Biodiesel Review published by Utah Biodiesel Supply
Newsletter
 16
Sept 2011
Biodiesel And You  
This issue is all about helping you make the best Biodiesel you can. Whether you're thinking about making Biodiesel, a beginning home brewer, or a seasoned pro, we've packed this issue with lots of tips & tricks, tutorials and cool stories on how to get the most from Biodiesel plus we share some cool success stories from the field! So pull up a chair and enjoy the fun!
In This Issue
New & Improved Newsletter Format
Make Your Own Bio (And Ditch The Pump!)
Making Biodiesel 101 - The Tutorials
Algae Biodiesel: For Real Or Just Hype?
New Filter Prototype - Tell Us What You Think!
Our Favorite Conference Presentations
Customer Spotlights
Join Us On Facebook!
New & Improved Newsletter Format! 

We're pleased to announce a new way that we'll be presenting our articles & tutorials in our newsletters! We're making article easier to read, easier to print & save, and easier to access again!

 

Instead of posting the whole article right in the newsletter (which can be pretty detailed & long sometimes), we'll be posting an introduction to each article followed with a link out to the complete article on our new & improved Utah Biodiesel Supply Blog

 

Check out all the cool benefits that the new format creates!

1- More Content Per Newsletter!

- We'll be able to increase the amount of topics we cover and do it in less room!

- That means more tutorials, more customer spotlights, and even more information shared to help you make the best Biodiesel possible!

2- Easier Printing & Saving Of Articles

- Got a favorite article you'd like to print but don't want to print the whole newsletter? Now you can! Just click on the article link & press the PRINT link at the top of the article! It'll format it into an easy to read article that'll print without all the other articles!

- You can also now save any article in PDF Format! Just click on the PDF link at the top of the article in the blog and it'll allow you to save it to your computer!

3- Access To Every Article We've Ever Written!

- Want to read an article from past newsletters but don't want to wade through your email to find them? Then check out our archived articles on the new blog!

- We've created copies of every tutorial article we've ever published, categorized them, and put them into our new & improved blog!

- We even have a cool Biodiesel Articles Index on our main website with links directly to each tutorial article that will be updated every time we release a new article!

- This means you can now quickly find that article from 2 years ago you liked, print it out, or even save it to your computer for future reference!

4- Group Participation! (Have Something To Share? Now You Can!)

- All of our articles have a comment section below them where you can share feedback, suggestions, or anything else you'd like!

- There's no login required, just type a comment and share it with the group!

5- More Pictures, Diagrams, And Details!

- Because we have more room on the blog to write, we'll be sharing more pictures per article, more diagrams to better illustrate a tutorial, and more detailed information!

 

So, welcome to our new format! As always, our goal is to give you the tools you need to make the absolute best Biodiesel possible while keeping you up to date on all the new technologies & information out there! 

 

We'd love to hear from you!

Tell us what you think of the new format!

 

Click Here To Check Out The New Blog!

Make Your Own Bio (And Ditch The Pump!)
Biodiesel
Ready to ditch the gas pump and start making your own biodiesel? New to Biodiesel but don't want to be overwhelmed by all the information out there? Then you've found the right article!

In this article we detail just the basics of Biodiesel. Talk about what it is, what the benefits of Biodiesel are, how it can be used in most diesel engines, and then go into how it's made and talk about how you can get started!

We even cover different kinds of Biodiesel processors including build-it-yourself units on up to our fully automated BioPro line!

Making Biodiesel 101 - The Tutorials
We said at the beginning that this issue would be dedicated to helping you make great Biodiesel. Well, we meant it! So below is a quick index to our top Biodiesel Tutorial Articles to get you off on the right foot!

We've packed each tutorial with all the cool tips & tricks that we've picked up over the years to help you make the best Biodiesel possible!

Since we'll be playing with some dangerous chemicals and flammable liquids, it's a good idea to learn and follow some basic safety guidelines when you produce Biodiesel. We cover these in this great tutorial!

