biodiesel safety and best management practices for small-scale
TRANSCRIPT
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Bds Sa andBs ManamnPaccs Sma-ScaNncmmca Us andPducn
College of AgriCUltUrAl SCieNCeS
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SAfety geAr SUMMAryThe following gear should be on hand each time you
produce biodiesel:
Chemical-resistantgloves(butylrubberisbestfor
methanol and lye)
Chemistrygoggles(indirectvented)andfaceshield
Dustmaskorcartridgerespirator
Eyewashbottlewithsalinesolution
Smallspraybottlewithvinegarforneutralizinglyespills
Accesstorunningwater
Telephoneincaseofemergencyandemergency
telephone numbers
Fireextinguishers(ABCorCO2)
Absorbentmaterialandspill-containmentsupplies
CoNteNtSIntroduction ........................................................................... 1
FuelOptionsfromBiomassOilFeedstocks.........................1
UsingBiodieselBestManagementPracticesfor
Vehicles,Machinery,ColdWeather,andStorage.......... 2 TransitioningtoBiodiesel .............................................. 2
FuelStorage..................................................................... 2
BiodieselinVehicles/Machinery................................... 2
Cold-TemperatureIssues ................................................ 3
BiodieselShouldIMakeItMyself?.................................... 4
Economics ....................................................................... 4
FeedstockAvailability...................................................... 5
CompliancewithEnvironmentalRegulations ..............5
TimeCommitment ......................................................... 5
Messiness ......................................................................... 5
Chemical,Waste,andSafetyIssues ................................5
ResponsibilityforVehicle/EquipmentFailure .............5BestManagementPracticesforSmall-ScaleBiodiesel
Production....................................................................... 7
ProcessDescription......................................................... 7
RegulatoryIssues............................................................. 7
ProcessHazards,SafetyPrecautions,andHandlingIssues............................................................. 10
ChemicalHandling....................................................... 10
SafetyGearSummary.................................................... 12
ProcessSafetyandHandlingIssues ............................. 12
StorageIssues ....................................................................... 17
Spills............................................................................... 18
By-ProductHandlingandDisposal.............................. 19
TrackingEmissions:WhereDoestheMethanolGo?..22
MethanolRecovery....................................................... 24
BiodieselQualityTestMethods .................................... 26
Conclusions.......................................................................... 31
References ............................................................................ 31
Glossary................................................................................ 34
AppendixA:StraightVegetableOilConversions ..............36
AppendixB:BiodieselBatchStatusChecklist...................39
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1
IntroductIonThis publicain addrsss prcssing and say issus
assciad wih making bidisl ul. Bidisl is a
clan, rnwabl ul ha can b mad rm varius
bimass il dscks such as was vgabl il, yllw
gras, animal as, and virgin vgabl ils. Small-scal
bidisl prducin has bn grwing du highr ul
prics, a dsir r nrgy indpndnc, and inrs in
nvirnmnally rindly rnwabl ul prducin.
Although the biodiesel manuacturing process is airly
straightorward, there are several aspects o biodiesel
production that need careul attention to detail or a
productive, sae, and environmentally sound practice. First,
some chemicals used could pose serious risks to the operator
or to the environment, unless the proper precautions are
taken or storage, process saety, handling, ventilation,
and use. Second, disposal o glycerol by-product and waste
water generated rom biodiesel production could cause
environmental harm, unless approved practices are used.
Finally, operators need to pay close attention to the quality
o the biodiesel produced and proper storage to avoid costly
engine problems or excessive emissions during use.
Ms nhusiasic nwcmrs bidisl prducin
will nd ha succssully running a sa and rspnsibl
prain is n as asy as i lks. Prducin bidisl
n a small-scal carris inhrn risks, and carlss
prducrs ar likly hav mishaps. Whil h bvius
gal all prducrs shuld b minimiz misaks, i is
als impran knw hw dal wih hs misaks and
rspnd apprprialy. Knwldg, anin say, and
advancd planning ar h bs apprachs prvning
srius accidns.
Th bjciv his publicain is rviw sm
h accpd pracics assciad wih small-scal bidisl
prducin mak i a sa, nvirnmnally sund
pracic ha gnras a qualiy prduc. Prspciv
bidisl prducrs ar als ncuragd us his
inrmain as hy dcid whhr r n bgin making
bidisl. Fr h prparain his dcumn, w hav
slicid inpu rm a variy xprs including chmiss,
agrnmiss, nvirnmnal nginrs, rgulars, andducars in h ld small-scal bidisl prducin
and us. Plas n ha his bkl prvids rrncs
sa rgulains r Pnnsylvania; bidisl prducrs
in hr sas ar ncuragd chck wih hir sa
rgulars nsur ha hy ar in cmplianc wih all
rgulains. A glssary is prvidd a h nd h bkl
which dns rms usd hrughu h publicain.
Fuel optIons From BIomass oIl
FeedstocksWhil arly disl ngins dmnsrad an abiliy run
n crud plan-basd ils, mdrn disl ul sysms ar
dsignd r cincy and lw ngin missins and
burn uls a rlaivly lw viscsiy. A avrag ul ank
mpraurs, uncnvrd vgabl ils ar viscus
( hick) prprly burn in mdrn disl ngins
(spcially hs wih cmmn rail ul injcin sysms).
Ths wh wish run hir disl quipmn n raw
vgabl il, usd cking ils, animal as, r uls drivd
rm hs hav h llwing pins: (1) cnvr h il
bidisl, r (2) cnvr h disls ul sysm run
had ils as illusrad blw (Figur 1).
Note: Fr simpliciy, h gnral rm vgabl ils
is usd and includs virgin vgabl ils, usd cking
il, and rndrd animal as. Sm rsarchrs hav
xprimnd wih blnding uncnvrd vgabl ils
in disl ul as a ul addiiv r xndr. Whil sm
disls may lra lw prcnag (5 prcn) blnds
vgabl il in disl, his inrmain is ngin-spcic,
and highr-prcnag blnds ar n advisd. In a
dirn apprach, sm cmmrcially availabl prducs
prm blnding usd cking ils wih unladd gaslin
and addiivs rduc h viscsiy. This pracic is n
rcmmndd by h auhrs his bkl. Numrus
sudis by h Dparmn Enrgy and hrs hav
dmnsrad ha h us high-viscsiy uncnvrd
ils a lvls as lw as 10 prcn may caus ngin
war, injcr dpsi rmain, and prmaur nginailur. Ancdal rprs by disl srvic prsnnl als
rpr svral cass prblms wih injcr pumps and
hr pars linkd h us high-prcnag blnds
uncnvrd vgabl ils wih disl ul. Engin
manuacurrs may n hnr warranis i raw ils r any
hr ul prducs n ming ul qualiy spcicains
ar usd as ul.
FIgure 1
Vegetable Oil
Oil Conversion(Transesterification)
Vehicle Conversion
Biodiesel
StraightVegetable Oil
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Biicvi oi
Bidisl ul mus n b cnusd wih crud,
unranssrid vgabl il. Transsricain is a
chmical racin whrin il mlculs rac wih alchl
in h prsnc a bas caalys such as ly. This smwha-
rvrsibl racin rsuls in alkyl srs, als knwn as
bidisl, and a crud glycrl by-prduc. Th Amrican
Sciy r Tsing and Marials (ASTM), a cnsnsus
rganizain usrs, prducrs, and manuacurrs, clarlyspcis ul qualiy sandards r bidisl.
Sm ppl us h w rms sy-disl and
bidisl inrchangably. In crain rgins h Unid
Sa, sy-disl rrs crud syban il ha is lrd
and may b clarid, whil in hr rgins, bh rms
rr bidisl ul ha has bn prprly prcssd
(ranssrid) rm syban il. In indusry liraur,
FAME is an acrnym ha is n usd r Fay Acid Mhyl
Esrs (bidisl). In his dcumn, bidisl will rr nly
ranssrid il rm a variy dscks.
Bidisl ul can b burnd in any disl nginwihu majr mdicains h quipmn. Bidisl
blnds radily wih prlum disl. Ful blnds ar
rrrd by h prcnag bidisl in h mix (.g.,
B20 is 20 prcn bidisl). Bidisl ul can als b
blndd wih disl ul il r us in haing appliancs.
Ths wh wn disl quipmn undr warrany ar
advisd chck wih hir manuacurrs rgarding
rcmmndd prcnag limis r bidisl blnds.
Manuacurrs rquir ha any bidisl uls usd m
h ASTM D6751 spcicains r valid warranis.
si Vb oicvi dieqi
Th pin knwn as sraigh vgabl il (SVO)
cnvrsin rquirs alring h ul sysm h disl
ngin ha h vgabl il, hrby rducing is
viscsiy. Thr ar a numbr cmmrcially availabl kis,
as wll as hmmad cnvrsins, ms which uncin
n h sam basic principls. This apprach is dscribd
in Appndix A, bu rsarch is nging rviw pnial
ngin prblms and nvirnmnal cncrns (incrasd
missins). Alhugh his bkl dscribs say andnvirnmnal issus praining small-scal bidisl
prducin and us, sm h rgulains and say
inrmain will b usul SVO sysm usrs.
Bh bidisl and SVO sysms bgin wih vgabl
il. In h cas bidisl, h il is mdid sui h
ngin. In h cas SVO, h ul sysm h ngin is
mdid sui h il.
usIng BIodIeselBest management
practIces For VehIcles, machInery,
cold Weather, and storage
tiii Bii
Whnvr swiching bidisl r a bidisl blnd ul
in an ngin r srag ank ha had bn running n
prlum disl, i is rcmmndd mnir r chang
ul lrs n a mr rqun basis a las r h rs sixmnhs ar h ransiin. Bidisl is an xclln slvn
and, as such, i will radily disslv many h dpsis in
a disl ngin, ul injcrs, ul supply lins, and srag
anks ha hav accumulad vr h yars ngin
prain wih prlum disl. Cninu changing ul
lrs n an as-ndd basis unil h sysm has bn cland
h dpsis. Whn high-prcnag blnds bidisl ar
usd in rad vhicls, i is wis carry a spar ul lr and
h ls and knwldg chang i n h rad.
F sMs h sandard srag and handling prcdurs usd
r prlum disl can als b usd r bidisl. Th
ul shuld b srd in a clan, dry, dark nvirnmn.
Rcmmndd marials r srag anks includ
aluminum, sl, plyhyln, plyprpyln, and Tfn,
bu n cncr-lind srag anks. I pssibl, h srag
ank shuld n includ any cppr, brass, lad, in, zinc,
r rubbr ings i pssibl (pracically spaking, brass
ball valvs ar usd by many wih n majr ill c). Sinc
bidisl is an rganic liquid, h us an algacid r
ungicid addiiv is rcmmndd whnvr h ul issrd during warm wahr. Srag im r bidisl and
prlum disl shuld b limid six mnhs r bs
prrmanc. Rr h scins cvring Rgulary
Issus and Srag Issus r inrmain n rgulains
ha apply srag anks.
Bii i Vi/mi
Burning ASTM 6751 bidisl is a rcmmndd, accpd
pracic cnsisn wih many ngin warrany agrmns.
As discussd lar in his bkl, h bidisl ha yu
prduc may n m his sandard. Marginal-qualiybidisl may vnually ac ngin missins, lngviy,
and prrmanc.
Bidisl can b blndd wih prlum disl ul in
blnds up 20 prcn (B20) wih rlaivly w risks. Pnn
Sa is ding lng-rm sudis wih racrs using B100
(100 prcn) bidisl. Th pnial r prblms wih
using B100 is xpcd invlv h rubbr sals and hss
in h ul sysm. As mnind abv, bidisl is a br
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slvn han prlum disl and may sn r disslv
rubbr pars, spcially ldr rmulains rubbr.
