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Technical
Questions: A Sample of Questions Directed to the
University of
Idaho Biodiesel Education Project
(Click on
questions for the answers)
1.
How much
canola oil can be squeezed out of canola seeds?
2.
How
much bio-diesel is produced from 1 liter of unused vegetable oil
and how much ethanol (or wood-based methanol) is required to
make this amount of bio-diesel?
3.
I made a batch of biodiesel from used frying oil.
After the reaction, when I heated the fuel to drive off the
excess alcohol, I found that a translucent slime was
formed. What is happening?
4.
Will 100% biodiesel work without any consequences for
the engine other than cold weather viscosity problems?
5.
I pumped the last bit of biodiesel from my storage
barrel and I noticed that the fuel contained a large number
of small white flakes. The temperature was in the 80’s, so
I would not expect that the fuel was starting to gel. What
are these flakes?
6.
How do biodiesel’s miles per gallon compare to the
miles per gallon (mpg) of regular diesel?
7.
Can I make biodiesel on a small scale?
8.
Do I have to register my fuel with the EPA for
private and non-commercial use?
9.
If I want to set up a small facility and sell
biodiesel can I do this? What are the testing requirements
and procedures? Does every batch have to be tested? Do I
have to be a member of NBB (paying the $5,000 yearly
membership fee)? Or can I just meet ASTM standards? Does
my fuel have to be registered with the EPA?
10.
An organization near me is producing biodiesel and I
have learned that one of the by- products from this process
is glycerine, aka glycerin glycerol (C3H8O3) – could you
confirm for me that this is what the by-product really is
(from processing canola or some such material) and whether
it is a suitable co-digestive in an agricultural anaerobic
digestion process? And approximately what volume of
glycerine is generated from the production of how much
biodiesel?
11.
Can I use biodiesel in my 1984 Mercedes TD300?
12.
We have a client who got an interesting test result
back on some of their biodiesel. The copper corrosion test
came back as 1A, the ASTM method specifies max of 3. Any
idea what that means?
13.
Can you provide any technical information on use of
fish oil as a feedstock? My neighbor and I tried to use it
and the reaction didn't seem to work as no separation
occurred as is usual with vegetable oil. Also, I have read
press articles that seem to say that fish oil can be used
blended straight with regular diesel to run and engine? Is
this true? We are interested in fish oil as a feedstock
due to a theory that it will have much better cold flow
properties. Thank you for your help.
14.
Can I change from diesel fuel to biodiesel without
any physical problems or damage to my engine if I have a 20
year old vehicle?
15.
Does
biodiesel reduce engine wear?
16. What is the
shelf life for biodiesel?
17.
Is there a recommended percentage of biodiesel to use with
diesel fuel?
18.
Will biodiesel void the warranty on my car?
19. Can algae grow in
biodiesel?
20. How should
biodiesel and diesel fuel be blended?
21. Can biodiesel be
made using ethanol?
22. Can
you supply me with plans for a biodiesel plant?
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