on the inside and outside of the tube.

Procedure (Piston)

1. Cut out a 3-3/8-inch disk of 1/4-inch plate steel.

2. Cut a 1-3/8" O.D. x 1-1/8" I.D. piece of tubing 1-1/8 inches long.

3. Face both ends of the tube.

4. Weld the tube in the center of the 3-3/8-inch disk. All welds should be made on the inside of the tube.

5. Mount the piston in the lathe and turn the disk to fit the inside diameter of the cylinder. This will be about 3-15/64 inches in diameter.

6. Remove any sharp edges.

Procedure (Collector Ring)

1. Cut the bottom out of a one-gallon plastic bottle. The cut line should be approximately 1-1/2 inches from the bottom of the bottle.

2. Make a 1/8 x 1 inch slot at one edge of the bottom outside ring. This will allow the oil to pour into a receiving cup.

3. Cut a 1-3/4-inch hole in the center of the bottom, so that the unit will fit over the center tube in the frame.

Materials

Frame

2 -- 1-3/4 O.D. x 1-3/8 I.D. x 24-1/2" long H.R.S. (frame tubes)
1 -- 1-3/4 O.D. x 1-3/8 I.D. x 6-1/2 inch long H.R.S. (center tube)
1 -- 3/4 x 2-3/4 x 5-1/2" flat bar H.R.S. (top cross member)
2 -- 1-3/4 x 1-3/4 x 8" angle iron H.R.S. (base members)
1 -- 1-1/4 x 6-1/2 x 12" #2 white pine (wood base)
4 -- 1/4-20 x 1-1/4 R.H. mounting bolts
4 -- 1/4-20 T-nuts
Black enamel for frame (finishing material)
Clear lacquer finish for wood base
3 -- 1/8" dia. welding rods

Cylinder

1 -- 1/4 x 3-1/2" dia. C.R.S. disk (top)
1 -- 3-1/2 O.D. x 3-1/4 I.D. C.R.S. tube (cylinder)
1 -- 1/8 dia. welding rod

Piston

1 -- 1/4 x 3-3/8 D.A. C.R.S. disk (piston top)
1 -- 1-1/4 O.D. x 1 I.D. x 1" long H.R.S. (piston tube)
1 -- 1/8 dia. welding rod

Collector Ring

1 -- Bottom from a one-gallon plastic bottle (oil collector ring)

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Farmer-planning-diesel-tree-biofuel/2006/09/19/1158431695812.html


<HEADLINE>Farmer planning diesel tree biofuel</HEADLINE>

<!--articleTools Top--><DATE>September 19, 2006 - 2:54PM From: Peter Marshall </DATE>

<!--articleDetails-->
<!--articleExtras-wrap--><BOD></BOD>They say that money doesn't grow on trees, but a Queensland farmer believes fuel does.
Mike Jubow, a nursery wholesaler from Mackay, has begun importing seed from Brazil to plant diesel trees.
The tropical trees, which have the botanic name copaifera langsdorfii, produce a biofuel that can be tapped, filtered and used to power machinery such as tractors.
It is estimated a one hectare plantation could produce 12,000 litres of fuel a year - enough to make a small farm fuel self-sufficient.
Mr Jubow, who operates the Nunyara Wholesale Forestry Nursery and has been in the industry for 14 years, said he had heard about the trees from a colleague attending a forestry conference.
"I pricked my ears and thought 'This guy is having a go at me' but when I came home I got onto the net and typed in diesel tree and there it was," Mr Jubow said.
"I thought 'I've got to get seeds for this thing' and it's taken me three years to track them down."
He sourced the seed from Brazil and says the first seedlings would be available in late January.
The recommended method of growing them is to plant 1,000 trees on a hectare of land, preferably in a tropical area, then test them for their vigour, growth and yield about three years later, which ordinarily would lead to culling about half of them.
About four to six years later they would be measured again before culling them down to between 250 and 350 of the best trees, which would be inter-bred and harvested for seed.
Mr Jubow said a large mature tree would yield about 40 litres of diesel a year, which equated to about 12,000 litres per hectare of trees.
"It becomes astonishingly viable for a farmer to have a piece of his most productive land to get the tree up and running and then he can be independent from the fuel companies for the rest of his life," he said.
They are known to produce fuel for 70 years.
While the fuel cannot be stored for more than a few months it can be tapped.
But even if it is left too long, it thickens into copaiba oil, which is used in alternative medicines and fetches around $100 a litre in the United States.
And at the end of the tree's life, it can be milled to produce a light brown timber favoured by cabinet makers.
"There's nothing wasted on the tree," Mr Jubow said.
� 2006 AAP

see also:
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Copaifera_langsdorfii.html

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Wow that tree is amazing

Where do you buy seeds? :)

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

A larger press:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-OIL-PRESS-DI...QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com/oil-press-screw-...QQcmdZViewItem

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

how do you do that?