Rplacing ld rubbr lins wih nwly manuacurd rubbr
is n sucin. Sinc bidisl is a gd slvn, i is
ncssary quickly wip any bidisl spills rm paind
suracs avid pain rmval.
Bidisl can als b usd in rsidnial il urnacs
r bilrs, spcially i i is blndd wih prlum ul
il. Th sam issus ha apply vhicl anks and sraganks apply hrh dpsis in h bm h ul
ank may disslv wih h addiin bidisl. I is
rcmmndd sar wih a lw cncnrain bidisl
rlaiv prlum disl, changing h ul lr mr
rqunly nsur ha any disslvd ank-bm sludg
is capurd by h ul lr. Ful pump sals ha ar mad
rubbr will hav h sam issus dgradain ha
vhicls and machinry will, paricularly a highr blnds.
Bidisl shuld b blndd wih prlum disl prir
lling h ul ank nsur adqua mixing. I his is
n pracical, a a minimum h bidisl shuld b addd h ank ar h prlum ul, as i is slighly dnsr
and sm blnding will ccur as i sls h bm
h ank. Sinc bidisl burns wih a clanr fam han
haing il, i may cnund fam-snsing cmpnns
in haing appliancs. Usrs wh wish xprimn
wih high-prcnag blnds ar advisd cnsul a
prssinal haing cnracr br ding s. S h
Rrncs scin r mr inrmain.
c-t I
Bidisl and is blnds wih prlum disl will cludand gl a highr mpraurs han nrmal winrizd
prlum disl ul. As mpraurs drp, wax-lik
crysals rm in h ul. Ths crysals will pnially
clg ul lrs r ul-lin inl scrns, causing salls r
ailur sar. Pluggd ul lrs may srain injcin
pumps, pssibly rducing h lngviy hs xpnsiv
cmpnns. Usrs ar advisd prpar r cld
mpraurs in advanc in rdr avid vhicl and
quipmn prblms assciad wih cludy r slidid
ul. Th prlum disl usd in cld climas shuld b
winrizd disl ul.A uls clud pin (CP) is h mpraur a which
i rs bgins appar cludy, as crysals sar rm. Th
pur pin (PP) is h minimum mpraur a which h
ul can b cnsidrd a liquidblw his mpraur
h ul will b ully glld. Th cld lr plugging pin
(CFPP) is usually clsly rlad h clud pin, hus
sing r clud pin may b h ms pracical way
prdic a uls winr prrmanc. Cmmrcial ul
prducrs ar rquird niy cusmrs a givn uls
pur characrisics, and small-scal prducrs ar advisd
b awar pur pins in h bidisl hy prduc. Th
rcn inrducin ulra-lw sulur ul (ULSF) maks
his mr impran, sinc arly indicains ar h high
ULSF can als cnribu h lw mpraur prblm.
Clud pin and pur pin bidisl will vary
accrding dsck. O h vgabl ils cmmnlyavailabl in h U.S., canla il is h bs r prducing
winr bidisl ul, wih a clud pin in h 20-
30-dgr rang (F). Sy bidisl ypically cluds arund
32 dgrs Fahrnhi (0 dgrs Clsius). Bidisl
mad rm animal as, allw, r hydrgnad (cramy)
vgabl ils will clud and gl a mpraurs abv
rzing, and hus hs uls prrm bs in suhrn
rgins r summrim.
Freezer Test
Small prducrs wh us ils rm mulipl surcs
ar advisd s ach bach bidisl ul r cld
wahr prrmanc. A simpl s using jars, a rzr,
and a hrmmr is civ drmin prpr
winr blnding ras. Blnds bidisl and winrizd
prlum disl ul varying prprins (.g, B10,
B20, B50) ar mad up in small jars and hn placd in h
rzr. By rqunly chcking h mpraur ach
jar, a prducr can rughly drmin h mpraur
a which cluding and glling will ccur r ach blnd.
Knwing h xpcd lw mpraur, usrs can hn
prdic which blnd will b rubl r. Exrm car musb akn n spill disl r bidisl blnds in a rzr
ha is usd r d srag. Us a plasic ub r scndary
cnainmn, and plac in a scur, lvl sp. D n lav
ul in rzr whr hrs may disurb i accidnally.
A rugh vrsin his s can b prrmd by
laving markd blndd jars ul in an udr,
unhad lcain during h winr. I is bs sar
blnding bidisl wih prlum disl cnsrvaivly wll
br winr prvn lr plugging in unxpcd cld
snaps.
Additives
Svral ul addiivs ar availabl r winrizing
prlum disl ul, and a handul ar spcically
dsignd winriz bidisl blnds. A 2005 sudy a h
Univrsiy Idah und svral cmmrcial bidisl
addiivs b civ a rducing h pur (gl) pin
blnds, bu hy had lil c n h pur pin B100.
Furhrmr, h addiivs did n signicanly rduc h
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clud pin (ky prvn lr plugging) bidisl
blnds, vn a svral ims h rcmmndd usag ras.
Sm individuals d rpr succssul rducin clud
pins wih varius uncnvninal addiivs, bu usrs ar
advisd s blnds br using in hir quipmn and
rr n h sid cauin.
Preparing for Winter Trouble
I is advisabl b amiliar wih h ul sysm in vhicls
and machinry using bidisl in cas any winr rubls
aris. I is always hlpul carry a spar ul lr and
h ls chang i, spcially in winr. I quipmn
salls du ul sarvain, xchanging h waxd lr
r a rsh n lld wih prlum disl may g i back
in srvic. A spar v-galln ank rsh winrizd
prlum disl (r krsn r -rad quipmn) can
b qui handy. I mpraurs drp unxpcdly blw
h clud pin bidisl in h quipmns ul ank,
adding rsh disl p h ank may hlp prvn
cluding and lr plugging. This is spcially civ i
h disl ul is srd in a had spac. Blck hars
ar civ a kping h ngin warm nugh sar,
bu i a gl layr rms in h ul ank, prblms will
prsis. Whn all ls ails, h vhicl can b wd a
had garag haw u. Fr mr inrmain n winr
prparains, s Rrncs.
Blending for the Cold Season
I is bs blnd bidisl wih winrizd prlum
disl ul (cu wih krsn by h ul disribur). Small
prducrs will ypically splash blnd by simply puring
h w uls in a ank a h dsird prprins.Bidisl will mix radily wih disl ul simply hrugh
h agiain gnrad by driving a vhicl. Fr sainary
anks, i is bs add bidisl n p prlum
disl, as bidisl is dnsr and will sl h bm,
blnding n is way dwn. Whn blnding, bh bidisl
and prlum disl shuld b a mpraurs abv h
bidisl clud pin, as xprinc has shwn ha uls
blndd a cld mpraurs may n say mixd. Fr
his rasn, small prducrs wrking in unhad shps
may wan blnd up a larg bach winr ul br
udr mpraurs drp in h la all. I bidislshuld clud r gl, i will nd b warmd wll abv
is clud pin ully disslv waxy crysals ha rmd a
lw mpraurs. N: Whn blnding uls, anks shuld
b grundd avid saic charg buildup (s Chmical
Handling).
BIodIeselshould I make It myselF?W bgin his scin assuming ha yu ar alrady
cmmid using bidisl, and ar dciding i yu
shuld mak i yursl. Making bidisl ul yursl
rs many challngs. Fr sm ppl, h njymn
h prcss and h rward making yur wn ul
uwigh h challngs. This is r ach prsn
drmin. Whil cnvring n galln il in bidis
is simpl and airly asy larn, prcssing and nishing
hundrds gallns was ryr il in ul will prsn
nw challngs wih ach dirn bach il. Rading
bcm amiliar wih h nr dails prcssing,
say prcls, and nw dvlpmns in qualiy sing
is ssnial. This scin prvids sm hings cnsidr
whn dciding i yu wan prcd wih small-scal
prducin bidisl.
ei
I is cmmn r nw prducrs undrsima h im
hy will invs in h myriad aspcs ul prducin.An analysis can b prrmd h cs inpus vrsus
h rsulan valu h ul prducd. Whhr r n
labr cs will b accund r dpnds n h individual
prducin aciliy, and whhr bidisl is mad as a
hbby, r in plac hr incm-gnraing wrk.
Css cnsidr in drmining h cnmics small-
scal bidisl prducin includ:
Capitalinvestmentinequipmentthismayinclude
purchasing nw quipmn and acquiring a lcain
prduc and sr h bidisl. Capial css mayb ngligibl i prducin primarily uss rcycld
marials in an xising wll-vnilad spac.
Feedstockacquisitionprocuringtheoil,whetherfree
r pickup r purchasd
Chemicalsthesemaybeboughtinbulkorsmall
quaniis
Disposalcostofby-products
Permitfees
Electricity/energythisincludestheelectricitytorun
h prcss, bu may als includ ha and vnilainr h aciliy
Laboryoumayormaynotchoosetoincludethisin
yur css
Sinc css and availabiliy dscks vary, yur cs
shuld b cmpard qualiy cmmrcial bidisl ul
br dciding mak yur wn ul.
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F avibii
Each nished gallon o biodiesel produced will require
slightly over one gallon o eedstock, either new vegetable
oil or ltered waste ryer oil rom restaurants. Prospective
biodiesel producers should consider the amount o uel
they hope to produce, and then be certain that they will be
able to obtain and handle the necessary eedstock oil on a
regular basis. As production volumes increase, the logistics
o collecting large amounts o waste ryer oil may becomemore cumbersome. In addition, as more people produce
biodiesel, there may be competition or waste ryer oils.
Lastly, it should be noted that working with used cooking oil
is somewhat more complicated than virgin oils, due to the
varying acidity, moisture content, and quality o used oil.
ci wi evi ri
Bidisl prducin aciliis may b subjc rgulain
by h Dparmn Envirnmnal Prcin (PADEP)
and hr niis, dpnding n hir siz and cmmrcial
saus. Currnly, small-scal, nncmmrcial aciliisar xmp rm PADEP prmiing, bu will b subjc
discrinary nrcmn i prblms r cmplains
aris. Ohr aspcs small-scal bidisl prducin
may b rgulad. A summary h rgulains which
may apply yur aciliy is givn in Rgulary Issus. W
srngly ncurag anyn wh is cnsidring small-scal
bidisl prducin carully rviw h rgulary
rquirmns in rdr avid any vilains h law.
ti ci
Whil bidisl ha is mad rm r usd cking ilhas a rducd marials cs, h im cmmimn r
prcssing shuld n b vrlkd. T rspnsibly
pra a small-scal bidisl aciliy, yu shuld allw
im r all h llwing:
Fabricationandmaintenanceofbiodieselequipment
Oilcollection
Securingchemicals
Fuelprocessing
Methanolrecovery
Waterwashingofthefuelorothernishingtechniques
Qualitytesting
Disposalofwasteproducts
Ths wh d n hav ampl im in hir schdul
r a nw prjc ar n advisd bgin bidisl
prcssing purly as a mans saving mny.
mi
Dspi carul handling, bidisl prcssing will
cmmnly rsul in sm grasy sps n h drivway
r in h arm yard. Cllcins il jugs and barrls
can bcm unsighly unlss sricly managd. Laking r
sping ccurs in sm plasic jugs vr im. In addiin,
hr may b an bjcinabl dr assciad wih spild
usd ryr il. Vhicls usd cllc ryr il, buildings
usd r husing bidisl gar, and clhing wrn duringprcssing ar als likly b acd by sicky ryr il
vr im. Kping h wrk ara clan adds labr cs
h prducin h ul, bu is a wrhwhil say
pracic.
ci, W, sf I
Chemical Exposure and Safety
Mhanl (a fammabl, xic alchl) and ly (a crrsiv,
causic bas) ar w hazardus chmicals rquird
cnvr vgabl il in bidisl. Ovrxpsur
mhanl can caus nurlgical damag and hrhalh prblms; and i prsns a srius r risk.
