# Biodiesel



## agteacher (Jun 29, 2005)

Ok so I was just wondering who is running biodiesel in their diesel trucks?

For those running it where are you getting it? Are you making it?

I am on my second tank that I bought in Houston. Just want to hear whats going on the board.


----------



## LIVIN (Oct 31, 2006)

I have done everything I can to find some. It looks like there are only 2 locations in the area and neither are down by Kemah. If you know any reliable sources in the Beaumont or Kemah area let me know and I will be glad to give you a full report.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Been running it (B100) in my trucks (5 Powerstrokes) and a couple of tractors for a couple years. What do you want to know? I make some and buy some. If you are not either running Bio or some other additive...you better be ready to pull out your wallet because this ULS Dino sh!% is going to start popping injectors early.

If you are just starting to run it, you need to wing your truck on it...start out with 5 gallons to a full tank, then 10 gallons to a full tank, then 50%, then B100. If your truck has some miles on it, the tank probably has algae in it and the Bio will free it up, clog filters (tank and under hood), and possibly pop the fuel pump. I did all mine this way and did not even have to change a filter early and most had over 100,000 miles.


----------



## agteacher (Jun 29, 2005)

Where did you get your equipment to make your own? What kind of oil are you using? I am thinking about using WVO (waste vegetable oil) and looking who to get my equipment from.

thanks for any help


----------



## agteacher (Jun 29, 2005)

LIVIN said:


> I have done everything I can to find some. It looks like there are only 2 locations in the area and neither are down by Kemah. If you know any reliable sources in the Beaumont or Kemah area let me know and I will be glad to give you a full report.


The place I bought it is on Epps st in Houston. The guy there that you buy it from is a very nice and seems to be very knowledgeable young man. I would guess he is in his mid to late twenties and is the one that installs the SVO (straight vegetable oil) systems in the trucks. The name of the business American Green Fuels. http://americangreenfuels.net/ here is there webpage.

I haven't found any around Beaumont either. I am getting married in June and as soon as we find a house I am going to get my own equipment and start my own.


----------



## ANGEL (May 21, 2004)

I fill up when I can 
theres a place on N.Drennan where the pick a part use to be 
and one on peach tree near aldine westfield 
bio I think burns hotter and and you loose some mpg ,maybe you loose 2-3 mpg 
but its cheaper than plain diesel


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

I made my own processor out of a 58 gallon water heater, some pipe, and a pump. You need to have an open space that you are not afraid of spillage (ie not your garage). Stay away from the kits you buy...they are cheap plastic $3,500.00 worth...and make one for about $500.00 or less (you do not need a new water heater). I make mine out of peanut oil and sometimes canola oil. Bud at American Green fuels always tries to buy my oil...I buy Bio from him when I do not have any made up as it is $0.33 a gallon cheaper than Dino plus cleaner and better not only for the truck but also for the environment.

As far as loosing mpg, you will drop a mile or two, but if you are chipped like me it puts it back up where it is supposed to be. The pluses outwiegh the minuses, the engine will run quieter, smoother, etc.


----------



## Brew (May 21, 2004)

Here's a couple forums to check out.

http://www.riverstonesbiodiesel.com/appleseed/

http://biodieselcommunity.org/

Jeff


----------



## sandybottom (Jun 1, 2005)

So the place on N.Drennan sells to the public and do you know how much it is? I know this location because I go to DAN-LOC all the time.


ANGEL said:


> I fill up when I can
> theres a place on N.Drennan where the pick a part use to be
> and one on peach tree near aldine westfield
> bio I think burns hotter and and you loose some mpg ,maybe you loose 2-3 mpg
> but its cheaper than plain diesel


----------



## agteacher (Jun 29, 2005)

http://www.houstonbiodiesel.com/ Right now it said it is holding at $2.999.

The place on Epps is $2.939 for cash and $2.999 for credit card


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

sandybottom said:


> So the place on N.Drennan sells to the public and do you know how much it is? I know this location because I go to DAN-LOC all the time.