Getting Set Up To Make Biodiesel

This article walks through all of the equipment you might need to get ready to start making Biodiesel. We discuss each piece of equipment, why it might be of benefit to you, and where you can get it.

 

 

This is where it all starts. Getting the oil you'll need to make Biodiesel from. We walk you through a set of 7 tips & tricks to get not only oil to make Biodiesel, but the right kind of oil to make producing the fuel easier!

Learn how to test the oil to see how to react it into Biodiesel with this great article on titrating oil!

In this tutorial we get to the nitty gritty of reacting oil into Biodiesel. It's where the rubber meets the road, where the chemicals meet the oil, and where the magic happens!

Learn the difference between these two popular chemicals which can be used to produce Biodiesel.

Learn the basics of water washing, why it works, and how to perform a water wash successfully.

 

Biodiesel Emulsions 101 - Preventing and Curing Them

When water washing, it's possible to accidentally make something called an emulsion. In this tutorial we talk about why they occur, how you can prevent them from happening and also how to fix one if you unfortunately get one while water washing your Biodiesel

 

Dry Washing Biodiesel 101

Learn what dry washing is, what technologies exist to do dry washing, the benefits of dry washing along with the drawbacks of using this technology to purify your Biodiesel 

 

Trouble-shooting Biodiesel Batches - Tips & Tricks

With so many variables at play, you may encounter problems with a batch of Biodiesel. This tutorial article covers a step by step process that you can follow to identify what went wrong and then figure out how to resolve it.

 

Making Great Biodiesel - My Recipe

In this tutorial I give several tips & tricks to help ensure you get great batches of Biodiesel one after the other. We discuss everything from checking the oil for water to checking the final Biodiesel product for soap content!  

 

The Ultimate Biodiesel Getting Started Guide

For our final tutorial, we have an incredible getting started guide that we wrote a while back in an effort to help people learn all the basics they'd need to know to get started making Biodiesel. We cover many of the topics discussed above but keep it all in a single article. It has links out to several helpful articles and additional websites as well!

 

Biodiesel Articles Index

See our complete index to all our tutorial articles! This one has links to all of the articles we've written that relate to making Biodiesel. We even have a section on diesel engines! 

 

See this complete article on our new & improved blog!

Stop by & share your comments & feedback!

Algae Biodiesel: For Real Or Just Hype?

We've seen an awful lot lately coming out of the news media on Algae biofuel products. Whether it be technologies to react algae into Biodiesel, technologies to grow a better algae, or just companies claiming that they can make Algae at a reasonable price.

 

While at the 2011 Collective Biofuels Conference, we had a chance to hear from a true Algae research specialist; Jonathan Meuser. Jon's been working on Algae research at the Colorado School of Mines for several years now. He's been working with some of the best too! The National Renewable Energy Lab, which is part of the Department of Energy, top notch researchers, and several other academic researchers who are trying their best to make Algae Biodiesel a reality. 

 

John's presentation was truly amazing! The guy knows his stuff and can quickly separate the hype from reality..... 

Learn whats hype & what isn't with algae...

New Filter Prototype-Tell Us What You Think!
We Need Your Help!
We're considering offering a cool 55 Gallon Stainless Steel Drop In Drum Filter. It would be made out of 400 micron stainless steel and would fit right into a 55 gallon drum. 

Hooks on 4 sides would keep it suspended in a drum and would allow you to filter practically any liquid, hot or cold, chemically nasty or otherwise, down to 400 microns. It would not only have mesh on the bottom, but also on the sides too. 

This means that you wouldn't be limited to filtering only through the bottom of the filter but could also filter right out the sides; meaning you could filter a heck of a lot more oil (or Biodiesel--or any other liquid) through it before you'd have to stop and clean it.


Because it would be made from stainless steel it also means that it'll outlast the poly filters we offer several times over. With it's all metal construction it also won't tear like the poly mesh will and it won't melt or come apart on you either. 