Ly can caus skin and lung irriain. Bh mhanl
and ly can caus y damag r blindnss. Rigrus
prcauins ar ncssary avid prsnal pisning,
r, and cnaminain sil and war rsurcs. Br
bginning a bidisl prjc, plas cnsidr whhr r
n yu can rspnsibly llw h say prcls ulind
in Prcss Hazards, Say Prcauins, and Handling
Issus.
Handling of By-Products
Bidisl prcssrs gnra subsanial quaniis
crud glycrl by-prduc (abu n galln was
prduc cnaining glycrl r vry v gallns
bidisl prducd). Ms prcssrs als us war r ul
puricain, and may gnra as much as hr gallns
was war r ach galln ul prducd. Bh
glycrl and was war rquir handling and dispsal
cnsidrain (s By-Prduc Handling and Dispsal r
urhr inrmain).
Responsibility for Vehicle/Equipment Failure
Th mmn ha a small prducr purs h rsgalln hmmad ul in a ul ank, ha prducr
aks rspnsibiliy r h uur prrmanc h
quipmn in qusin. Whil hr ar husands
xampls wrldwid small prducrs succssully
pwring disl quipmn wih hmmad ul, usrs
shuld als undrsand ha prblms can and d ccur.
Carul anin prducin chmisry and ul-qualiy
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FIgure 2
Vegetable OilStorage Tank
Good Oil
Bad Oilto CompostRenderer
Methanol Plus Catalyst,Mixed in Tank
CheckValve
Pump InletManifold
Circulation Pump
Biodiesel out
Glycerol Drain
For Safety, Drain Glycerol via Tubingto Minimize Methanol Exposure
Electric Heat
MainReactorTank
Pressure Relief Valve
Air Vent
Vents toOutside
Warm Water Outlet:to wash Line
Cold Water Inlet
Recovered Methanol
Filter
To Equipment
Pump
FuelStorageTank
Dryer TankWash Tank
BiodieselInlet
Water Inlet
Dryer TankPump
Water Drain to Treatment
Biodiesel Drainto Dryer Tank
(Sealed and
Insulated,Rated for250 F+)
to Wash
MethanolCondensor
Example of BiodieselProcess Line
= Ball Valve = Other ValveKey
Not to Scale, Some Features OmittedOriginal by Matt Steiman, 2007
Vents toOutside
Vent
Biodiesel
Wash Water
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sing is a mus, as is car in dvlping clima-spcic
winr blnds. A basic undrsanding h mchanics
disl quipmn and a radinss addrss any ul
sysm prblms ha may aris ar advisabl. Small-scal
prducrs ar cauind dvlp hir prducin skills
whil using hir ul in ldr, inxpnsiv quipmn,
br running hir bidisl in nwr, mr xpnsiv,
and ssnial quipmn. Hmmad (nn-ASTM crid)
bidisl ul shuld n b usd in quipmn ha isundr warrany i yu xpc h warrany rmain valid.
Best management practIces For small-
scale BIodIesel productIonWha llws is a summary pracics r small-scal
bidisl prducin dvlpd wih h gal prducing
high-qualiy bidisl ul in a mannr ha is sa,
nvirnmnally rspnsibl, and labr cin. This
scin is n man as a hw- manual, bu insad
a summary rgulains and guidlins r small-scalprducin in Pnnsylvania. S Rrncs nd
inrmain n hw prduc bidisl.
p dii
Whil n cmmnly llwd vrsin h bidisl
prcss is prsnd hr (Figur 2), hr ar a muliud
alrnaiv mhds hrugh which small prducrs
succssully ransrm dsck ils in qualiy bidisl.
Prducrs ar ncuragd say up--da wih Inrn
and prind rsurcs, as nw pracics r sa and
cin prcssing ar cnsanly bing dvisd by hsmall-scal prducin cmmuniy.
Simplid Ovrviw Prcssing Sps
1. Cllc dsck: was il rm rsaurans, prssd il
rm ilsd crps, rndr animal as, rap gras, c.
2. Checkoilforwatercontent(seeBiodieselQuality
Ts Mhds) and d-war il i ncssary. (Sling
collectedoilsinlargebulktanks/drums,thendrawing
oilforprocessingfromthetopofthetank/drummay
b sucin in warmr wahr.)
3. Filr il rmv d paricls and dbris.4. Fill prcssing quipmn wih il and bgin haing.
5. Ts il r r-ay acid cnn via irain
drmin h amun caalys (NaOH ly r KOH)
tobeusedperliterofoil(seeBiodieselQualityTest
Mhds).
6. Mak a mini bach wih h had il (500 mL r
1 lir) s h accuracy h rcip bing usd
br prcding a larg bach. Masn jars r
plasic sda bls mak chap and civ s bach
vssls, prvidd hy hav igh-ing lids.
7. Whn il has rachd h racin mpraur 120
130 dgrs Fahrnhi (50 55 dgrs Clsius),
prcd mix h larg bach using h rcip rm a
succssul s bach. Carully mix ly wih mhanl,
add chmicals il, mix r up w hurs, and hn
allw glycrl by-prduc sl.8. Mak accura rcrds all variabls in ach bach
ul: il surc, mixing im, mpraur, quaniis
racans, any hr prcssing variabls.
9. Drain glycrl by-prduc and labl r urhr
prcssing, mprary srag, r dispsal. Th glycr
will cnain signican mhanl and shuld b
handld as such (fammabl and xic).
10. Rcvr xcss mhanl rm raw bidisl. I
mhanl is n rcvrd rm bidisl, h raw ul
shuld b rad as i i wr mhanl (fammabl
and xic).
11. Pump bidisl wash anks and wash.
12. Allw war sl u vr svral days r dry
bidisl via aciv drying.
13. Pump hrugh a lr ul srag barrls.
14. Ts ul r qualiy paramrs and cmpar wih
prcssing rcrds.
15. Rcvr mhanl rm glycrl nc sucin
quaniis ar n hand.
16. Disps glycrl and wash war in a sa and
rspnsibl mannr (s By-prduc Handling and
Dispsal).
r I
Thr ar rgulains, bh sa and dral, which
cvr varius aspcs bidisl prducin, srag,
and dispsal. Knwldg which rgulains apply
yu is ssnial. Furhrmr, yu may b subjc
spcic rquirmns rm yur lcal municipaliy, s i is
impran chck h lcal rgulains and rdinancs.
Yu shuld chck wih yur lcal Cuny Emrgncy
Managmn Agncy, r cials, and yur lcal
Dparmn Envirnmnal Prcin c prir
iniiaing any chmical srag, ransprain, r handling
pracics n yur prmiss, and br dispsing any
was marials. Th rgulains chang rqunly r
hs yps aciviis.
I is criical raliz ha yur gals and hs h
rgulars ar h sam prc h nvirnmn, yur
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halh, yur prpry, and h gnral public. Dn b
araid rpr a spill r ask r assisanc.
Th llwing lis givs a summary dral and
sa rquirmns which may apply yur aciliy. Th
acrnyms r h rgulary agncis ar dnd blw.
Cnac inrmain r ach agncy is lisd in Rrncs,
as is h Wb addrss r Pnnsylvanias rgulains.
EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)
OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration(OSHA)
PennsylvaniaDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection
(PADEP)
PennsylvaniaDepartmentofLaborandIndustry
(PADL&I)
PennsylvaniaDepartmentofRevenue(PAREV)
Issues and Regulations That May Apply
Bidisl prducin rm usd cking ils r hr usd
animal as
PADEPrequiresacommercialprocessor(anentity
ha prducs bidisl r sal) usd cking il,
yllw gras, ils and as rm rndring plans, c.,
hav a gnral prmi r bncial us undr h
rsidual was rgulains. Farm r hm prducin
bidisl ha is n r sal is xmp rm hs
rquirmns.
Srag anks
EPArequiresaSpillPrevention,Control,and
Cunrmasurs Plan r abvgrund srag ils
(any yp including vgabl, prlum, animal as,c.) 1,320 gallns r mr r undrgrund srag
40,000 gallns r mr (Til 40, Cd Fdral
Rgulains, Par 112).
PADEPregulatesabovegroundstoragetanksthat
cnain hazardus subsancs (such as mhanl) 250
gallns r mr r undrgrund srag anks 110
gallns r mr (Til 25 Pa. Cd Chapr 245). Thy
als rgula srag anks a rsidncs r arms ha
cnain bidisl r blnds bidisl and prlum
disl i hy cnain mr han 1,100 gallns. I anks
cnain was cking ils which wr gnrad
by a rsidnc, municipal building, insiuin, r
cmmrcial sablishmn (such as a rsauran) and
h bidisl is mad by a small-scal nncmmrcial
prducr, h Municipal Was Managmn srag
rgulains apply. Ths rquir ha h abvgrund
anks b prprly cnsrucd and hav scndary
cnainmn. Undrgrund anks mus b chckd
annually r laks. (Til 25 Pa. Cd 285.122). I h
il was gnrad by a d prcssing plan r was an
agriculural was prduc such as n-arm rndrings,
hn Rsidual Was Managmn srag rgulains
apply. Ths ank rgulains ar cnsidrably mr
cmplx and bidisl prducrs ar advisd cnac
h DEP (Til 25 Pa. Cd 299.122).
PADL&Iregulatesstoragetanksof30gallonsormore
ha cnain blnds B60 r lwr (fashpin 200dgrs Fahrnhi [93 dgrs Clsius] r lwr).
Tanks ha cnain uls usd r haing r gnrars
ha ar lss han 3,000 gallns ar xmpd. (Note:
In Allghny and Philadlphia cunis, his rgulain
is undr h jurisdicin h cuny r marshal, n
PADL&I). S Til 37 Pa. Cd Chaprs 11, 13, and 14
Oil and hazardus-marial srag
PADEPmayrequireaPreparedness,Prevention,and
ContingencyPlanifhazardousmaterialsand/oroil
ar srd in quaniis 55 gallns r mr wihu
scndary cnainmn and hy hav h pssibiliy
nring h nvirnmn (sil, srmwar drains,
surac war, c.) i spilld r lakd (s Rrncs
r dail).
Oil ransprain
Usedcookingoilthathasbeengeneratedbya
rsidnc, municipal building, insiuin, r
cmmrcial sablishmn (such as a rsauran)
mus b ransprd as Municipal Was (25 Pa. Cd
285.201). Usd ils gnrad by d-prcssing plans
mus m h sam rquirmns bu mus b labldRsidual Was (25 Pa. Cd 299.201). S h
Srag Issus scin r mr dails.
Say
OSHAregulatesemployeesafetyandprovides
sandards r wrkplac hazards.
Oil and hazardus-subsanc spills
EPAregulatesspillsof40gallonsofoilormore(this
includs usd cking il and bidisl) warways
r whr a visibl shn is prsn; spills his siz
mus b rprd h Nainal Rspns Cnr
(Til 40, Cd Fdral Rgulains, Par 110).
Spills mhanl ha xcd 5,000 lbs (758 gallns)
and passium hydrxid r sdium hydrxid ha
xcd 1,000 lbs mus als b rprd h Nainal
Rspns Cnr (Til 40 Cd Fdral Rgulains
Par 302).
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PADEPregulatesspillsofhazardoussubstancesandoil
ha culd pllu h wars h Cmmnwalh.
This is inrprd includ grundwar and surac
war; all spills mus b rprd h rginal PADEP
c. Prvnin spills rm was marials in
srag (including cnainrs) ar rgulad by Til 25
Pa. Cd 285.121
Air qualiy
PADEPregulatesairqualityandrequiresaplan
apprval r aciliis ha will hav mhanl missins
n n r mr (s h Tracking Emissins scin
r a discussin mhanl missins). A Rqus
r Drminain (RFD) can b mad hrugh h
PADEPs Wb si (s h Rrncs scin). In
addiin, n maldrs can lav h prpry (Til 25
Pa. Cd Chapr 127).
