Bio Diesel & small Farming

[beaconlight]

Does any one else on the forum get "American Agriculturist"? The February issue I got today features Joel Salatin, the small farm Garu fron western Virginia and also has a couple of things to say about Bio diesel with references. I will check their site Americanagricultarist.com while this thread is out in the ether.


bill

[cowboy]

Hi Bill

I just tried the site did a search on his name nothing came up. Might have to wait till its out of print. Sound instering let me know if you get a link.

Billy

[beaconlight]

No luck trying to get this monthes stories either. They had some links though.

http://www.biodiesel.org

http://www.biodieselamerica.org

http://www.biodieselsolutions.com

There were stories of one guy that as well afarming owned 2 restaurants and made his ownbiodiesel and another about afarmer that made it in 40 gallon batches as oppossed to 20 gallon batches. The first guy burns the glyceron bye product and uses it to keep down dust. With a dual tank PU he starts and stops on regular diesel in winter and switches over when up to temp. Bio gels easier than regular diesel. You can put in additives to prevent that too.
Some where in the stuff I pulled up there was mention of using the glycerin by produst to make bio degradeable anti freeze. I guess that if you had a back to nature soap maker around it could be used for that too.

Bill

[400lbsonacubseatspring]

Bill,

The problem with the glycerin bi-product of biodiesel is that it's full of nasty junk (particularly solid chunks of free fatty acids and lye) , and trying to reclaim it is the stuff of alchemy.

So far, the best idea is to burn it in your bio-diesel process as a fuel source, or, since it's full of Lye of Potash (hopefully, and not of soda) you could use it as an organic fertilizer. If you are using soda-lye, the best thing to do with it is throw it on your compost heap.

People who operate methane digesters have also added it to the mix with positive yields.

Trying to refine it even to the level of soap making quality would cost you more than the bio-diesel you are making is worth.

[beaconlight]

The soap thing was a WAG on my part.

Bill

[jostev]

I think I might try and make some of this for the Brockway, but might be more than I want to do, I do know that there is a guy not too far from me who is making it in like 500 gallon batches now, I might just buy it from him....

I would like to read this article when it comes out, as I have read alot of other stuff about it....

Johnny[/quote]