Posted: 4/12/2007 8:50:21 PM EDT
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Recent threads I've noticed a few of you who are making biodiesel. I've started looking at the setups and was hoping some of you might have pointers for me to get started. I'd like to do it on a small scale (a couple of acres) until I see how it will work before I invest more time. I know I'll have some up front costs.... Suggestions on equipment, methods, etc would be greatly appreciated. I have a 43hp 4wd kubota tractor, my barn, 50 acres (non irrigated, but I believe I could irrigate 5-10 with some runoff holding and management). Sunflowers seem to do really well in my soil, so I'm considering trying them for an oilseed. I have a plow, loader, rake, seed drill, hay rake, and various blades. I don't know how to harvest, or if my seed drill (after a plowing) would work for planting. I've used it on pastures and it does a nice job seeding pasture grass which grows slowly over a couple of season in our relativly dry climate). I'm in colorado. Thanks in advance! m |
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Well, I've talked about it, but this will be my first year growing oil crops. Sunflowers need rowcrop planters...the old ones are 2-8 rows. For small acreage purposes it probably doesn't matter too much if you have a 2,4,6 or 8 row. For canola, your grain drill seeder will probably do the trick nicely. Sunflowers are fairly drought resistant as the roots go deep, not sure about the moisture requirements of something like canola(rapeseed). Now, the best oil crops I've found for my area are canola and sunflowers. Soybeans are popular because the byproduct is very useful as feed. It only gives about half the amount of oil as the others. Combines are probably most plentiful and cheap in the wheat belt. Basically from the tip of texas all the way up to ND, including MT and MN. Old functional gas and diesel combines can be easily had in the 1-5 thousand range. I'm getting a diesel because I one day hope to run my tractor and combine off of my own biodiesel product. Also, I should mention that there are special headers, "straight" headers are for Canola, Flax, Wheat, etc. A special rowcrop header with teeth and pans for corn and sunflowers. Combines out there for sale may have one, both, or no headers included. They are interchangeable but you have to research to verify what headers will work on what combine. There's also a header for scooping up crops that have been winrowed, you swat it, rake it and then pick up the raked rows later. I think for a small scale the straight headers where you cut and take the crop up all in one swoop is the smartest way to go. The processing is squeezing and then a fairly minor amount of processing, most recommend for a smaller scale (us) you can just build one out of an old water heater for 300-500 dollars. Plans are available on the internet. The oil extractor will cost more, and needs to be purchased unless you are an engineer and machinist. You do want to squeeze for oil after the crops are cured, because I believe oil content decreases with time. There's still oil there but you get less and less the longer it sits. |
| I have had a bit of experence on the processing end of biodiesel. If you are just starting out get girl mark's book Here. It is a great book for starting out. Depending on where you are located you may be able to attend one of her classes she gives throughout the year. She travels around and helps groups build their processors. If you plant rapeseed you may be able to get with a local farmer and have them combine your seed for you. For that size and if he is local a couple hundred bucks cash should cover it until you can find a combine of your own. The seed drill would work great for either soy or rapeseed. Good luck. |
| Here is an article from Home Power magazine detailing contruction of a biodiesel processor. |
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Wikipedia has a table comparing the vegetable oil yields of various crops. Rapeseed produces 127 gallons an acre. Sunflower produces 102 gallons an acre. Soybeans produce 48 gallons an acre. |