Yes, Chris sells to the public...he also teaches classes on how to make biodiesel to the public. In fact, this is where I get my chemicals from. You can look them up at Houston Biodiesel on the web. I just went on his web site and it is $2.99; however, he may give a cash discount like Bud does over at the American Green Fuels does on Eppes St.

Just be careful running it straight right off...it will clean all the algae out of your tank and clog filters. Also, it has a hight gel point. They are utilizing the palm oil now and it makes very good fuel but gels around 40 degrees, where as peanut or canola gels just below freezing and in the high 20's.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Oh yea, the best sites I have found when starting out...this was a couple years ago...were the infopop site and the diesel stop was just starting to get their forum up, which is now ok.


----------



## sandybottom (Jun 1, 2005)

Ok I found this one for N. Drennan and Eppes
http://www.houstonbiodiesel.com/


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

sandybottom said:


> Ok I found this one for N. Drennan and Eppes
> http://www.houstonbiodiesel.com/


That is it. Chris is there all the time on Drennan while Bud at Eppes is hit and miss...need to call him or show up on Saturday until noon.


----------



## agteacher (Jun 29, 2005)

The guy I have dealt with at on Eppes is Ryan, real nice guy.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

agteacher said:


> The guy I have dealt with at on Eppes is Ryan, real nice guy.


Ryan is Bud's son...they live in Friendswood. They are from Amarillo...good ole West Texas boys...I went to school up that way and my wife grew up out in Odessa.


----------



## agteacher (Jun 29, 2005)

Not to far from my grounds, I grew up in Abilene! Even went to school at Tech for one year!


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

agteacher said:


> Not to far from my grounds, I grew up in Abilene! Even went to school at Tech for one year!


My wife and I are both Red Raiders.


----------



## LIVIN (Oct 31, 2006)

What do you estimate it cost to make your own diesel per gallon ?


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

LIVIN said:


> What do you estimate it cost to make your own diesel per gallon ?


Getting good oil free utilizing good chemicals (Koh not lye) about $0.68 per gallon.


----------



## Hook 'Em (Jan 3, 2005)

For our students who slept or skipped chemistry class: KOH is Potassium Hydroxide. I helped get that plant in Galveston started up. When they are not shut down due to design flaws, their stuff looks OK. Currently, I am working in a lab and test the final product from two other producers and it looks real good until the temp starting getting near 64F. It starts turning into a solid. I don't advocate a B100 blend. Just my .02


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Hook 'Em said:


> For our students who slept or skipped chemistry class: KOH is Potassium Hydroxide. I helped get that plant in Galveston started up. When they are not shut down due to design flaws, their stuff looks OK. Currently, I am working in a lab and test the final product from two other producers and it looks real good until the temp starting getting near 64F. It starts turning into a solid. I don't advocate a B100 blend. Just my .02


How pure is the KOH? B100 is fine as long as it is washed and then tested correctly...JMHO...been doing it and burning it for alot of miles in several vehicles.


----------



## LIVIN (Oct 31, 2006)

Hook 'Em said:


> For our students who slept or skipped chemistry class: KOH is Potassium Hydroxide. I helped get that plant in Galveston started up. When they are not shut down due to design flaws, their stuff looks OK. Currently, I am working in a lab and test the final product from two other producers and it looks real good until the temp starting getting near 64F. It starts turning into a solid. I don't advocate a B100 blend. Just my .02


http://awakeatthewheel.net/category/cold-weather-biodiesel/


----------



## TimOub007 (Jun 10, 2005)

Does anyone know if these people are adding any additives to combat the higher gel temperatures? That is my business, selling specialty chemicals, so I may have something that can fix that problem.

T


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

TimOub007 said:


> Does anyone know if these people are adding any additives to combat the higher gel temperatures? That is my business, selling specialty chemicals, so I may have something that can fix that problem.
> 
> T


No.


