With the rising cost and scarcity of petroleum products, biodiesel has become an important source of energy. Biodiesel fuel has a number of advantages besides being cheaper than petroleum, which include having no negative effect on the environment. You can produce your own biodiesel at home using various production equipment.
Feed Tank
The main raw materials used to produce biodiesel are put into a feed tank. In small plant designs, waste vegetable oil is filtered and held in storage before it is pumped into the reactor. If fats or solid oils are used as the biodiesel's raw materials, then the tank may need to be heated.
Methoxide Mixing Tanks
Most commercial plants have methoxide mixing tanks made from stainless steel, but in home biodiesel plants, they are made from plastic. This is where the catalyst and methanol are mixed before use to form methoxide. The methoxide is then sucked into the processor through a pump.
Biodiesel Reactors/processors
This is where the main reactions take place to form the fuel. Biodiesel reactors may vary in shape and size depending on the size of the plant. Different reactors may also be made of different materials such as plastic, mild steel or stainless steel, depending on the quantity of biodiesel being produced.
Wash Tanks
This is where impurities such as methanol, soaps and glycerin are removed. This is done to prevent the impurities from damaging engines. There are two different methods of washing the biodiesel fuel: wet wash and dry wash. During the wet wash process, water is mixed with the fuel then later separated from the fuel. The main disadvantage of using this process is that it is time consuming. During the dry wash process, no water comes into contact with the fuel, instead ion exchange resins or some chemicals are used to remove the impurities.
Biodiesel Filter
There are many filter types used in biodiesel plants. These include mesh filters, sock filters, water filters and diesel filters suitable for low-sulphur diesel. The most common among these is the diesel filter.
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