How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

[kamel Member Find all posts View Profile Close kamel]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Nearly got enough people down here for a party...

I'm in Fern Tree.

[cart Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close cart]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Alga, maybe some other time. I am amazed at the quantity you are producing. I am having trouble with my supplies. Seems like everybody is chasing WVO. I am considering buying it? Kamel, How about you,have you got a reliable source.? I am getting some Shortening and have had some success with that. Mind you, with a Peugeot405, I do not need a great deal. 100Km on 5.8Ltrs CU bob

[kamel Member Find all posts View Profile Close kamel]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Yes, I'm having trouble getting enough WVO. OTOH, I don't use a helluva lot of fuel.

Seems to be a couple of large WVO recyclers in hobart area that have it pretty much sewn up. The recent media publicity hasn't helped either.


Getting a little from the Fern tree shop, but they don't use very much, and they're about to sell up the business.

I'll have to look around some more.

What kind of shortening are you using? I was thinking I might go hunting around for an abattoirs... try to get cheap 44's of tallow.

I have found a decent source of KOH if you're as sick of NaOH as I am....

[cart Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close cart]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Kamel, I got a few 20ltrs of "Countrywide " Vegatable shortening from a *Legs & Breasts* shop. Probably because others had tried it and had problems. I have b een in contact with a firm that does an oil pickup in Hobart and exports it. They will sell it to me for $80 per 200 llt drum. I am thinking of getting some while I still can to hoard for a rainy day. It still only works out with chemicals etc at about 70c per ltr. Yes please I would like some KOH or where to get it. Ph 62950881 I am near Cygnet. CU Bob

[Alga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alga]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Cart I can produce 300lt at a time, I don't have the supplies to do that. I save up and do it all at once. Buying seed oil in bulk can reduce the cost significantly, but because of transport costs from Aus, it takes it very close to uneconomical. Its very hard to get oil here, because of our low consumer base. When you consider Sydney has more than 8 times as many people in less that a 1/3 of our area size, you can see that 20-30 people in Sydney could get good supplies, as well as compete with commercial collectors. But here, we really only have 3 areas to get bulk used oil, the rest is spread thinly around the state.

In the major areas there's 3 companies and 5-10 users, so other ways must be used to make get oil and make it economical for us. With a good supply, you can do many things, including running small 12/24v diesel generators and inverters to power your house and reduce power costs. I run a small Honda with 150 amp 24v gen on biodiesel so if my wind and solar can't provide the load, we don't need to use the grid. Using biodiesel makes it very economical, almost free power. We all know the reliability of power supplies down here, so back up are an essential. Using biodiesel, we never run out nor have to buy it. Presently we use the grid for machinery as we don't have the capacity to do otherwise, or money.

I may be luckier than you because I'm a retired hotelier and get my oil from a couple of friends pubs and restaurants. I get about 100 lt a week during Jan – Feb, the rest of the year 20-40, if lucky. I've crushed some wattle and other seeds, with a crude crush but once I get home, I hope to make a cracker press for pressing wines and seed oils, with the cracker part to crack the seed for pressing. We are growing a small experimental crop of different oil seed this year including wild radish, (about 40% average oil content) and hope to have that in the new year. It will only produce a few litres we just want to see what gives the best seed, oil and biggest crop down here. The next item on the hope list would be separation centrifuge to separate the glycerins without chemical reaction and reduce the cost even further. Don't even know if they are available in small size, second hand big ones are rather dear.

Have you tried Johnsons in Hobart, they will sell you WVO. I've got a few drums of tallow and solid wvo, I find it hard to work with, messy, hard to handle when cold or hot and to much by-product. With a small pot still, you can get back lots of your methanol and if you want to get most of it then put it through a reflux still. Makes good grog to, the brewing shops in Glenorchy and Elizabeth st. Hobart have 5-20lt reflux stills and there are plans in this forum for reflux or pot. You have to consider the cost of your power to use the still, I've got a small 5lt reflux which works well but uses a kilowatt to heat it, so I'm going to make a small boiler to drive it and use the excess heat to heat my workshop.

[kamel Member Find all posts View Profile Close kamel]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Cart I can produce 300lt at a time, I don't have the supplies to do that. I save up and do it all at once. Buying seed oil in bulk can reduce the cost significantly, but because of transport costs from Aus, it takes it very close to uneconomical. Its very hard to get oil here, because of our low consumer base. When you consider Sydney has more than 8 times as many people in less that a 1/3 of our area size, you can see that 20-30 people in Sydney could get good supplies, as well as compete with commercial collectors. But here, we really only have 3 areas to get bulk used oil, the rest is spread thinly around the state.

In the major areas there's 3 companies and 5-10 users, so other ways must be used to make get oil and make it economical for us. With a good supply, you can do many things, including running small 12/24v diesel generators and inverters to power your house and reduce power costs. I run a small Honda with 150 amp 24v gen on biodiesel so if my wind and solar can't provide the load, we don't need to use the grid. Using biodiesel makes it very economical, almost free power. We all know the reliability of power supplies down here, so back up are an essential. Using biodiesel, we never run out nor have to buy it. Presently we use the grid for machinery as we don't have the capacity to do otherwise, or money.

I may be luckier than you because I'm a retired hotelier and get my oil from a couple of friends pubs and restaurants. I get about 100 lt a week during Jan – Feb, the rest of the year 20-40, if lucky. I've crushed some wattle and other seeds, with a crude crush but once I get home, I hope to make a cracker press for pressing wines and seed oils, with the cracker part to crack the seed for pressing. We are growing a small experimental crop of different oil seed this year including wild radish, (about 40% average oil content) and hope to have that in the new year. It will only produce a few litres we just want to see what gives the best seed, oil and biggest crop down here. The next item on the hope list would be separation centrifuge to separate the glycerins without chemical reaction and reduce the cost even further. Don't even know if they are available in small size, second hand big ones are rather dear.

