The jug of waste veggie on the left is one that I’d forgotten about. I had about 1/2 dozen jugs of veggie in an old utility trailer. The oil in the old jug is at least 4 or 5 years old.
For comparison, the jug on the right is one I just picked up from the restaurant.
The oil in the left jug is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Notice that it’s a slightly lighter color at the bottom of the jug. That’s oil that’s still partially solid. The photo was taken when the air temperature was about 70 degrees. Once the jug sat in direct sunlight for a few hours, it became totally liquid.
The new jug is canola oil. It stays a liquid down to about 15 degrees. This stuff is much easier to deal with during cool temperatures. I used to keep a few jugs of soybean oil behind the woodstove to keep it liquid. I’m really glad my oil source upgraded from soybean to canola.
What do I do with the old veggie? Use it in my van, of course. It might be ugly and old, but it burns just fine. With diesel approaching $4 again, I’m not going to throw away any usable fuel. The heated veggie fuel tank keeps the soybean oil hot and liquid -no problems feeding it to the engine.
I did learn a valuable lesson. Waste oil can keep for some time. I’m pretty sure it keeps much longer than untreated diesel.
-Sixbears
Found treasure is always appreciated. Especially if you know you can then store it.
ReplyDeleteI usually have between 250 and 400 gallons of waste vegge in storage. It depends on how many long trips I take.
ReplyDeleteTwo questions, the first is "how long does diesel keep?" The second is, what mileage do you get on veggie oil?
ReplyDeleteThoughts on the life of diesel vary. I'm thinking about a year. I've heard as little as 6 months and as long as 2 years. The big thing is if water gets in the fuel. Then stuff can grow in it.
DeleteI get about the same mileage as with diesel. It has a little less energy per gallon, but in most vehicles you'd never notice the difference.
Kept out of sunlight, I'd expect WVO could be stored ten times longer than diesel. No light distillates to evaporate or degrade...
ReplyDeleteI do store it out of sunlight. The longer it sits, the more junk settles out, extending the life of my filters.
DeleteBrings to mind an Appalachian mountain folk saying I heard from first memory: "Use it over, use it up, make do with or do without."
ReplyDeleteAs the Great Unraveling continues, that will be the new words to live by!
I think I unraveled years ago . . . and I feel fine.
DeleteDo you do anything to the oil, other than filter it? I've read of heating it and adding lye to remove the glycerin.
ReplyDeleteNope. It's heated as I drive down the road, but that's just to lessen the viscosity.
DeleteI just pour those jugs into the tank, leaving a bit on the bottom -the bit where all the crud has settled. I pour the last bit into a jug unti it's full. That one I let settle a long time.
Take this for what it's worth to you, A diesel mechanic I know said that the slightest crumb could clog an injector and is surprised that you don't filter the oil. Also, he thinks the oil may be a little short on certain lubrication requirements and suggested adding a pint of transmission fluid for every 20 gallons or so.
DeleteInteresting. I've got a diesel farm tractor that I'd like to try it in. Thanks.
ReplyDelete