Dogdoc
05-05-2006, 03:05 PM
I've read a number of threads that deal with processing and filtering WVO using heat to thin out the viscous waste oil and get it to flow through either bag filters or other improvised filtering devices. I am curious to know if there has been any discussion of adding Petroleum Diesel to the WVO in order to make it flow through the filters more readily. This seems like an easier approach, and you don't have to handle any hot oil. I know that this seems like heresy to the purists among you, but to those of us who have resigned ourselves to doing the best we can with the rescources available, this seems like a good compromise.
On a different matter, there was a paper published in the journal "Nature" that describes a solid catalyst for esterification of fats that would do away with Lye and Methanol, and biodiesel could be produced with straight Ethanol instead. This seems like a much safer and more cost effective approach. I can post this article as well as the materials and methods if anyone is interested. Perhaps there is an organic chemist among you who can synthesize the catalyst?
Dogdoc
'85 300SD
On a different matter, there was a paper published in the journal "Nature" that describes a solid catalyst for esterification of fats that would do away with Lye and Methanol, and biodiesel could be produced with straight Ethanol instead. This seems like a much safer and more cost effective approach. I can post this article as well as the materials and methods if anyone is interested. Perhaps there is an organic chemist among you who can synthesize the catalyst?
Dogdoc
'85 300SD