Have you tried Johnsons in Hobart, they will sell you WVO. I've got a few drums of tallow and solid wvo, I find it hard to work with, messy, hard to handle when cold or hot and to much by-product. With a small pot still, you can get back lots of your methanol and if you want to get most of it then put it through a reflux still. Makes good grog to, the brewing shops in Glenorchy and Elizabeth st. Hobart have 5-20lt reflux stills and there are plans in this forum for reflux or pot. You have to consider the cost of your power to use the still, I've got a small 5lt reflux which works well but uses a kilowatt to heat it, so I'm going to make a small boiler to drive it and use the excess heat to heat my workshop.

*Takes notes*

[downunderyank Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close downunderyank]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi all! I am new to the forum and thought I'd say hi. I am currently living in Longford but am moving to the Huon Valley this year. I am heavily into older diesel Peugeots and have brought a few into the state for me and my friends. I am about to enter into a business partnership with a mate in Hobart that has developed a compact continuous flow processing unit that we will be making commercially available this year. There must be a heck of a lot of you biodiesel users here in tas as it seems all the used oil is sown up! Oh well, I'll have to stick to commercial oil stocks. Happy 2007!

[Alga Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Alga]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi welcome, there don't seem to be many here actually, but we do have 3 companies that hog it all and then try to sell it to us for 80c per litre. You have to understand we have in our entire state, about a 10th of the population of Sydney alone without taking into account its surrounds, so oil is not as readily available with the small amount of outlets. Most have processors and you may find you have a better market in Aus. But I would be interested to hear about your processor, I have two and I'm converting one to properly process SVO as that's what I'm changing over to, because of cost and the upcoming draconian Tax measures they intend to try and strangle us with. I do know of at least 3 people down the Huon who make their own.

[darren leonadas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close darren leonadas]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi All In Tasie.
My Partner and i are soon coming to Tassie to do a tour around your great state in early Feb. 2007, and hate the idea of having to burn fossil diesel. The spirit of tasie ferry wont allow us to carry gerry cans on the boat with anything in them, so all we can bring with us is that in the cars tank. So If we could hook up with anybody in Tassie with BD , that would be way cool. I can offer the reciprocal of tanking up in Melbourne.
Any leads greatly appreciated
Contact me offline in the private email section if needed.
Cheers Darren.

[Mr Ute Member Find all posts View Profile Close Mr Ute]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi guys,
Kamel / Cart, if you are still having WVO supply problems send me a PM and I can give you a contact for oil. It's pretty thick - no good for my WVO converted ute, but may be OK for BD?

[headwerkn Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close headwerkn]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi all,
I hail from Hobart and after a couple of years thinking about it, have finally decided to get a diesel car (Merc 300D) and DO something about it. At this stage I'm unsure of going biodiesel or blended/straight SVO, and would love to talk to anyone in the area willing to share their knowledge and experiences with a noob.

Cheers, Ben.

[cart Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close cart]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi Ben,
Your big problem will probably be "can you get any used Veggie oil"?
It is starting to be a problem especially as fuel prices rise and more people are trying to find ways to cut costs.
If you have a supply then it will really come down to "how mechanical are you?"
To go SVO, you will need to modify the car quite a bit. To go for Bio, you can just about mix it up in a bucket ( not recommended) .
I only know of one guy that is running SVO but about 6 that are into making Bio, as I do myself.
Does that help?
CU Bob

[headwerkn Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close headwerkn]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your reply.

Currently I am the 'securing waste oil supply' stage. I approached my local takeaway; as I suspected he already has a company paying him to pick up the waste, but was quite interested in my plans and being a nice chap said I could pick up a container when I'm ready to start experimenting. I know he doesn't go through a great deal of oil though (it's a corner store with a small takeaway section) so he was never going to be a big supplier anyway. This week I'm going to try a few other takeaways and restaurants around town, though I'm keeping my expectations low. If that fails I know a few operators well out of Hobart who mightn't be doing anything in particular with their oil.

As for your second question, I'm reasonably mechanical, but my main issue is that we've just moved house and the new house doesn't (and won't ever) have a garage. Now that you mention it, the idea of weekly mechanical meddling on an open sloping driveway sounds like a real PITA! I think you may have just answered my biodiesel-or-SVO question.

Good to hear that there are a few people doing the biodiesel thing around Hobart (competition for waste oil notwithstanding). Is there any kind of club or regular gathering of likeminded individuals occurring. I'd especially like to talk to someone about how best to set up a processor - for producing say 60-100L per month, no more - as there are so many different setups shown online, it's hard to know which way to go.

Thanks again.

Cheers, Ben.

[kamel Member Find all posts View Profile Close kamel]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Heck, for small amounts you could use an old urn and a couple of decent 20L drums...

Bad time of year for starting out unfortunately. The cold weather complicates things. Some of my mixes I go outside and poke it with a stick to see if it's still solid... Might have to park some of them till summer.

[cart Biofuels Forum Newbie Find all posts View Profile Close cart]

Re: How many biodiesel users are there in Tas.

Hi Ben,
Don't think there any clubs ETC but if you have any queries phone on 62950881.
Have you been to http://www.biodieselcommunity.org/gettingstarted/
they have a great tute on bio and of course the http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/foru...rm/f/719605551
info pop forum is the greatest.
The latest thing is a process or that does not need water washing after.
Look for http://www.graham-laming.com/bd/main.htm

and alsohttp://www.graham-laming.com/bd/ecosystem/state_diagram_new.htm
for GLs one day process.
CU bob