Biodiesel Safety

Please read this whole section right to the end.

OK, this safety page is meant to make you aware of certain fundamental facts of life when it comes to biodiesel. Nothing to get shook up over, mind you. Just playing it safe, and not being an idiot.

Here's the worst part, methanol and lye are poisons. It gets easier from here on in. Keep reading...

This is where biodiesel safety comes in. Wear proper protective gloves, apron, and eye protection and do not inhale any vapors. Methanol can cause blindness and death, and you don't even have to drink it, it's absorbed through the skin. Sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns and death. Together these two chemicals form sodium methoxide. This is an extremely caustic chemical. Treat this with respect.

Methanol Causes eye and skin irritation. May be absorbed through intact skin. This substance has caused adverse reproductive and fetal effects in animals. Danger! Flammable liquid and vapor. Harmful if inhaled. May be FATAL or cause BLINDNESS if swallowed. May cause central nervous system depression. May cause digestive tract irritation with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Biodiesel Safety: Lye: CORROSIVE. MAY BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED. HARMFUL IF INHALED. CAUSES BURNS TO ANY AREA OF CONTACT. REACTS WITH WATER, ACIDS AND OTHER MATERIALS. So, needless to say, this not good stuff. Never fear. Use basic safety precautions and live a long, full life.

The minimum is chemical proof gloves, apron, eye protection and dust mask. However many safety experts also add lab coat, or lab apron, and full face shield.

These are dangerous chemicals -- treat them as such! Gloves should be chemical-proof with cuffs that can be pulled up over long sleeves -- no shorts or sandals. Always have running water handy, either in a slop sink or a garden hose when working with them. If you ever need to flush out your eyes or get off any exposed areas of skin. Always have running water available to wash off any splashes. The workspace must be thoroughly ventilated. Open the windows or garage door, set up some fans, even get and exhaust fan for near your biodiesel station. No children or pets should be allowed in the area when you are making biodiesel. Be smart. You can teach Junior all about it later.

Biodiesel Safety: Do NOT inhale any vapors. Cartridge respirators do not work against methanol. Organic vapor cartridge respirators are more or less useless against methanol vapors. Professional advice is not to use organic vapor cartridges for longer than a few hours maximum, or not to use them at all. Only a supplied-air system will do (SCBA -- Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus).

The best advice is not to expose yourself to the fumes in the first place. The main danger is when the methanol is hot -- when it's cold or at "room temperature" it fumes very little if at all and it's easily avoided, just keep it at arm's length whenever you open the container. Don't use "open" reactors -- biodiesel processors should be closed to the atmosphere, with no fumes escaping. All methanol containers should be kept tightly closed anyway to prevent water absorption from the air.

We transfer methanol from its container to the methoxide mixing container by pumping it, with no exposure. This is easily arranged, and an ordinary small aquarium air-pump will do. The mixture gets quite hot at first, but the container is kept closed and no fumes escape. When mixed, the methoxide is again pumped into the (closed) biodiesel processor with the aquarium air-pump -- there's no exposure to fumes, and it's added slowly, which is optimal for the process and also for safety.

Once again, making biodiesel is safe if you're careful and sensible -- nothing about life is safe if you're not careful and sensible! "Sensible" also mean not over-reacting, as some people do: "I'd like to make biodiesel but I'm frightened of all those terrible poisons." In fact they're common enough household chemicals. Lye is sold in supermarkets and hardware stores as a drain-cleaner, there's probably a can of it under the sink in most households. Methanol is the main or only ingredient in barbecue fuel or fondue fuel, sold in supermarkets and chain stores as "stove fuel" and used at the dinner table. It's also the main ingredient in the fuel kids use in their model aero engines. So get it in perspective: be careful with these chemicals -- be careful with ALL chemicals -- but there's no need to be frightened of them.

Hazards Making Biodiesel Processors...

 The main hazards of making biodiesel processors are poisonous fumes, dangerous chemicals, and fires. For poisonous fumes, the best advice is not to expose yourself to the fumes in the first place. Don't use "open" reactors -- biodiesel processors should be closed, with no fumes escaping. In real life this either means having a reactor vessel built to withstand some pressure, or having a vent leading to the open air outside.

 Lets talk about fires...

There are horror stories and there have been several fires, one operator lost all his equipment, his shed, and was slightly burned. You can read them on any biodiesel forum. But don't be put off, as he admitted it was due to his own carelessness and shouldn't have happened. It's easy to avoid fires in the first place. Most important, again, use closed processors, or better yet, buy a Biodiesel Kits. Most are closed process systems. If you plan on making a biodiesel processor, then try these designs.. All of these "closed system" designs. not only that but there 7 processors designs to fit any size production, full plans, schematics, color diagrams and photos. It's one of the best resources available on the Internet.

 The main fire hazard is using an open reactor (Didn't I tell you to use the designs Here?) and poor ventilation in the presence of an ignition source.

Ignition sources can be:

• Biodiesel Safety: Using combustible fuels as a direct heat source (propane, natural gas, WVO, wood, etc.), rather than a heat exchange system where the flame is far removed from the processing area.

• Open electric motor housings, rather than TEFC motors (Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled AC Motors) or explosion proof motors

• Disconnecting an electrical appliance by pulling out the wall plug, rather than using enclosed switches.

• Any open flame

• Other fire sources can be over-taxed pumps and motors in close proximity to combustible materials (garage walls, plastic barrels, almost anything), oversized breakers and/or fuses, undersized wiring (such as 14/2 Romex) for higher amperage draws.

And there always is the danger of spontaneous combustion in the presence of oily rags, especially when working with drying oils such as hemp and linseed. This threat decreases as the saturation of the oil/fat increases.

Now that I have managed to scare you, just realize that Methanol is the fuel used in most Model airplanes. In the USA methanol is available in small quantities as HEET brand fuel line antifreeze (Yellow bottle) Lye is an every-day drain cleaner. Both are freely available in most large shopping centers. Remember all these ingredients are available in the normal course of everyday life. Nothing to be afraid of, yet at the same time, play it safe, don't get careless and you'll do fine.

 See also:

• Bio-diesel safety at home
• The Encyclopedia of Making Biodiesel at Home
• The "Down and Dirty" Guide to Biodiesel Processors
• The "Down and Dirty" Guide to Biodiesel Recipes 
• Washing and Quality Testing Biodiesel
• Making Algae Biodiesel at Home