Dispsal was prducs
PADEPregulatesthewasteproductsgeneratedbythe
bidisl prcss as a las rsidual wass, and in smcass, such as pur mhanl, as hazardus wass. Any
was ha ms h characrisics a hazardus was
undr Til 25 Pa. Cd 261.20 has b handld as a
hazardus was. Th was gnrar is rspnsibl r
apprpria chmical sing and rcrdkping.
Wash War
PADEPdoesnotallowthistobedischargedinto
n-l spic sysms r in srm swrs. I is a
las a rsidual was and may b a hazardus was,
dpnding upn is characrisics (s abv).Dispsal a municipal waswar ramn plan
mus b apprvd by h praing agncy ha
aciliy.
Localmunicipalitiesmayregulatedisposalofwash
wars h ramn plan; bs managmn
pracics nuraliz his wash war ar givn in h
By-Prduc Handling and Dispsal scin and mus b
apprvd by h ramn plan prir dispsal.
Glycrl
PADEPdoesnotallowthismaterialtobedisposedofby ihr land applicain r cmpsing i i cnains
mhanl. I is rgulad as a rsidual was r pssibly
a hazardus was, pnding characrisic s rsuls
undr Til 25 Pa. Cd 261.20, and mus b dispsd
a a prmid landll pnding s rsuls and apprval
rm h Landll Opraing Auhriy and h Was
Managmn Faciliis Prmiing Scin h
Rginal PADEP Oc. I h mhanl has bn
rmvd, h glycrl may b cmpsd r usd as a
dus supprssan n rads, bu a prmi rm h DEP
is rquird. S By-prducs Handling and Dispsal, r
urhr discussin.
Mhanl, Ly
EPAandPADEPregulatethesematerialsashazardous
wass nc hy ar drmind b wass (Note:
This is nothushld hazardus was, i is rm a
chmical racin prducing cmbusibl ul, and
has nhing d wih a nrmal hushld aciviy).
S Prcss Hazards, Say Prcauins, and Handling
Issus r prpr srag and dispsal hazardus
wass.
Bad vgabl ils
PADEPregulatesthisasaresidualwaste.Itmaybe
dispsd in a prmid landll (wih apprval
rm h Landll Opraing Auhriy) r cmpsd.
Cnsul h Was Managmn Faciliis PrmiingScin h Rginal PADEP Oc.
Public Highway Rad Tax
PAREVregulatestheuseofanyfuelusedinadiesel
ngin n h rad. I a prducr maks lss han 1,000
gallns bidisl pr yar r rad us, h rad ax
is prpaid r 1,000 gallns and rducd a h nd
h yar basd n h acual vlum prducd. I 1,000
gallns r mr ar prducd pr yar, h prducr
mus b licnsd and bndd and pay mnhly s.
Fdral Excis Tax
TheIRSrequiresthatbiodieselproducers(including
small-scal prducin r prsnal us) rgisr (Frm
637), rpr, and pay xcis ax r bidisl ha is
prducd r us in n-rad rgisrd mr vhicls.
Th vhicl prar is liabl r h dral xcis ax
of$0.244/gallonontheB100fuelusingForm720.A
bidisl prducr may claim h bidisl blndrs
crdi i h ul is mixd wih a las 0.01% disl
and/ormayclaimthebiodieselproducerscredit.
Fr bh hs crdis h bidisl mus m h
ASTM rquirmn D6751 and h rquirmns
h Clan Air Ac. In rdr m h Clan Air
Ac rquirmns, a small prducr wuld hav
jin h Nain Bidisl Bard, which is likly
cs prhibiiv r ms small-scal nn-cmmrcial
prducrs. Ths bidisl ul crdis may b claimd
using Frm 8864.
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p hz, sf pi, hiI
Say shuld b h p pririy in any bidisl prain,
abv all hr gals. Accidns invlving chmicals and r
larg vlums vgabl il, bidisl, r by-prducs can
caus injury, lss li, prpry damag, r nvirnmnal
cnaminain. Ths wh hp avid uur
gvrnmn prhibiin small-scal bidisl prducin
wuld d wll cnsidr ha rgulain n llwsaccidns. By llwing bs pracics r say, small
prducrs as a grup will cninu rmain in cmplianc
wih cials rspnsibl r public and nvirnmnal
halh.
A cmprhnsiv apprach say bgins wih a
whl-sysm cnsidrain all pnial aras r risk,
llwd by hrugh plans r accidn prvnin. As a
backup, prparains shuld als b mad r rspns
any accidn ha may ccur.
As a gnral rul, usrs shuld bain and rad a cpy
h Marial Say Daa Sh (MSDS) r mhanl andly, and b amiliar wih h say cnsidrains r ach
chmical. A bs pracic is cra a clarly labld
say sain wihin h prcssing aciliy, whr h
MSDSs ar kp radily accssibl. This will allw wrkrs
and r r mrgncy prsnnl radily lca chmical
say inrmain in cas an accidn.
I is rcmmndd ha small-scal prducrs cnac
hir lcal r sain advis hm h prcssing and
chmical srag ha may b ccurring n si. This will
srv warn say prsnnl r hir prcin in cas
a r, as wll as giv r cials a chanc hlp small-scal prducrs addrss any pnial aras cncrn.
Ths wh ar unwilling invi r say prsnnl
hir aciliy wuld d wll cnsidr hir abiliy
rspnsibly prduc bidisl wihu incidn.
Accidns nd ccur whn prars ar ird,
disracd, r hurrid. Prducrs ar advisd wrk
slwly and hughully, and avid juggling many
asks a nc in h bidisl plan. Tmprary rigging
quipmn and shrcus ar high-risk bhavirs ha n
lad unrsn cnsquncs.
Chemical Handling
Mhanl is xic and mus b handld and usd in a
wll-vnilad ara. Inhalain r ingsin mhanl
can b vry harmul a highr cncnrains and can
lad dah r blindnss. I is spcially damaging
h ys; say gggls, chmical-rsisan clhing, and
glvs mus b wrn whnvr handling h marial. I
cncnrains in h air xcd 200 ppm, air-supplid
rspirars ar rquird, prrably wih a ull-ac mask.
(Canisr rspirars ar n civ r rgular us in
mhanl vaprs). Th lvl a which h dr mhanl
is prcpibl is grar han 200 ppm. Thus, i n smlls
mhanl in h prcssing aciliy, unhalhy prsnal
xpsur is alrady ccurring. Prducrs ar advisd
alr any prcssing aciviy ha rsuls in prcpibl
mhanl drs.
Thr hav bn many insancs whr mhanlwas ingsd purpsly bcaus is mildly inxicaing
c (much lik hanl). Ingsin has ld numrus
cass dah r blindnss, and prcauins mus b akn
kp his chmical away rm childrn and animals.
Mhanl ingsin, inhalain high cncnrains,
and any cnac wih h ys rquirs immdia mdical
anin. Shr-rm xpsur mhanl vapr can
irria h ys, ns and hra, and caus hadach,
nausa, vmiing, dizzinss, and rubl brahing.
Ohr cmmn sympms drunknnss, such as
lighhaddnss, giddinss, blurrd visin, and diladpupils, migh als appar. Th sympms dpnd n h
lvl and lngh xpsur and can vary rm prsn
prsn.
Mhanl will radily disslv in war and i rlasd
wihu prpr ramn, can g in h war abl.
Mhanl is fammabl and prsns a r hazard. I
is havir han air and can ravl a subsanial disanc
nd an igniin surc wih subsqun fashback h
prcssing uni r mhanl srag ank. Mhanls fash
pin is a rahr lw 52 dgrs Fahrnhi (11 dgrs
Clsius) which is h pin whrby sucin vapr isrlasd rm a pnially fammabl mixur. A
bidisl prcssing mpraurs (110 140 dgrs
Fahrnhi), hr is nugh mhanl vapr gnrad
susain a srius r i air is allwd mix wih h
mhanl.
Sdium hydrxid (NaOH) and passium hydrxid
(KOH) ar crrsiv and may b aal i ingsd. (Ths
chmicals ar bh rrrd as ly r caalys
lswhr in his bkl.) Skin cnac can caus svr
burns and h ara acd shuld b hrughly fushd
wih war r a dilu vingar sluin. Inhalain hslid NaOH r KOH is pssibl i h marial is rducd
dus-sizd paricls. Any hs siuains is criical,
rquiring immdia mdical anin. Sdium and
passium hydrxid mus b srd away rm war sinc
war will inhibi h bidisl racin as wll as caus ha
rlas du mixing, which can pnially caus a r in
adjacn marial. NaOH, KOH, and cncnrad sluin
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shuld nvr cnac aluminum as hy will cra xplsiv
hydrgn gas.
Prpr say gar r wrking wih NaOH r KOH
includs lbw-lngh glvs, chmical say gggls, a
dus mask r rspirar, lng pans, and shs. An ywash
stationand/oremergencyshowerwithin25feetofthe
wrkspac ar als highly rcmmndd. (A hmmad
ywash sain can b as simpl as a ddicad gardn hs
r auc ha runs a cnsan, gnl sram war upin h ys. Dsign r hands-r prain s ha an
acd prsn can us h hands kp ys pn whil
fushing.)
Whn masuring anyhing bu vry small quaniis
NaOH r KOH, waring a dus mask r carridg rspirar
is vry impran prvn inhalain causic paricls.
A spray bl vingar is handy r nuralizing any
small rsidual caalys spills in h wrkplac. Fin paricls
NaOH r KOH will prduc hls in clhing, hus
a prciv aprn r jumpsui is als advisd. I is als
hlpul r ach prsn wrking in h bidisl shp kp a spar chang clhs n hand, s ha accidnally
cnaminad clhing can b quickly shd i ndd.
Sdium mhxid r passium mhxid is mad
during h prcss by cmbining h mhanl and sdium
hydrxid. I has many h sam crrsiv and xic
characrisics as mhanl and sdium hydrxid, and
shuld b handld similarly. Pur sdium r passium
mhxid is n vry sabl and can igni n cnac wih
war r mis air.
Bdg d Grdg
Saic lcriciy can build up whn fuid fws hrugh
a pip r rm an pning in a ank. Bnding and
grunding prvns saic lcriciy rm causing a spark
ha culd igni vaprs rm a fammabl liquid (Figur 3)
Bnding physically cnncs w cnduciv bjcs
ghr wih a wir limina h dirnc in saic
charg pnial bwn hm. A bnd wir mus b
prvidd unlss a mallic pah bwn hm is hrwisprsn.
A grounding wire eliminates a dierence in static charge
potential between conductive objects and the ground.
Although bonding will eliminate a dierence in potential
between objects, it will not eliminate a dierence in potential
between these objects and earth unless one o the objects is
connected to earth with a ground wire (Figure 4).
Gnral Fir Say: N fams, smking r sparks anywhr
nar h prducin ara.
Sps CmbsBidisl prducin will ruinly prduc rags saurad
wih il r bidisl. I is als cmmn (bu n advisd) r
sawdus r hr brus marials usd as an absrbn
r spilld bidisl r vgabl il. Ths marials
prsn an inhrn r risk, as ily rags r sawdus can
asily spnanusly cmbus. In 2007, a Pnnsylvania barn
burnd h grund whn sawdus sakd wih vgabl
il caugh r n a sunny day. Ths marials mus n
b allwd accumula in r arund h wrkspac,
including in pn rash cans.