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

SF,
You stated you need methanol and lye to make biodiesel. Well, yes and no.

The methanol and lye are used to clean dirty WVO. After running Methanol and lye together through the WVO, you end up with some fairly clean biodiesel and basically soap (the remains of the methanol and the lye and all the crud it picked up along the way).

Methanol and lye ARE NOT NEEDED if you are using SVO. As in new from the container. Or fresh from YOUR OWN press.

Will filtration be necessary to keep all the 'buggars' out of the SVO you just pressed? Sure.

You might even have to 'turn up' your IP to make it run the same as dino diesel. But I know of several individuals who have done their own purchasing of SVO and they just dump it in the tank (after filtering it to MAKE SURE there are no buggars in it) and it runs just fine.

MPG suffers a little. But methanol and lye ARE NOT REQUIRED for clean SVO or any other kind of CLEAN OIL. I could probably purchase dino oil by the quart and run it. It would smoke like hell, but it would work. And I would lose a percentage of hp.

But you just don't HAVE to use methanol and lye with clean oil. It's not necessary. Neither is the step where you 'wash' the biodiesel before usage. If it's CLEAN, IT'S CLEAN. Now, if it's NOT clean, you will have to make adjustments.

I'm waiting for diesel fuel to surpass the per gallon price of SVO and then I'm switching over. You were just given a huge secret of the biodiesel world. That is that you CAN use WVO (if you have a reliable source) or you can use SVO (again, if you have the source). Right now, in Walmart, SVO goes for a little over $6 a gallon. So I have a bit of time to wait. But in the coming years, SVO will be cheaper than regular diesel or even B100. When that occurs, there will be a VERY interesting shift in sales of SVO over the counter.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

SF,
Yah, that's what I used to think. I've got a buddy of mine with a VW that is diesel. He drained the tank. Actually he REMOVED the tank and had it steam cleaned INSIDE. Then he blew compressed air through all the fuel lines which he had disconnected at each end. Pulled the IP and rebuilt it, cleaning it in the process.

I guess this (having a really clean system) is KEY to using SVO. And I personally thought he was crazy to run it in the winter. But run it he did. We had one of the WORST winters in our history and he had zero problems. DOESN'T HEAT THE LINES or anything.

Having said that, he DOES have a block heater and a garage to park the vehicle in. So once he gets home, he just plugs the block heater in and calls it a day. Never had a blockage or stopped because of bad BD.

But again, I thought he was insane. Until I saw the results. It IS amazing what a ten year old VW diesel will do with BD these days.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

You might want to check this site out as well, this guy makes some interesting contrasts to the current BD 'movement'
http://www.oilcrusher.5u.com/

Here's an example:

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

SF, Agreed about possible issues however it appears he doesn't get too out of control.
From the reading and research I've done it appears that a growing group of people (in numbers not necessary as a percentage of total WVO/SVO users) are using some percentage of unleaded to their mix. Continuing to do more research and I'm seriously considering visiting this guy on the next visit through Kansas to visit family.
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/foru...701#6811071701

Also, I've started a recent dialog with someone on another forum that is using a variety of 'alternative' fuels (UMO, UATF) and I'm trying to get specifics as far as his blends and how many tanks/month he's using of those blends and possible side effects (clogged filters, IP, etc.)

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Microalgae = 5000-15000 gallons per acre

http://oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm

Small fire..
 

under the engine should get her going, under the oil pan. CAREFUL how you do it.:s9:

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

These people from Iowa have mastered it for the small time operator, equipment sold relatively inexpensively, some info attached on them, perfect for the single user/operator.

They also have full scale units for large ops.

Scorp

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Please follow up on that, as I was looking into this co for a larger unit.

Gracias'

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

content of different products:

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

You guys really took this idea and ran with it! Just about everything you need to get this project off the ground can now be found in this thread.

Re: Growing Your Own Biodiesel Is Viable
 

Scorpio that is quite the handy reference for biodiesel outputs and conversions.

I would love to see some of the unused/wasted space- city roofs, suburban green, rural tracts, and deserts...
using wind/solar/geothermal energy to cultivate an assortment of algae, plants, and fish, through aquaponic methods (hybrid of hydroponics and aquaculture).

These aquaponic systems would suck in "greenhouse gases" and spit out oxygen, energy, clean water, biofuels, fibers, plants+fish (food) and if done right- aesthetics and fun. Sounds like a fair deal!

Cultivating Algae
for Liquid Fuel Production
http://oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm

""Michael Briggs at the Univ. of N. Hampshire Biodiesel group estimates that using open. outdoor, racetrack ponds, only 15,000 square miles could produce enough algae to meet all of the USA's ground transportation needs. Under optimum growing conditions micro-algae will produce up to 4 lbs./sq. ft./year or 15,000 gallons of oil/acre/year. Micro-algae are the fastest growing photosynthesizing organisms. They can complete an entire growing cycle every few days.""