----------



## LIVIN (Oct 31, 2006)

TimOub007 said:


> Does anyone know if these people are adding any additives to combat the higher gel temperatures? That is my business, selling specialty chemicals, so I may have something that can fix that problem.
> 
> T


Temperatures? B100 soy biodiesel begins causing problems at 30 degrees, +/- 5. At this temp biodiesel begins to form crystals in the tank. These crystals are too large to fit through the fuel filter. Eventually, they will clog the filter and stop the flow of fuel to the engine. The temperature at which this happens is called the Cold Filter Plug Point (or CFPP). When asking your biodiesel supplier about cold weather performance, ask for the CFPP test results. CFPP is a more appropriate metric than Cloud Point (CP) when considering biodiesel cold flow performance, because it is the true operating limit. If you operate in temps below the advertised CFPP, you should consider a lower biodiesel blend level.
Do B100 additives help? Our research has shown that cold weather additives don't have any affect on biodiesel above B60. Why? The additive is working on the diesel portion of the blend, but not the biodiesel. The most effective current additives remain petroleum based- petrodiesel (aka D2) or kerosene (aka D1). The chemists promise new and improved non-petro additives soon.

What to do if your vehicle stops? Warm it up. And don't excessively crank the engine.


----------



## TimOub007 (Jun 10, 2005)

Good explaination Livin, but I already knew most of that. We have Cold Flow improvers and Lubricity additives for this crappy ULSD stuff too, but haven't specifically asked our product developers if they have tested any biodiesel.

If I go through one of these areas, I'll buy 5 gallons and run some tests. I'll also ask our product guys and get back to you when I know if they've tested them or not.

T


----------



## mywifeshusband (Nov 19, 2006)

I have looked at the input and am curious. I have a 2003 Peterbilt with a 475 C15. Let me know what you think. I have tank heaters on the truck, but at night I usually cut the truck off and use an inverter and electric blanket to keep warm. I don't know how the truck would run on biodiesel so I haven't tried it. But if the truck kept running thru the night it would keep the fuel warm so shouldn't have a problem with gelling. There is a gauge on the dash that tells me mpg per tank, I reset them each time I fuel up for accuracy. I know that USLD is pure "cow pattie" and my truck does not perform with it. Run this thru your mind and let me know if you think there is something better to use that would let the truck perform and be better for the environment. There are a lot of other owner/operators that might be interested in this information too. That could be great for the industry.


----------



## rodwade (Feb 13, 2007)

I have some equipment to make an "Appleseed" reactor. Has anyone built thier own and would you mind helping me put mine together? I have all the parts, just need a tank and some help making my first batches.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

mywifeshusband said:


> I have looked at the input and am curious. I have a 2003 Peterbilt with a 475 C15. Let me know what you think. I have tank heaters on the truck, but at night I usually cut the truck off and use an inverter and electric blanket to keep warm. I don't know how the truck would run on biodiesel so I haven't tried it. But if the truck kept running thru the night it would keep the fuel warm so shouldn't have a problem with gelling. There is a gauge on the dash that tells me mpg per tank, I reset them each time I fuel up for accuracy. I know that USLD is pure "cow pattie" and my truck does not perform with it. Run this thru your mind and let me know if you think there is something better to use that would let the truck perform and be better for the environment. There are a lot of other owner/operators that might be interested in this information too. That could be great for the industry.


Your rig would run good on biodiesel...you just need to make certain the tanks are clean and free from algae as biodiesel is a solvent and will loosen, clean, and clog filters. When "winging" a vehicle you should start with 20%, then go to 50%, ultimately going to 100%. Biodiesel will clean and lubricate your injectors (ULSD will cause your injectors greater harm because the sulphur is what lubricated them) and quiet down your engine. You have an advantage having tank heaters. In fact, if you could get the fluid in the tank up to 160 degrees you could burn straight canola.


----------