Oily rags shuld b kp in an air-igh mal cnainr,a buck war, r sald in vacuad plasic bags and
prprly dispsd in h rash. Fr liquid shuld b
squzd in an apprpria cnainr br dispsal
saurad rags. Whn dispsing saurad sawdus in a
dumpsr, b sur scar h marial avid any pils
ha may cmbus and caus a dumpsr r.
FIgure 3
FIgure 4
Common Ground Line
Ground Wire
Bonding Wire
Ground
GroundWire
Bond Wire
Ground
+ + + + + +
Bond Wire
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Elcrical quipmn shuld b insalld by qualid
srvic prsnnl in accrdanc wih h nainal lcrical
cd and lcal rgulains. Tmprary rigging lcrical
quipmn is inhrnly dangrus and pss a srius
r risk. Haing lmns usd in prcssing ul shuld
b rgulad by apprpria hrmsas. Car shuld b
akn whn running pwr havy lcrical lads (such
as haing lmns) hrugh xnsin crds, s ha h
amprag r waag raing is n xcdd. I an lcricalcrd vr ls warm, i is vrladd and shuld b
unpluggd immdialy. Whn in dub, cnsul a qualid
lcrician.
Fir xinguishrs shuld b cnvninly lcad
hrughu h bidisl shp, and all usrs shuld b
amiliar wih hir prain. Avid blcking accss
xinguishrs wih clur r quipmn. Rmmbr h
acrnym PASS:
Pull h pin rm h r xinguishr
Aim h nzzl a h bas h r
Squz h riggr dvic
Swp rm sid sid h fam as yu xinguish
h r
A wny-pund ABC r xinguishr is
rcmmndd. I is a gd ida run ccasinal r
drills in h bidisl shp b prpard in cas an
acual mrgncy.
Safety Gear Summary
Th llwing gar shuld b n hand ach im yu brw
bidisl:
Chemical-resistantgloves(butylrubberisbestfor
mhanl and ly)
Chemistrygoggles(indirectvented)
Faceshield
Dustmaskorcartridgerespirator
Plumbedeyewashstation
Smallspraybottlewithvinegarforneutralizinglyespills
Accesstorunningwater
Telephoneincaseofemergencyandemergency
lphn numbrs
Fireextinguishers(20-lbABC)
Absorbentmaterialandspill-containmentsupplies
Process Safety and Handling Issues
Th Prdc Fcly
An idal spac r bidisl prducin will b wll-
vnilad y prcd rm wahr, and lckabl
prvn unraind ppl rm accssing chmicals and
quipmn. Adqua vnilain is an abslu mus du
srius halh hazards assciad wih mhanl ums
and ly dus. Vnilain can b prvidd mchanically,
via ans r chmical um hds, r by wrking udrsin h pn air. Srag spac r vgabl il, chmicals,
and prcssing gar shuld b ampl, and shuld n
cramp h wrking spac. Elcrical and war srvic ar
als rquird r ms prcssing sysms. A scndary
cnainmn sysm is advisabl in cas larg spills il,
bidisl, wash war, c.
A bs pracic is hav a spara spac ddicad
bidisl prducin, apar rm hr buildings ha
srv mulipl purpss. Bidisl prcssing in xising
muli-us buildings risks h lss asss in cas an
unrsn r r hr accidn. Usrs ar cauind absluly avid prducing bidisl in quaniy insid hir
prsnal rsidncs. Making bidisl insid a prducin
grnhus r livsck barn is als n advisd. Firs du
bidisl prducin may n b cvrd by hm r
arm insuranc plicis.
A ypical sluin r small-scal prducrs wuld nail
rcing an apprprialy sizd shd apar rm hr
buildings n h prpry. Inxpnsiv mdular mal
buildings varius sizs (such as hs sld as carprs)
ar nw cmmnly availabl hrughu Pnnsylvania.
Such buildings, whn quippd wih rracabl walls and
drs, wuld mak an idal si r small-scal bidisl
prducin. I is ssnial ha h aciliy n b lcad
immdialy adjacn warways ha culd b impacd
by spills chmicals, il, r bidisl.
A gd prcssing say plan sars wih a schmaic
fw char r h prpsd aciliy. Whr and hw will ly
and mhanl b srd and in wha quaniy? Hw will hy
b handld? Whr will vgabl il nr h building and
whr will i b srd? Hw will h marials invlvd in
varius prcssing sps mv hrugh h building? Hw
will ul and by-prducs xi h aciliy and whr will hy
b srd? B sur n h lcain say gar. Onc
a schmaic is mad, i can b applid h physical spac
undr cnsidrain r bidisl prducin.
Prcssg Eqpm
All h prblms assciad wih prcssing bidisl can
b handld wih a prprly nginrd dsign. Hwvr,
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sm Wb sis suggs ha yu can build smhing
wih whas lying arund h hus. This can b vry
dangrus and shuld b avidd. Plas cnsul wih
xprincd bidisl prducrs r indusrial prsnnl
whn dsigning yur aciliy.
Whil hr ar a wid variy prcssr dsigns
ha will civly cnvr vgabl il in bidisl, r
sa and nrgy cin prducin, a clsd sysm ha
minimizs ppruniis r scap mhanl vaprsin h wrkspac r nvirnmn mus b usd. Alhugh
arly bks n bidisl ppularizd h us pn-
p barrls r mixing il wih mhanl and ly, hs
irrspnsibl dsigns rsul in incrasd r risk, incrasd
wrkr mhanl xpsur, and rducd ul qualiy
du vaprain mhanl rm h racin ank.
Addiinally, any puring larg quaniis mhanl r
mixurs ha cnain mhanl shuld b avidd in h
prcss dsign. Fr his rasn, a clsd sysm, whrin
il, chmicals, and nd prducs can b saly ransrrd
using pumps, ubing, and valvs is idal. Us dvics wihsparking lcric mrs, such as drills r pain mixrs, nar
pn cnainrs mhanl als prsns a r risk and
mus b avidd.
On succssul clsd-sysm dsign ha is widly usd
is h war-har-basd prcssr (ppularly knwn as
h Applsd racr). Elcric war hars, whhr
purchasd nw r rcvrd rm plumbrs salvag yards,
hav h llwing dsirabl aurs: hy ar salabl,
acry insulad, and cm quippd wih lcric har
lmns, hrmsas, a drain, and svral inl prs a h
p h ank. Rliabl inrmain and plans r buildinga bidisl racr rm a war har can b und in
Rrncs. Th war har racr uss a cnrally
lcad pump r rcirculain h racing bidisl.
Thiseliminatestheneedforamechanicalmixer/stirrer,
simpliying h sysm whil imprving vrall say.
Sald prcssrs mus b quippd wih a mpraur
prssur-rli valv ha is cmpaibl wih h ubing usd
plumb h racr (ms war hars ar sld wih 150-
PSI valvs, and hs shuld b rplacd wih a 30-PSI valv
i using any ply r plasic ubing). A manually prad
vn valv, plumbd h udrs, is als ssnial, asdscribd blw. A sald sysm basd n a mal ank als
allws r h rcvry xcss mhanl rm bidisl
ul and h glycrl by-prduc, which savs mny and
rducs handling and nvirnmnal cmplicains ar
prcssing.
Whn plumbing a racr any dsign, sainlss-sl
r black irn ubing shuld b usd whrvr pssibl, as
hy ar ms cmpaibl wih h chmicals invlvd in
prcssing. Galvanizd ings and any cppr pars will
rduc h xidizain sabiliy (shl li) bidisl,
whil sandard PVC nds brak dwn vr im.
Aluminum shuld als b avidd, as i will vilnly rac
wih ly rm xplsiv hydrgn gas. Many sysms us
brass ball valvs wih n majr ill cs.
Whrvr plasic, ply, r HDPE is usd in bidisl
quipmn, is prximiy ha surcs shuld bcnsidrd. Fr xampl, arly wrks n small-scal
quipmn ppularizd h us cnical-bmd plasic
anks r h main racr vssl. Whil hy d pssss
sm advanags, plasic vssls prsn an incrasd r
and spill risk in h vn an unrsn vrhaing
siuain, srucur r, r hr accidn. In h vn
a r in r nar h prcssing spac, any plasic anks will
likly rupur and rlas hir cnns, pnially adding
ul h r. Haing lmns shuld nvr b insalld
in plasic anks. Ms cnical-bmd plasic anks ar n
100 prcn airigh, and hus will rsul in sm mhanlrlas i usd as a main racr. Ths anks als will n
lra h high mpraurs ndd us h racr as
a mhanl rcvry dvic.
Whil hmmad wdn sands ar cmmnly usd
suppr bidisl quipmn, hs als prsn a wak
link in vrall plan r say. In h vn a r in h
plan, a wdn, il-sakd sand will likly burn, dumping
whavr liquid is in h ank i supprs in h r. An
idal r-sa bidisl plan will us mal anks supprd
n scur mal sands.
Vl, Mhl Fms, d Mk-p Ar
Th main racr and hr prcssing quipmn will
b ladn wih mhanl vaprs a varius ims during
bidisl prducin. Whnvr fuids ar addd r
draind rm a sald racr, mak-up air mus b allwd
fw in r u h racr prvn prssur r
vacuum buildup. Air laving h racr shuld b vnd
hrugh ubing h udrs a a minimum, as i may
cnain xic r fammabl vaprs. Simply running a
mprary fxibl hs rm a valvd pr n h racr
h udrs may b sucin, whil hard-plumbdvning is dsirabl r rgular prcssing. A bs pracic
is vn all mhanl vaprs hrugh a cndnsr r
cllcin, as dscribd in Mhanl Rcvry.
Mhanl ums will als b prsn whn glycrl
is draind rm h racr, and whn raw bidisl
is pumpd rm h racr wash anks, spcially
i hs fuids ar draind whil h. Gas analysis in
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Step Heat Pump V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11
Oil in
Heat oil ** ***
Inject methoxide
Reaction stage
5% prewash
Drain plumbing
Settle glycerol
Drain glycerol
Distill methanol
Drain biodiesel
Drain site tube
= OPEN or ON
** = Pump should only run periodically*** = Release pressure periodically
taBle 1
FIgure 5
Air Inlet
Methanol VaporsEntering Workspace
Closed and VentedReceiving Container
To Outdoors
Splashing Methanol-laden Fluidsinto Open Containers
is a Dangerous Practice.
Transferring Fluids via Tubingwith a Closed Venting System
is a Safe Practice.
Air Inlet
MethanolVapors
Raw Biodieselor Glycerol
MethanolVapors
Raw Biodieselor Glycerol
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n Pnnsylvania bidisl aciliy und mhanl
cncnrains in xcss h lwr xplsin limi (and
prsnal xpsur limi) whn splash-pumping warm
bidisl in an pn wash ank. Rmmbr, i yu can
smll mhanl in h wrkspac, hr is a prblm wih
yur prcss dsign b crrcd. A bs pracic is
ransr all mhanl-ladn fuids via ubing in clsd
vssls, and vn all vssls h udrs, (Figur
5). On innvaiv dsign drains glycrl in a saldcnainr, which has air-vn ubing mprarily plumbd
h main racr, s ha air prssurs bwn h
w vssls can sabiliz wihu mhanl rlas in
h wrkspac r nvirnmn. Pridic vning h
racr h udrs is sill ncssary du hrmal
xpansin and cnracin assciad wih haing and
cling. Hwvr, i his ccurs hrugh a cndnsr,
mhanl rlas is minimizd. Such a umlss dsign
is vry araciv r air-qualiy cnsidrains. Fr urhr
inrmain n umlss prcssing, s Rrncs.
