bio diesel safety

7/30/2019 Bio Diesel Safety

1/21


2/21

2

Please note that safety would be an entire day course

in itself.

The following presentation is by no means

comprehensive or intended to be used by others as a

complete safety plan. We are not experts in safety.

What we present here are highlights of how JMU

approaches safe production of biodiesel. We touch on

what we have found to be key areas with the intention

of giving other users a starting point for developing

their own safety plans.

Safety plans are highly dependent on reactor design,

setup, and location, and thus must be developed

separately for each operation. We strongly encourage

everyone to take the time to write their own plan.


3/21

3www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/pdfs/tp36182.pdf

Chapter 11: Safety and Environmental

Regulation

Composition Information: Biodiesel containsno hazardous materials. Biodiesel contains a

variety of fatty acid methyl esters with carbon

chain lengths varying between 12 and 22,

where 18 carbon chains are the most common.

Small quantities (less than 1%) of other

materials may be present and should notexceed fuel quality standards.

Handling and Storage: Store in clean, dry,approved diesel equipment between 50 F and

120F. Keep away from oxidizing agents,

excessive heat, and ignition sources. Store and

use in well-ventilated areas. Do not store or use

near heat, spark, or flame. Store out of the sun.Do not puncture, drag, or slide drums or totes.

Drum and totes are not pressure vessels; never

use pressure to empty.

Inhalation: Negligible danger unless heated toproduce vapors.


4/21

4

To thoroughly understand the hazards involved with working with

specific chemicals substances, the biodiesel small-scale unit operatorshould be familiar with the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).

MSDS contain information on product identification, ingredients and

hazardous classification, physical/chemical characteristics, fire and

explosion hazard data, fire fighting measures, accidental release

measures, health hazard data, first aid measures, toxicology,

reactivity (and stability) data, precautions for safe handling, storageand use, control measures, transportation, disposal, regulatory

information, additional information.

MSDS LINKS

http://sargentwelch.com/pdf/msds/sch94733.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/methanol.htm

http://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdf

http://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/KOH.htm

http://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/NaOH.htm

http://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C2658.html

http://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdf

http://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_BD.pdf
http://sargentwelch.com/pdf/msds/sch94733.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/methanol.htmhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/KOH.htmhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/NaOH.htmhttp://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C2658.htmlhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_BD.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_BD.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdfhttp://www.sciencestuff.com/msds/C2658.htmlhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/NaOH.htmhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/KOH.htmhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdfhttp://www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/methanol.htmhttp://sargentwelch.com/pdf/msds/sch94733.pdf


5/21

5

DataDescription Vegetable Oil MeOH KOH NAOH Methoxide Glycerol Biodiesel

Health 0 1 3 3 3 0 0

Skin Causes moderateskin irritation. May

be absorbed through

the skin in harmful

amounts. Prolonged

and/or repeated

contact may cause

defatting of the skinand dermatitis.

Causes skin

burns. May

cause deep,

penetrating

ulcers of the

skin.

Causes skin burns.

May cause deep,

penetrating ulcers

of the skin. May

cause skin rash (in

milder cases), and

cold and clammy

skin with cyanosisor pale color.

Avoid contact with

eyes, skin, and

clothes

May cause irritation N/A

Inhalation Harmful if inhaled.May cause adverse

central nervous

system effects

including headache,

convulsions, and

possible death. May

cause visual

impairment and

permanent

blindness. Causesirritation of the

mucous membrane.

Harmful if

inhaled. Irritation

may lead to

chemical

pneumonitis and

pulmonary

edema. Causes

severe irritation

of upper

respiratory tract

with coughing,burns, breathing

difficulty, and

possible coma.

Irritation may lead

to chemical

pneumonitis and

pulmonary edema.

Causes severe

irritation of upper

respiratory tract

with coughing,

burns, breathing

difficulty, and

possible coma.Causes chemical

burns to the

respiratory tract.

Avoid breathing

vapors. Use with

adequate ventilation

Due to low vapor

pressure, inhalation of

the vapors at room

temperature is

unlikely.


6/21

6

DataDescription

VegetableOil MeOH KOH NAOH Methoxide Glycerol Biodiesel

HEALTH 0 1 3 3 3 0 0

Eyes Produces irritation,characterized by a

burning sensation,

redness, tearing,

inflammation, and

possible corneal

injury. May cause

painful sensitization

to light.

Causes severeeye burns. May

cause

irreversible eye

injury. Contact

may cause

ulceration of the

conjunctiva and

cornea. Eye

damage may be

delayed.

Causes eye burns.May cause

chemical

conjunctivitis and

corneal damage.

Avoid contact witheyes, skin, and

clothes

May cause irritiation N/A

Ingestion May be fatal or

cause blindness ifswallowed. May

cause

gastrointestinal

irritation with

nausea, vomiting

and diarrhea. May

cause systemic

toxicity with acidosis.

May cause central

nervous system

depression,

characterized by

excitement, followedby headache,

dizziness,

drowsiness, and

nausea. Advanced

stages may cause

collapse,

unconsciousness,

coma and possible

death due to

respiratory failure.

May cause

cardiopulmonary

system effects.

Harmful if

swallowed. Maycause circulatory

system failure.

May cause

perforation of the

digestive tract.

