Cooking Oil into Diesel Fuel ?

[GolfVenture]

Anyone have a good, tried and true process in filtering used cooking oil to be used as Diesel fuel?

[RandyR]

I would think it would need to be distilled. (cracked I think is the refinery term). Cooking oil is going to have a lot of impurities in it and is likely too heavy for most engines. Unless there is some new miracle process.

[Condor]

Here in California they've been making Biofuel out of cooking oil for quite a while now. Here's a website that should answer any questions... However I would think that dumping a smaller amount into the tank with regular diesel might work OK. The nice thing about Biodiesel is the exhaust smells like french fries.... :-)

 

https://www.studentenergy.org/topics/biofuels?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_aGIq7rm1wIVl9dkCh1VbQqHEAAYAiAAEgLXXfD_BwE

 

As far as filtering, I use a coffee filter in a funnel. Seems to do the job...

[CaseyJ955]

I was going to convert my old 300SD to burn WVO, they are really stout and forgiving engines and lots of folks run them in the IDI engines, not sure about TDI but I know folks do them too.

 

At one time I did plenty of reading on it and decided I couldn't spare the space to do it. Probably a forum on the type of diesel you have then you will have more model specific information on how WVO will effect the vehicle you are planning on running. Depending on year/model you may end up replacing some O rings or using injectors made for this.

 

I'm itching to convert a 116 or 126 Benz for WVO. running on straight WVO will probably require heated lines/filter bowls and tank, especially in the winter months. I know it's not exactly what you asked but I do believe that your filtering and preparation requirements will change depending on what vehicle you plan to use, and what mods, if any, you plan to do. Also are you wanting to run straight WVO or cut it with dino diesel. I do love this subject! As mentioned some fairly simple coffee filter setups, also there are specific filtering systems for this that are affordable, I have read about centrafuge setups too but I'm guessing this is on the more dedicated (read, expensive) side of this.

 

Here is something I had linked from awhile back http://www.vegoilcar.co.uk/wvo_filtering_how.php its from across the pond but it's good basic info.

 

What year/make/model are you considering converting?

[jakester]

Yes, I did this. gather used cooking oil. Must be vegie oil , no animal fat. screened the oil into a 55 gallon drum, mix 10 gallons of diesel to thin it and 1 gallon of gasoline to raise the btu, mix well. let sit overnight for any crumbs to settle to the bottom. tap the drum about 8 inches from base to avoid moisture and crumbs. let filter through tap water filters( like under your sink) then through a diesel moisture filter(like on a farm tank). The micron filtration of the water filters will let you get to around 5-10 microns. The dodge pickup I ran had the factory filter was rated at 15 microns. This mix still clogged the factor filter every 2000miles or so. I lost the injector pump around 25000miles into this. pickup was over 10 years old and couple hundred thousand miles or so.

Lots of info online to do this, should have built an atkins generator to neutralize the ph. This mix would have been better mixing 50/50 or so, it was still much thicker than diesel, and yes the exhaust does smell like what ever has been cooking in the oil.

Very very messy process.

Bill

[baylensman]

Lot's of folks out there doing it others making money selling kits.http://www.biodieselcommunity.org for Information. I'D have to wonder what is the break even on the cost to do it right versus buying fuel? Then there's the cost of repairs and filters if you don't do it exactly right.

 

I know in our area there is some competition for used fry oil. Most of the restaurants in the area now have an all or nothing policy on recovery also. So for the most part the big guys are edging out the little guys. Think about it a company (WM or other recycler) invests in the correct equipment and then takes all the used fry oil. over their fleet of trucks they can amortize quickly

[djh3]

I have a guy I know that owns a bus company in Chicago area. When fall comes they stop running the Bio Diesel because the colg make it gel up. So temps in your area may mandate switching from time to time.

[BratmanXj]

I have a guy I know that owns a bus company in Chicago area. When fall comes they stop running the Bio Diesel because the colg make it gel up. So temps in your area may mandate switching from time to time.

 

There use to be kits for 90's and early '00 VW diesels that added an auxiliary 5gal tank in the trunk for Veggie Oil while maintaining the standard tank and pumps. Start & warm up on Diesel, switch over to Veggie oil for the bulk of your drive, then purge the system by driving the last 10 miles on diesel again. This keeps the veggie oil from gelling in the fuel lines. You could also supplement this with a heating element in the auxiliary tank.

[RandyR]

Hey !! Here's a motorcycle that can burn Wesson Oil

 

[video=youtube_share;xtT86m-WypQ]https://youtu.be/xtT86m-WypQ?t=39

[Sylvester]

I am trying to wrap my head around the desire to haul waste oil to my property, start filtering the nasty stuff, have biohazard spills to deal with, have vermon to deal with, start up costs, and all for what...to save a few dollars?

 

Not for me.

 

[Yammer Dan]

Cooking oil into Fuel?? :think:The Warden will have me on the Grill the minute I drop trying to get some of her investment Back!!!