Oprrs Qck Rfrc
Basic prcssing quipmn dvlpd in h hm r
arm shp can bcm cmplicad wih mulipl valvs
and swichs r varius purpss. Evn xprincd
prars can mak misaks, and pning (r ailing
pn) crain valvs during prcssing sags may rsul
in spills r accidnal rlas dangrus chmicals in
h wrkspac. A bs pracic is dvlp a wll-hugh-
u prcss diagram, including sp-by-sp guidlins r
h sa valvs and swichs during dirn sags
prducin (Tabl 1 and Figur 6). This diagram shuldb psd n r nar ul-making quipmn, srv as a
rrnc r all raind prars. In h sampl diagram
blw, ach X rprsns an pn valv, r lcrical
cmpnn urnd n during a givn prcss sp.
Sp-by-Sp Prcss Prcl
In bidisl shps whr mulipl prars us shard
quipmn (c-ps, ducainal aciliis, c.), i is hlpul
prin and ps a sandard prcssing prcl. Such
a dcumn nsurs ha all prsnnl llw prpr say
and ul qualiy prcdurs during ach sp. In addiin,
a bach sp chcklis ha llws a bach ul rm
ank ank n a clipbard is a handy way r mulipl
plan prars cmmunica xacly wha is happning
in ach ank in h shp. Als, a bach rcrd sh ha
dcumns h inpus and prcssing a spcic bach
shuld b mainaind as par h rcrd-kping sysm.
Exampls a bach chcklis and bach rcrd sh can
b und in Appndix B.
Wshg Fl
Wash anks ar cnsidrd ssnial quipmn by ms
prducrs. Thy ar usd nish bidisl by claning
i wih war. Raw bidisl sraigh rm h racr
ypically cnains sap, rsidual caalys, racs glycrl,
and rsidual mhanl i a mhanl rcvry sag
was n prrmd. Whil a w small-scal prducrsrun unwashd ul in hir quipmn, r high qualiy
bidisl ha apprachs h ASTM sandard, washing r
hr sap rmval mhds ar srngly rcmmndd.
An invrd 55-galln clsd-had barrl wih h
bm cu u maks an ardabl wash ank: 25 35
gallns ul can b washd in ach barrl, and drains and
valvs ar asily plumbd in h ings a h bm. A
sand-pip such as h n picurd in Figur 7 is hlpul
r sparaing ul rm war in h wash ank.
Washing ul is achivd by gnly adding war h
bidisl: gnl addiin is impran in rdr avidmulsicain ul and war, spcially in h rs wash
a bach ul. Liklihd mulsin is incrasd
by h prsnc glycrl r sap in h ul, cld
mpraurs, and viln agiain. I is cmmn warm
biodieseland/orwashwaterwhenwashingincoldweather.
Gnl addiin war ul is bs achivd by
ihr mis washing (mis nzzls rain vry n war
FIgure 6
Vent to OutsideV1 V2
V3
V4
V5
V7
V9
Methanol
Recovery
Site Tube
Drain toStorage
Pump
V 8 - MethoxideInlet
Air Injection
V 11 - Drain
V 6 - Oil Inlet
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drpls n h surac h ul and h war sls h bm h ank drawing impuriis wih i) r
bubbl washing (air bubbls ar pumpd in clan war
a h bm h wash ank, whr hy ris and pull
h war in h ul, gnly circulaing h war unil i
is saurad wih impuriis.) Bubbl washing is an civ
way rduc h al amuns war usd and was
prducd, sinc i rcirculas war hrugh h ul
svral ims vr.
Prly dsignd washing sysms ar a cmmn caus
spills in bidisl prducin aciliis. In h cas mis
washing, war may b addd h ank vr h curs svral hurs, and h risk ul vrfw in a rgn
wash ank is high. A simpl vrfw prvnin dvic
such as ha picurd abv can b asily buil r a w
dllars. Th us an pn-ppd r a siphn brak
a h p is ssnial prvn accidnal draining h
ank. Ardabl war shu imrs r mr sphisicad
fa swichs ar als advisabl prvn accidnal ul
vrfw; plumbing w gardn war imrs in sris
prvids rdundancy in cas n shuld ail. Thradd
(r sldrd) scur cnncins shuld b usd bwn
h war supply and mising dvic prvn accidnalsparain, lading rapid ank vrfw.
Sild wash war shuld b discardd in a mannr
cnsisn wih suggsins in By-Prduc Handling and
Dispsal. I mhanl was n rcvrd rm h bidisl
ul prir washing, h was war rm h rs wash
will cnain signican mhanl and shuld b handld
wih car.
Prwshg Fl fr Sp Rdc
In rdr rduc h vlum war usd in washing,
and rduc im ha ul spnds in h wash ank, sm
prducrs uiliz a prwash sp whil h ul and glycrl
ar sill in h main racr. War is addd h ul and
glycrl mixur immdialy llwing h iniial mixing.
Typically, warm war qual 5 prcn h riginal
vlum il will b addd racin, hn mixd r
anhr 15 minus r mr. (Fr xampl, in a 50-gallnbach racin, 2.5 gallns war wuld b addd a h
nd h nrmal mixing im). Whn h ul, glycrl,
and war mixur is allwd sl, ms h war will
sl in h glycrl layr, aking sap wih i. Th rsuling
bidisl may b asir wash, rquiring lss war, and
prducing lss was war r dispsal. (Note: Th war
mustb addd whil glycrl is sill in h racr, r ls
mulsicain will rsul rm vigrusly mixing war
and bidisl ghr.) Adding war h racin will
cmplica mhanl rcvry sps, and achiving high-
puriy (dry) mhanl bcms mr a challng. SRrncs r urhr discussin.
Dryg Fl
During h washing prcss, bidisl will bcm cludy
wih suspndd war drpls (smims rrrd as
having an rang-juic-lik apparanc). Washd ul
mus b hrughly drid br us in quipmn
r ransr srag. War in ul can caus srius
damag disl sysm cmpnns, and w ul may als
prm alga grwh in srag anks. Suspndd war
drpls may sl u washd ul vr h curs svral days, dpnding n ambin mpraurs. Passiv
drying may b achivd by allwing washd ul si in
barrls xpsd a brz r svral days, hugh succss
will dpnd n air mpraurs and rlaiv humidiy.
Washd and drid ul shuld b ransparn, sparkly,
and r rm any haz. W ul may appar clariy n
warm days, bu will bcm cludy again as i cls. War
testinginformationcanbefoundinBiodieselQualityTest
Mhds.
In aciv drying, h ul is sparad rm any
sanding war ihr by draining h war r pumpingh ul a spara dry ank. Th ul is hn pumpd
hrugh a circulaing lp ha allws i all hrugh
h air and back in h dry ank, giving h ul inima
cnac wih h air. Incrasd air fw can b achivd wih
a small an dircd in h drying ank. Warming h ul
will spd h drying prcss, spcially n humid days.
FIgure 7
WaterSource
Biodiesel
Wash Water
Misting Head
Biodiesel Drainwith Stand-pipe
WaterDrain
to ApprovedWater Drainor StorageContainer
Bubble Ring
Bracket
Hole for Siphon Break
Air Pump
OverflowPreventionDevice
to ApprovedWater Drainor StorageContainer
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Whil us a shwrhad r similar dvic in h drying
ank will incras air cnac (smallr ul drpls), h
pssibiliy r ul amizain prsns a srius r and
halh risk. Succssul drying can b achivd by simply
dircing a sram ul agains h sid a ank and
blwing air acrss h ul. Bubbl drying, in which air
bubbls ar passd hrugh an pn-ppd ul drum
r svral hurs, aks lngr han h prcss dscribd
abv, bu is ypically a clanr, mr nrgy cinmans drying ul. Aciv pump drying prsns anhr
pnial spill pin: all cnncins and muning
drying apparaus mus b scur prvn accidnal
pumping ul n h shp fr.
Du h pn-ppd naur many wash and dry
anks, i is advisabl plac a lr in-lin wih h pump
usd r drying and ransr ul rm h dry ank
ul srag barrls. I h ul hs rm ul srag
barrls is quippd wih a 10-micrn war-blcking disl
ul lr, i will cach any las paricls r war br ul
is pumpd in disl quipmn. A 1-micrn lr may badvisd r nwr, high-prssur injcin disls, as hir
lngviy may b acd by 2- 5-micrn-sizd paricls.
Wrlss Sp Rmvl
Du h inhrn challng prpr wash war
dispsal in rural aras, warlss washing mhds may als
b araciv. Sm small-scal prducrs hav managd
achiv ASTM-qualiy ul wih n washing. This prcss
is ms civ llwing h prwash chniqu
dscribd abv r iniial sap rducin. Th majriy
h cnaminaing sap, rsidual caalys, and glycrlar n slubl in bidisl, bu ar suspndd in bidisl
bcaus hy ar slubl in mhanl. I mhanl is drivn
u h ul (s Mhanl Rcvry), sap and hr
cnaminans will sl u h ul vr a prid
svral days. Sap sparain rm bidisl happns mr
rliably i sdium hydrxid is usd as h racin caalys
(rahr han KOH). Ar h sap is rmvd, h ul can
hn b passd hrugh a sris lrs and pu dircly
in srag wihu war washing. A sap s (dscribd
inBiodieselQualityTestMethods)ishelpfultodetermine
ha h prcss is wrking crrcly.In-xchang rsins, such as Ambrli r Purli
bads, ar usd by sm cmmrcial prducrs r rmval
impuriis insad war washing. Ths bads, which
absrb sap, war, glycrl, and sm mhanl, ar
packd in clumns hrugh which unwashd bidisl
ul is passd. Ar fwing hrugh a sris clumns,
h bidisl is hn lrd and pumpd srag,
rady us. A singl lad bads may prcss numrus
bachs bidisl, dpnding n ul qualiy. Bad
lngviy may b xndd by prcding h bad clumns
wih h mhanl rcvry r sap sparain mhd
dscribd abv. Whil h cs h in-xchang bads
has msly kp his prcss in h ralm largr plans,
small aciliis may nd hm araciv as a way avid
prducing a was war prblm. Fr mr inrmain
n warlss sap rmval and in-xchang bads, sRrncs.
Sm small prducrs rpr adqua succss wih
simply allwing ul sl in barrls r anks r a mnh
r mr llwing glycrl sparain, which als prms
sap sling via graviy. In his cas, ul shuld b drawn
h p h barrl, laving h sapy layr bhind.
Ful cland by sling aln shuld b cnsidrd
suspc qualiy, and mnird carully r any quipmn
prblms.
Storage Issues
Ol Cllc
Br cllcing il rm any rsauran, b sur ask
prmissin rm h managmn. Oil ha has bn placd
in a rndring cmpany barrl chnically blngs ha
cmpany, and shuld n b akn dspi prmissin
rm h rsauran. T avid lgal rubl, prvid yur
wn barrl, r ask h rsauran sav h usd il in h
plasic jugs ha ar mpid ach im hy add rsh il
h ryrs. Barrls shuld b clarly labld usd cking
il. I yu nr in a gras cllcin agrmn wih a
rsauran, i is ssnial rliably cllc il n a schdulha wrks r h rsauran.
Small-scal bidisl prducin is asis wih high-
qualiy il ha is r rm war and xcssiv d
paricls, ds n smll rancid, and is lw in acid du
rgular ryr changs. Oudr il srag a rsaurans
shuld b scurly cvrd prvn war and vrmin
rm nring cnainrs.
Th PADEP rgulas h ransprain usd
cking il. Each vhicl usd in cllcin mus bar
a labl (dcal r magnic sign) rading MUNICIPAL
WASTE r RESIDUAL WASTE (i i is rm a d-prcssing plan) plus h nam and addrss h
vhicl wnr. All lrs n h sign ar rquird b six
inchs in high, r radabl rm a rasnabl disanc.
In addiin, h cllcin vhicl mus carry a lg ha
indicas whr il is cllcd and h numbr gallns
pr pickup. A r xinguishr mus als b carrid in h
cllcin vhicl. Th sam vhicl cann b usd
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ranspr d r animal d.