Causes severe

digestive tract

burns with

abdominal pain,

vomiting, and

possible death.

May cause severe

and permanentdamage to the

digestive tract.

Causes

gastrointestinal

tract burns. May

cause perforation of

the digestive tract.

Causes severe

pain, nausea,

vomiting, diarrhea,

and shock. May

cause corrosion

and permanenttissue destruction

of the esophagus

and digestive tract.

May cause

systemic effects.

Harmful if swallowed. Low toxicity N/A


7/21

7

goggles

gloves

clothing

aprons


8/21

8

The following is a list of considerations we had wheninstalling our processor units:

Area must well ventilated

No open flames (water heater, clothes dryer, or

other device nearby)

Adequate lighting Clearances for operation

Limited access to the area to other adults,

children, and pets

Eyewash station

Fire extinguisher

Chemical reaction work area

Fume hood (or some other forced draft system that

vents to the outside)


9/21


10/21

10


11/21

11

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR

KNOWING AND COMPLYING WITH ALL

APPLICABLE LAWS IN YOUR AREA

REGARDING THE PRODUCTION, SALE

DISTRIBUTION, TRANSPORTATION,STORAGE AND HANDLING OF OILS,

ALCOHOLS (METHANOL), CAUSTICS

(LYE) AND FUELS (SUCH AS

BIODIESEL).


12/21

12

Basic small-scale biodiesel processing steps for a generic reactor:

1. Transfer oil to the processing tank2. Heat oil to 120F - 130F

3. Check titration level

4. Prepare methoxide - mix methanol and catalyst

5. Combine oil and methoxide

6. Mix (circulation and/or agitation) for fixed time

7. Wait for glycerin to separate from biodiesel

8. Remove gylcerine from processor tank

9. Wash biodiesel

10. Wait for water and biodiesel to separate

11. Remove water from processor tank

12. Transfer biodiesel to storage tank

List of common hazards we identified involved with this process:

Personnel exposure (to hazardous vapors, liquids, or solids)

Fire or explosion

Thermal exposure to hot surfaces

Slick surfaces (oil)


13/21

13

The oil is usually heated to 110-130F. If the temp gets

above 150F, the methanol (when combined with the oil) will

boil and overpressure the vessel. The plastic cone-bottom

processor tanks could have a vessel failure. Vessel failure

could lead to personnel exposure to fumes and/or explosion

hazard.

Only the Appleseed

reactor has a temperature indication for the operator and it

has a vessel overpressure/temperature relief valve that would

open to vent the tank (to the outside).

: Install an easily viewable thermometer in the

system for monitoring temperature while heating. Alternative

to this is to use a DVM with a Thermocouple input or other

type of portable temperature indication.


14/21

14

A large spill of oil will cause slick surfaces. It could

possible cause irritation to skin if the oil temperature is too

hot.

Install simple secondary containment or at the

minimum have materials available for quick cleanup in case of

a large spill.


15/21

15

Very high surface temperatures. This could lead to an

operator being burned, or ignition of materials or vapors.

Some systems have thermostatically controlled in-tank heating

systems so this is unlikely. Others must be monitored closely.

Install a thermostat and internal heater.


16/21

16

Exposure to small amounts of Methanol fumes can lead

to blindness or death.

Immediately wash if on skin and seek emergency

medical treatment.


17/21

17

This would be a fire hazard. If a leak develops in the

Fuelmeister Methanol storage tank, this is a major hazard

because of the potential volume of methanol involved (up to a

maximum of 55 gallons). The most likely occurrence of acatastrophic barrel leak would be mishandling the barrel during

delivery or transport to the processor location.

Leave area immediately. Vent. Use a purchased

methanol cleanup kit.

Operator is or will be exposed to methanol or methoxide

fumes.

Remove any exposed clothing and wash skin. Seek

emergency treatment.


18/21

18

Base catalyst (KOH and NaOH) are very corrosive

Wear proper protective equipment.

Seek medical attention.

An alternative to making your own Methoxide

would be purchasing it premixed.


19/21

19

Summary of Key Considerations

Storing and handling of methanol Consider the type, size, and location of methanol

storage container(s)

Determine safest way to transfer methanol from

storage containers into the the system (to limit

exposure)

Use spill containment and have an emergency plan

Methanol catalyst mixing and addition

Design of the methoxide system is critical and all

safety aspects should be considered/modified.

Methoxide addition to the processor should only be

done using a closed system. A carboy Methoxide

injection system similar to the Biodieselgear or the

Appleseed processor could be added to this system.


20/21

20

Summary of Key Considerations

Heating Method

In-tank heating (Appleseed and Biodiesel Gear) is the

safest and most effective heating method. Avoid

external wrap-heaters. Also, integral tank insulation

(standard water heater tank) is preferred.

Use a temperature indicator such as a digital volt

meter with a thermocouple input or other type oftemperature indication so that the operator can easily

see the fluid temperatures in the system.

Processor Tank Design /Material Compatibility

Be aware of materials of construction and weak

points in the systems that could be vulnerable to high

temperature or pressure.

Glycerol and Wastewater Disposal

Glycerol has residual methanol in it. If you dont

remove the methanol, consider this hazardous waste.

Have a plan!


21/21

21

bio diesel safety

Documents