TEST RESULTS

Below is a link to a Burlington Biodiesel's website. They are using a 180 mesh filter attached to the discharge/return pipe in their processor. (140 mesh is 105 microns, 200 mesh is 74 microns) They put the Magnesol R60 in there and pump the biodiesel through it to wash it. The force of the returning biodiesel keeps the magnesol stirred up allowing for good contact. They first treat the biodiesel with 70mL of Acetic Acid per 95 gallons then use 450 grams of Magnesol per 95 gallons. That works out to .22% by weight! The bag keeps most of the magensol from getting into everything. I like the idea and will be trying it out myself! As always, final filter your biodiesel before it goes into your tank. That goes for regular diesel also!

Burlington Biodiesel
-Jim
23 December 2005

Once you drain off the glycerin processed biodiesel you will be left with unwashed biodiesel. At that point you can either water wash it or use Magnesol R60 and dry wash it. Water washing can take days and will eventually leave you with a quality, clean fuel that needs to be dewatered before it can be used. Treating with Magnesol R60 takes about 20 minutes to an hour,depending on temperature, and leaves you with a quality, clean fuel that needs to be filtered before it can be used. Filtering takes about 15 minutes. Dewatering can take lots of heat and several hours or can take little heat and take several weeks. I vote for a 20 minute wash with a 15 minute filtering at the end. Much faster. A cleaner end fuel. No caustic waste water to dispose of.

I've posted lots of extra info below that will, hopefully, answer some of your questions.

You will need to do a soap test as described here:

Soap Test
Please read the soap test procedure at Soap Test.
After reading that my simplified procedure will make more sense.

I use an Ohaus 3 beam scale.
1- put 250mL Erlenmeyer flask on scale
2- add about 100mL of Iso Alcohol (Red bottle of HEET) and 12 drops of .04% Bromophenol Blue
3- carefully weight the flask, alcohol, and Bromophenol Blue
4- add 10 grams to the weights
5- add 10mL of biodiesel, then slowly add more until the scale is exactly balanced. (10mL weighs about 8grams. You can put in 10mL quickly and save the slow adds for the last bit.)
6- move all weights to the max position (You are done weighing and now need a stable platform)
7- SLOWLY add .01N HCL keeping track of how much you add. Swirl the flask between additions
8- when the color just changes to yellow and stays there you are done adding
9- do the math

Since I use 10g samples it simplifies to: ppm soap = mL of 0.01N HCL*304.4

There has been a good deal of work lately on removing the methanol to reduce the soap content. It looks like that by reducing the methanol content of the biodiesel and then filtering you are able to lower the soap content. This greatly reduces the amount of Magnesol needed to wash your biodiesel. It appears that this is the trick to how Burlington Biodiesel is able to use such low levels of Magnesol. If you bubble air through the biodiesel to vent out the methanol you will need to do something to prevent it from being released into the air. Check out www.biodiesel.infopop.cc and search the threads for ways to condense/remove methanol.

You do not have to do this, but it will reduce the amount of Magnesol you need to use.

-Jim 17 July 2006