Spill-r cllcin and ransprain will nsur a
lasing gd rlainship wih rsaurans and rgulary
agncis. Kping a buck an absrbn il dry
marial and a spill ki in h cllcin vhicl is advisd
in cas spills. Scndary cnainmn in h cllcin
vhicl is dsirabl, as is scuring any bucks r barrls
prvn spills during ransprain. Tak car n
vrlad h rad hauling capaciy yur vhicl wihhavy il drums r s. Whil a vhicl may physically
carry mr wigh han i is rad r, braking abiliy may b
incrasd whn vrladd, prsning an accidn hazard.
Oil can b srd r six mnhs a yar br
prcssing, idally srd in a cnainr wih minimal air
spac. Larg havy duy plasic s (300- 350-galln
cubs) quippd wih drains a h bm mak handy
il srag cnainrs. (Ths mus b wll-supprd; 300
gallns il wighs abu 2,100 punds wihu adding
h wigh h cnainr.) Oil can b rugh-lrd by
puring i hrugh a scrn whn ransrring rm hcllcin vhicl srag. War and d paricls will
naurally all h bm h cnainr vr im, and
can b pridically draind. Oil r prcssing shuld b
drawn h p h cnainr avid any wary
layr blw.
Chmcl Srg
All hazardus chmicals (and any cnaminad prcssing
gar) shuld b kp in lckd srag cnainrs whn
n in us. A bs pracic is us an apprvd mal
r cabin r srag fammabl liquids. Havy duy5-galln plasic carbys ar handy r mhanl srag
and ransprain. Handling mhanl is rducd i
using carbys ha can b plumbd dircly h bidisl
racr r chmical addiin h dsck il. Chmical
srag cnainrs shuld b clarly idnid wih say
labls advis r r say prsnnl and hrs in cas
an mrgncy.
Lblg Srd Flds
A bs pracic is labl all srag cnainrs,
rm bucks glycrl by-prduc larg anks
usd cking il. I is vry asy ls rack which
unidnid brwn fuid may b in an unmarkd
cnainr. Labling prvns accidnal misus fuids,
and will hlp mrgncy-srvic prsnnl knw wha hy
ar daling wih in cas an accidn. Papr ags wih
srings r wirs sld a c-supply srs ar asily axd
jug and buck handls. (Pncil r prmann markr
is h ms rliabl r marking ags in ily cndiins).
Cnainr labls shuld indica h yp fuid, any
disinguishing characrisics, and h da h fuid was
prducd r srd. Daing was cnainrs is paricularly
impran b sur ha srag ds n xcd h n-
yar limi rgulad by h PADEP. Mhanl cnainrs
shuld b labld fammabl and ly r KOH cnainrs
shuld b labld crrsiv. Sickrs r labling may als
b availabl rm chmical supplirs.
Spills
Spills hazardus marials r il ar asis clan up i
hy ar kp pavd r cncr aras. I h spill ccurs
n hs aras, gra r shuld b mad kp i n
hs suracs and n allw i migra sil, in srm
swrs r manhls, r hr surac war. I a spill nrs
surac war r h srm war sysm, i bcms a high-
impac spill and mus b rprd 911 r mrgncyclanup rspns. Typically his will invlv h cuny-
dsignad Hazma am.
Fr smallr spills and rlass (hs ha can
b saly handld by h bidisl prducr and d n
nr srm swrs, manhls, r hr surac war), h
llwing prcdurs shuld b usd:
Identifytheproblem.
Stopthesourceofthespill/release.
Containthespill/releasebyusingabsorbentsocks,
orpreventthespill/releasefrommigratingtootheraras such as sil, drains, r surac war by using h
absrbn scks r cnsrucing a dik.
Recoverthespilled/releasedmaterialandaffectedsoil
r gravl by cvring i wih absrbn marials (pads,
pillws, r ls absrbn marial). Ohr marials
can b usd as ndd including shp rags, sawdus,
etc.Allfreeproductmustbeabsorbed.Ifthespill/
FIgure 8
Glycerol
Batch # SPO7-12
NAOH Lye
Contains Water
and Methanol
6/14/07
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rlas is sil r gravl, xcava all marial ha
is acd. Us bh visual bsrvains and drs
drmin h xn marial b xcavad.
Properlydisposeoftheusedabsorbentmaterialsand
excavatedsoil/gravel.Usedcookingoilspillsandsmall
wip-ups hazardus marials such as mhanl may
b dispsd as municipal was. Spills mhanl,
r hr chmicals ha saura h absrbn marial,
shuld b dispsd as hazardus was. ReportthespilltothePADEPifitoccursoutdoorsor
nrs any srm-war drains, manhls, r surac
war. Prvid inrmain n h lcain h spill,
h marial spilld and is vlum, and h acd
mdia (war, sil, c.).
I is hlpul hav a spill ki n hand asily dal
wih spills. Th ki shuld cnain sm ls absrbn
marial such as kiy lir, as wll as pads ha ar dsignd
absrb ils and hr chmicals. Scndary cnainmn
arund il and ul srag aras is a highly rcmmnddmanagmn pracic in anicipain spills. A shr
paind r sald cncr curb r dik arund il srag
anks shuld b sizd accmmda pnially spilld
il, r a surdy wdn nclsur lind wih pnd linr
r havy-duy plasic may suc r a mprary sluin.
Fr small-scal prducrs, plasic childrns pls ar an
ardabl pin r spill prvnin arund barrls.
Cnainmn any kind shuld b sizd accmmda
a las 110 prcn h vlum h singl largs
cnainr in h cnainmn ara. Using h gur
1 galln quals 7.48 cubic , yu can calcula happrpria siz yur cnainmn ara r yur largs
ank. I is pssibl mak h nir shp fr in
n larg cnainmn ara using a shr wall arund a
cncr fr.
By-Product Handling and Disposal
Glycrl
Th answr h qusin Wha d yu d wih h
glycrl and wash war? is a mving arg. Ruls and
rcmmndains rgarding lgal and nvirnmnally
rspnsibl by-prduc dispsal ar likly chang vr
im as rsarch is carrid u, and h rgulary agncis
cnsidr h applicains h law. Wha llws is h
auhrs bs pssibl synpsis h availabl inrmain
a h im publicain. Bidisl prducrs ar
advisd say in cnac wih hir lcal PADEP c
and bidisl prducin nwrks r h las n his
vlving issu. Suc i say ha rspnsibl glycrl
dispsal is a majr sicking pin r small-scal prducrs.
Th ppruniy r innvars ak advanag his
was prduc r a y--b-drmind bncial us is
prund.
Bidisl prducin will rsul in signican quaniis
rsidual glycrl by-prduc. Fr ach galln bidisl
produced,approximately1/5gallonofglycerolwillresult.
Rning crud bidisl glycrl in pur, markabl
glycrin is chnlgically dicul, xpnsiv, and is n
cnsidrd pracical n a small-scal. Nw prducrs shuldgiv ampl cnsidrain hw hy will disps hir
by-prduc br bginning a bidisl aciliy. Srag
glycrl by-prduc shuld b dn in accrdanc wih
applicabl scins Til 25 Pa. Cd Chaprs 285 and
299, as i prsns a halh and r risk. Glycrl srd
in plasic ryr il jugs will lak vr im. Srag cann
xcd a n-yar prid, as his is cnsidrd n-si
dispsal. S Rrncs r a link h Pnnsylvania
Cd, which prvids h rgulains rgarding srag
rsidual and municipal was marials.
Crud glycrl by-prduc is cnaminad wihmhanl (apprximaly 25 prcn by vlum) and as
such may b cnsidrd hazardus was. Cnrary
ppular bli, mhanl will n vapra rm srd
glycrl a ambin mpraurs sucinly cnsidr
h glycrl uncnaminad. Raw, mhanl-ladn glycrl
by-prduc shuld b handld as i i wr mhanl. This
includs waring glvs and gggls and aviding any
cncnrad vaprs.
Land applicain glycrl ha is cnaminad wih
mhanl may rsul in mhanl laching in grund
war, laving bidisl prducrs liabl r any damags drinking war surcs. Land applicain cnaminad
glycrl will crainly rsul in air missins mhanl.
Mhanl is a lisd hazardus air plluan by h EPA
and PADEP du is impac n human halh and hr
rganisms.
A bs pracic is rcvr h mhanl rm h
glycrl by-prduc via disillain, prir dispsal r
urhr us. Mhanl rcvry rducs nvirnmnal
plluin and allws prducrs rus mhanl,
hrby rducing css and imprving nrgy balanc.
Mhanl rcvry has sm inhrn say cncrns, andshuld nly b carrid u by advancd prducrs wh
ully undrsand h say issus invlvd wih handling
mhanl and h liquids. Hwvr, h auhrs his
bkl srngly rcmmnd ha all bidisl prducrs
incrpra mhanl rcvry sysms in hir lng-rm
plan dsigns. Nw prducrs may cnsidr sckpiling a
mds amun glycrl unil hy ar rady advanc
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mhanl rcvry. A criical faw h small-scal
bidisl cmmuniy is ha h hazards mhanl-
cnaminad glycrl hav bn casually brushd asid,
and mhanl rcvry has bn cnsidrd an pin
rahr han a rquirmn r a maur prducin aciliy.
Fr mr inrmain n mhanl rcvry, s Mhanl
Rcvry and Rrncs.
Crud glycrl has a high pH du a rsidual NaOH
r KOH caalys rm h bidisl racin. I acid is addd h by-prduc nuraliz h pH, his may allw h
rcvry sm addiinal r ay acids r prcssing
in bidisl. Sals such as sdium chlrid r passium
phspha (dpnding n acid and caalys chics) will
rsul rm acidulain. This may b cnsidrd was
prcssing and wuld rquir a prmi rm PA DEP.
Glycerol Contaminated with Methanol
Currnly n asily aaind pins r dispsal glycrl
wih mhanl ar allwd by h PADEP. Sm pins
ar undr invsigain and may b allwd as mr daabcm availabl. In hr sas, us as a dsck r n-
arm cmpsing r anarbic (bigas) digsin may b
allwd, as wll as incrprain in landlls. Plas chck
wih rgulars in yur sa r h las inrmain and
prmiing rquirmns.
AnaerobicDigestion:Crudeby-producthasbeenadded
anarbic bigas (mhan) digsrs wih succss
in svral lcains, including arm-scal manur
digsrs and municipal was war ramn plans.
In cnrlld anarbic digsin, micrbs dcmps
animalmanuresand/orhumanwaste,producingmhan gas ha may b usd r pwr gnrain.
Ths micrbs ar capabl braking dwn
mhanl and glycrl in mr bnign cmpunds.
Th addiin bidisl glycrl by-prduc may
acually bs bigas prducin. Th glycrl by-
prduc ypically has a high pH and a high carbn
nirgn rai, which may als mak i araciv as a
digsr addiiv. Dilu addiins small amuns
glycrl by-prduc shuld b sd whil carully
mniring h rspns h digsr. Fr a lising
arm-basd manur digsrs in yur ara, cnacyur cuny Pnn Sa Cpraiv Exnsin c.
This us is n currnly apprvd by h PADEP. Plas
cnac yur lcal c rqus a prmi shuld yu
dsir pursu his urhr.
