Posted: 6/8/2006 7:01:13 AM EDT
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Can you store biodiesel in an aluminum tabk? TRG |
Two of our firemen are making it at home. They had a storage tank made from aluminum. One of them thought 'maybe' he had 'heard' that biodiesel could not be stroed in the aluminum tank? Heard it would draw the zinc out of the aluminum? Dunno. Just relaying the question. TRG |
I've never seen anything but an aluminum fuel tank on a Class 8 truck.  And the bio-diesel phenomenon is really taking off. It won't be long before every truck stop has at least one pump for it. I've even seen major chain truck stops carrying it now. Anything we can do to eliminate demand for foreign oil, the better. 
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Glad to see you responded. Since you are 'in the field' with this stuff everyday, I appreciate your input. TRG |
I sold some chemicals to a guy on a boidiesel forum. He posted my company name on that board and I got calls from all over the country. I will see if I can find that guys number and post that question to him. I can't imagine that there would be a problem. Hell better yet, just put a Coke can in some and see what happens. Don't put the product in the can, put the can in the product. |
Al cans are coated on the inside with some kind of polymer. Try aluminum foil. Back to the original Q, yes, if the biodiesel is ASTM certified fuel, it will not corrode a tank. But if it has free water in it (milky, not crystal clear), it could corrode aluminum, depending on the alloy. There shouldn't be any free sodium/potassium hydroxide since it almost immediately causes saponification and will drop out of solution. But NEVER attempt to make biodiesel in any aluminum container. Aluminum is amphoteric and will be rapidly attacked by both strong acids and strong bases. So, if it is commercial biodiesel, all is good. But if some DIYer made it, watch out. And it will corrode bare steel. |
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Depends on what process they used and THEIR quality controls  If a DIYer esterfies the veg oil and then washes any moisture out of the blend it should be no more corrosive to carbon steel than diesel |
Washing INTRODUCES moisture because biodiesel absorbs water. If you heat it, you can get some of it out but that takes lots of energy so it isn't done. Even then, it will absorb water from air, trapping it in the biodiesel. If the tank is then cooled from changing weather, the water then drops out of solution, foriming a layer on the bottom which WILL corrode some aluminum. Especially 2000 series aircraft alloys which use copper as the alloying agent. Any marine grade should be fine though. Since 2000 series aluminums are not easily welded, it stands to reason tanks are not normally made from it. Not many home brewers of biodiesel use a drying agent because they think it might contaminate the product. If the correct drying agent is used, it is not a problem. Zeolites are the most expensive and not normally used but regular Epsom Salt (magnesium sulfate) can be dried in the oven and works well. So does calcium sulfate but the cheap source of this mineral (plaster of paris) is a fine powder which settles slowly. Magnesium sulfate is in needle-like crystals which offer good surface area, VERY LOW soluability in biodiesel, high water affinity and good economy. |
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Kieth, I guess our definition of DIYers is different. I studied manufacturing biodiesel years ago as a stable priced solvent to replace D-limonene in cleaning chemical blends. THERE IS NO WAY TO PROPERLY PRODUCE BOIDIESEL WITHOUT HEATING IT. I realize there are companies selling products that allow you to make bio diesel in your living room cold, but that is not what I am talking about. The moisture in the esterfied product comes from the Sodium Hydroxide, not the atmosphere. Caustic very readily absorbs moisture out of the air, this and any moisture in the caustic is transfered into the blend during the esterfication process. You cannnot boil this moisture out because of the methanol. So you have to heat the product up and wash it with compressed air bubbles. Of course use clean moisture free air. THe best thing about my process is I used a diesel fired heated from a steam cleaner, and burned biodiesel in it to heat the biodiesel. This didn't work for me. I simply cannot afford the time it takes to manufacture a component, to put in a blend. It is too damned expensive because of too many reasons to list. And it will be cheaper for me to buy diesel instead of making it, unless I can make it for less than a dollar and diesel is getting up to 6 or 7 dollars. But I assure you I can make as good a product as any company manufacturing it today |
What's your webpage? |