Cleaning it would be a breeze! Just hit it with the power washer or hot water or even throw it in the dishwasher! It'll definitely take it! We can see it being used for all sorts of filtering; waste veggie oil, biodiesel, glycerin, wash water, methoxide (it'd make an awfully nice screen to keep undissolved catalyst from ending up in your processor), motor oil, hydraulic fluid, you name it! If it's liquid and needs to be filtered down to 400 microns, this thing would do it with ease!

Dimensions:
It will be 6" deep and about 22" across with hooks on 4 sides. 

Estimated Product Cost
Based on the prototype you see above; which would be what the product would look like, we're estimating a retail cost of about $60.00.

Should We Build Them?
This is where you come in. We want to know what you think of the filter. Would it be something you could use? Is it the right micron rating? Should we change something about it? Would you buy one? If we have enough interest in them then we'll get them built & put up on our website really fast.

 

We'd really like to hear from you! So tell us what you think. You can email us, call us (801) 820-5753, or even leave a comment on our blog post! 
 
Our Favorite Conference Presentations

We recently attended the 2011 Collective Biofuels (Biodiesel) Conference at the beginning of August. While there we had a chance to see some amazing presentations! There were presentations on everything from reusing the glycerin & waste products to regulations & policies governing how Biodiesel could be made.

 

All of the presentations were recorded so you can actually watch the presentations just like you were there and in some cases even the presentation files are available! However, there were a few that really stood out to us! See our favorite presentations here!

Customer Spotlights: Soap, Soap, & Soap
Biodiesel Glycerin Soap
We've had several customers that have had great success stories with the soap their making from Biodiesel glycerin!

Check out the latest spotlights!
All natural glycerin soap in Costa Rica
Dan Casey from dieselloVerde has been making soap from Biodiesel glycerin for quite some time. Every now & then he sends us samples of the incredible bars he makes! Read about the latest bars he sent!

Rick Knicely in Michigan is the author of our Biodiesel Glycerin Soap Making Book and makes our Biodiesel Glycerin Soap Kits as well. He also makes & sells Biodiesel glycerin soap locally too! Recently he sent us some cool samples to try out that we may even end up carrying! They even received some great local press coverage as well!
  
Tim Wright might be the cleanest man in Utah! What with all the soap he keeps making from his Biodiesel glycerin! He's known at work as "The Soap Guy" and the ladies clamor around him every time he brings in new batches of the bar & liquid soap he makes! We've personally sampled his soap and absolutely love it! With well over 1,000 bars to his name, the man is definitely the Soap King in Utah! 

Have a Biodiesel story? We want to hear it!
We would love to hear your stories! 
How much Biodiesel you've made, how much money you've saved, what you put your Biodiesel in, how your aunt Maybel loves your soap, how you've been able to beat the oil renderers or just a cool story about your Biodiesel adventures! 

We'd love to hear from you! Got a story? Send it in! We especially love pictures! Who knows? You could even be in our next newsletter! Email your stories & pictures to [email protected]
Join Us On Facebook!

Want to stay up to date with all the cool Biodiesel related news & events? Then stop by our Facebook Page where we connect with other Biodieselers, share pictures from customers and events and share all the news & events from the Biodiesel industry (including even the wacky & weird stories)! 
 
We share it all and do it on a regular basis! 
 
Here's just a sample of the cool things we share!

Collaborative Biofuels Conference Receives Rave Reviews!

US Navy Wants A Green Strike Force

Biodiesel From Aligator Blubber

July 2011 Most Profitable Month For US Commercial Biodiesel

US Federal Government Set To Invest In Biofuels

 


So what are you waiting for?  

You're sure to learn something new every visit! 

 Stop on by and see what we have brewing!

 


Thanks for being a part of the Biodiesel Review family! We hope you enjoyed this issue.

Do you have a topic you'd like to see covered in future issues? We're always looking for cool topics to cover here so send in your idea! Send it to [email protected] with the subject line NEWSLETTER SUGGESTION.

 

Sincerely,

 

Graydon Blair

Utah Biodiesel Supply
801-820-5753 
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