IndustrialCombustion:Glycerolby-productmaybe
allwd r us as a blndd ul in indusrial burnrs
and bilrs, such as cmn and lim kilns i i is
classid as a c-prduc. Tsing nsur ha h
fash pin xcds 140 dgrs Fahrnhi (60 dgrs
Clsius) mus b dn n h was marial nsur
i is n classid as a hazardus was, which wuld
prvn is us in a ul-using sysm n prmid
r hazardus was incinrain. High-mpraur
burning is impraiv avid h rmain highly
xic acrlin, which rsuls rm burning glycrl a
mpraurs lss han 536 dgrs Fahrnhi (280dgrs Clsius). Acrlin, a suspcd carcingn, is
dangrus living hings a cncnrains as lw as
w pars pr millin. Fr his rasn (and cnsidring
h r and halh hazards handling mhanl-
cnaminad by-prduc in h hm), hm-scal
burning glycrl is n rcmmndd. Th Air
QualitysectionofthePADEPneedstobeapprisedof
any ul-burning siuains wih his marial.
Glycerol After Methanol Recovery
IndustrialCombustionasdescribedabove.TheAirQualitysectionofthePADEPneedstobeapprised
any ul-burning siuains wih his marial. Th
Was Managmn scin shuld als b cnsuld
r prmissin dsigna glycrl as a c-prduc r
us as ul.
Composting.Aftermethanolremoval,glycerol
can b saly cmpsd wih rducd cncrn r
nvirnmnal cnaminain. Glycrl by-prduc
is a high-carbn, high-pH, w dsck, and shuld
b cmbind wih a bulking agn (sraw, hay, lavs)
and sm nirgnus marials (manurs r rshgrn yard wass) r prpr cmpsing. Glycrl
shuld b addd cmps pils in dilu amuns
prvn w saurain lading anarbic cndiins.
Frqun urning pils will prm spdy arbic
dcmpsiin and an vn disribuin glycrl in
h mix. Glycrl cmps pils shuld b cnsrucd
ar away rm any war surc prvn run
cnaminain. Cvring pils wih cmmrcially
availabl cmps abrics will prvn war saurain
and rduc run pnial. Sils whr cmps is
applid shuld b sd rgularly r any sal builduprm rsidual bidisl caalys in h glycrl by-
prduc. Th PADEP rquirs a prmi r his mhd
dispsal, s cnsul yur lcal c. Unil urhr
rsarch in h acin crud bidisl glycrl in
h cmps pil can b cnducd, h auhrs d n
rcmmnd adding glycrl cmps pils usd
riliz d gardns.
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Soap.Glycerolcanbeprocessedintoacrudehandor
bdy sap using simpl rcips (s Rrncs). I is
impraiv ha all mhanl has bn rmvd rm
h glycrl br making sap. T b crain, glycrl
shuld b had slwly 212 dgrs Fahrnhi (100
dgrs Clsius), which is h biling pin war. I
bubbling ccurs in h glycrl p br 212 dgrs
Fahrnhi (100 dgrs Clsius) is rachd, hn sm
mhanl is sill prsn. Haing shuld cninu uniln bubbling ccurs a mpraurs blw 212 dgrs
Fahrnhi. Whn making sap, us nly sainlss sl,
glass, r cramic ps (n aluminum). Haing shuld
ccur udrs vr an lcric burnr prvn any
cncnrain ums r igniin sray mhanl
vaprs.
Degreaser.Asimplebuteffectiveenginedegreaseror
oorcleanercanbemadebymakinga50/50blendof
war and glycrl ar mhanl rmval. Individual
bidisl prducrs rpr a srng dmand r
glycrl dgrasr in sm lcains.
DustSuppressant.Aftermethanolrecoveryiscomplete,
glycrl by-prduc has bn blndd wih war and
sprayd n rads and dir racks as a dus supprssan.
Glycrl ass sw animals and may draw wildli
rads, s cauin is advisd. Avid spraying nar
any warways prvn cnaminain. Any land
applicain was marial mus hav prmissin
rm yur Rginal PADEP Oc and h wnship r
sa i hy hav jurisdicin h rad.
AnimalFeedAdditive.Earlyexperimentsshow
sm succss wih adding glycrl animal d
ar mhanl rcvry. Glycrl is a sw, high-
carbhydra nrgy surc ha may b addd grain
ds in dilu quaniis. Furhr rsarch is ndd
drmin prpr blnding ras and h pssibl
cs passium r sdium sals and high pH h
by-prduc. Fr mr inrmain, s Rrncs.
Wsh Wr
Wash war was rm bidisl prcssing prsns a
signican dispsal and handling challng in rural aras.
Ths wh hav accss a public saniary swr may b
prmid disps wash war by hir lcal war
ramn auhriy. Cnac yur war ramn auhriy
r prmissin br dispsing wash war h
saniary sysm.
Wash war may b cnaminad wih any h
llwing: mhanl (rs wash, i mhanl rcvry sp
was n carrid u n ul), sap, xcss caalys, glycrl,
vgabl ils, r ay acids, and bidisl. Wash war
will ypically hav a high, alkalin pH. Th pH h war
shuld b sd prir dispsal in a saniary swr. Lcal
rgulains vary, bu any liquid wih a pH highr han
9.5 r 10 is cncrn du is crrsiv naur. Th
alkaliniy wash war may b nuralizd in bachs using
vingar r dilu muriaic acid. Hwvr, prramn
r nuralizing a was prir dispsal is rgulad undr
PADEP Prmi-By-Rul rgulains r nuralizain,pnding s rsuls r was drminain as hazardus
r rsidual. Each cas will b handld sparaly by h
PADEP, dpnding n h s rsuls h was and h
nds and yp ramn plan invlvd. A h vry
las, h ramn aciliy prar and lcal PADEP War
Qualitysectionshouldbeconsultedpriortoseweringwash
war.
Mhanl-ladn wash war will hav a high bilgical
xygn dmand (BOD), which is cncrn war
ramn plans. Sm ramn plans ar vry wary
fammabl liquids in swr war. Lcal lrancs rmhanl in swr war may vary.
Vgabl il r bidisl in wash war can als
cnund war ramn and swr sysmsmany
plans hav vry lw lrancs r as, ils, and gras. A
bs pracic is pass wash war (and war rm sinks
whr bidisl lab war is cland) hrugh a gras rap.
Cmmrcially availabl gras raps will prvn xcssiv
il cnaminain h was war sram. An civ
gras rap can als b mad rm plumbing pars and a
larg plasic (Figur 9).
FIgure 9
12
22 1/2
Grease Trap Flow Rate: 4GPM~ 8lb. Grease Capacity
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N ha h ul pip xis h rap slighly lwr
han h inl pip, and ha h ul pip draws war
rm nar h bm h ub. Bafs may b addd
alng h bm ncurag as ris. A small vn
hl shuld b drilld in h uppr prin h ul
pip prvn siphning. Fas will cllc a h surac
h liquid in h rap, and mus b skimmd h p
rm im im.
I wash war is allwd sl r svral days, msil in h war will ris h surac, whr i can b
skimmd and rurnd h wash ank. Sm usrs
als add Epsm sals (magnsium sula) whil araing
wash war, which will caus saps prcipia u
sluin.
Rspnsibl dispsal wash war is a cmbinain
h abv chniqus (mhanl rcvry, nuralizain,
il sparain, and sap rmval.) Sm small-scal
prducrs rpr succss wih bilgical lrain wash
war in a sris arad anks srving as cnsrucd
wlands, in which plans ar grwn accumula anycnaminans. Cmpsing r dilu ld applicain may
b allwd as a nrmal arming pracic, prvidd ha h
armr gnras h was and is making h bidisl r
nncmmrcial us n h arm. Havy land applicain
cncnrad, raw wash war will ngaivly ac sil
rganisms du h ils and high pH. Cmps pils and
lds shuld b mnird r any unusual sal r nurin
buildup. Ths prcsss lnd hmslvs a pnial
Prmi-by-Rul rm h PADEP; s cnac yur lcal c.
Wash war shuld b prvnd rm nring
warways, srm swrs, grund war, and hr warrun channls a all css. Bidisl prducrs wh
cnamina warways wih wash war r hr wass may
b hld accunabl by law.
Givn h many challngs prpr wash war
dispsal n arms, many prducrs may nd warlss sap
rmval as dscribd in Prcss Say and Handling Issus
b araciv.
Bd Vgbl Ol
Small prducrs wrking wih usd cking il will
inviably ncunr sm marial ha is unusabl rprducin bidisl. Tank bms, il ha is xcssivly
ladn wih d paricls, rancid il wih a ul dr,
andoil/wateremulsionsareexamplesofwhatmaybe
cnsidrd bad il. Th llwing ar dispsal pins
naivly apprvd by h PADEP. A prmi may b
rquird r sm pins. Plas cnsul yur lcal PADEP
c nsur cmplianc wih h las rgulains.
Any land applicain ha rsuls in ul drs acing
nighbring prpris is likly b prhibid.
Applicationtogravel/dirtfarmroadsfordust
supprssin and paving. Many armrs rpr
civ cnrl dus using dilu addiins
vgabl il unimprvd rads. Car mus b akn
avid applicain whr run culd nr any
srm swr, sram, r hr war surc. Vgabl
il may draw ps r wildli rads. Kp accurarcrds h da, im, lcain, and quaniy
vgabl il applid rads. Cnsul yur lcal PA
DEP c prir applicain.
Compost.Vegetableoilwillcompostifsmallamounts
ar addd absrbn marial (sraw, hay, lavs,
wd, c.) in a larg cmps pil. Oils nd slw
h cmpsing prcss, bu may als hlp i up
slubl nirgn. Kp accura rcrds h da,
im, lcain, and quaniy vgabl il applid
cmps pils.
Burninginbonres/woodfurnaces.Thisusemay
rquir a prmi rm h air qualiy scin h
PADEP.
Mixwithabsorbentmaterialandlandll.Consult
wih yur landll adminisrar r rash haulr br
dispsing larg quaniis il in his mannr.
Oil-sakd sawdus prsns a dangrus spnanus
cmbusin r hazard and mus n b allwd
lingr in r arund buildings. Oily sawdus shuld
b wd dwn wih war and packd in sald
cnainrs avid saring a dumpsr r.Tracking Emissions: Where Does the Methanol Go?
Mhanl is an air plluan cncrn r h PADEP
and h Unid Sas EPA du is pnially harmul
impac n humans and hr rganisms. In Pnnsylvania,
aciliis ha mi in h air n n (2,000 lbs) r mr
mhanl pr yar ar rquird bain a prmi rm
h PADEP. Faciliis ha mi lss han n n pr yar
ar currnly xmp rm prmiing. As a bs pracic,
small prducrs can mnir and rcrd hir mhanl
missins nsur ha hy all wll blw h xmp
lvls. This scin discusss sm acrs invlvd in
racking mhanl missins.
A galln mhanl wighs abu 6.6 punds a
rm mpraur. On n mhanl is hrr
qual apprximaly 303 gallns. A aciliys mhanl
missins will dpnd n annual prducin vlum and
prcssing mhds: Ds h sysm includ mhanl
rcvry? Hw much mhanl is usd in h racin? Is
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i a clsd sysm? Tabl 2, abv, can b usd as a rugh
guid pnial missins. Frm h char, w can s
ha h annual hrshld prducin lvl blw which n
air qualiy prmi is currnly rquird is 3,366 gallns raciliis using 22 prcn mhanl, and 2,525 gallns r
aciliis using 25 prcn mhanl. Hwvr, prducrs
shuld n cnsidr his a pass mi mhanl in
h air. Rspnsibl individuals will wrk minimiz hir
missins his air plluan hrugh mhanl rcvry
and gd prcss dsign. Opn-ppd racrs will mi
signicanly mr mhanl han a clsd sysm.
Bdsl Chmsry
Th mhanl rquird cnvr vgabl il
(riglycrids) in mhyl srs (bidisl) and glycrl in
h ranssricain racin is apprximaly 13 prcn
h saring il vlum. Hwvr, ypical bas-caalyzd
bach racins us xcss mhanl in rdr achiv
ull cnvrsin h il in ul. Th bidisl racin is
rvrsibl. Wihu a surplus