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As I’ve noticed that there are a few members who either use WVO or intend to use WVO who have been discussing storage I thought I would start a thread particularly for the chemists amongst us to comment.
Bottom line is, some are obviously collecting their WVO from various sources and storing it either in plastic containers (10/30L) or in oil drums or possibly in IBC’s (1000 litre containers)
With the unreliability of WVO sources it seems to make sense to collect what you can when you can and store it if you have the space in case a supplier stops giving you their WVO tomorrow.
From reading a number of threads on more WVO specific forums i.e. http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3525
http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/...ge=1#pid107133
It would seems that the key thing is: Any oil can go rancid which will make it unusable. It is easy to tell if your oil is going rancid by sniffing it- it will smell ‘painty’ or more broadly speaking will smell of and make you want to vomit.
Ways to help negate this are:
• Ensure the oil is processed (i.e. dewatered and filtered before storing it)
• Try to ensure that whatever containers you use are cleaned and dried before putting the oil into them
• Keep sunlight off them (if using plastic opaque containers either put a tarpaulin over them or whatever)
• Fill the containers right up to the top so there is no air space left (you could put a gas to replace the air in the space i.e. squirt a shot of CO2 from a fire extinguisher) but I’m not sure its possible to flush all the air this way without industrial methods?
There still seem to be many who think these steps are not enough so any thoughts from those with relevant experience of how to reliably store it for at least a year or two or even better, indefinitely?
Questions
• Should metal oil drums be avoided as it is impossible to confirm they are absolutely cleaned of their engine/fuel oil they previously contained? If so would clip top drums be fine or would they not keep enough air out?
• Is there any use when washing your containers to use a dilute fungicide or similar to wash them? If so what cheap and workable product would make sense to use?
• How much would it help to add say 10% petrol or an amount of diesel and/or .1% of 2 ethyl hexyl nitrate (veggieboost WVO/SVO cetane improver) to the oil before storing? These will likely be added before using in the vehicle. Petrol may be a good one especially but does this a) make storage more dangerous at this concentration and 2) does petrol have a limited storage life too? Also I think diesel may degrade plastic so unless using metal containers could using diesel or any others of these additives make soluble plastics appear in the WVO over time?
• Whilst writing this I have just found that you can buy biocides for biodiesel which I guess would be fine and work the same for WVO? Or would the addition of the petrol have the same effect? http://www.chemiphase.co.uk/index.ph...roducts_id=126
• Also just read that 1cc of vitamin E per litre of biodiesel can have the same effect?
• Oil has been used for centuries as a form of preservative so is the likelihood of rancidity just because it is impossible to make the cleanliness of plastic containers 100% perfect (when used in domestic food preservation you would I guess do similar as in jam making i.e. boiling or steaming glass vessels to remove all bacteria and moisture before filling to the top and making airtight)
N.B. I believe if storing amounts over 100L you should get a waste storage exemption, which allows you to store up to 5000lts at a time, and its free. Details on the vegetableoildiesel forum.
Bottom line is, some are obviously collecting their WVO from various sources and storing it either in plastic containers (10/30L) or in oil drums or possibly in IBC’s (1000 litre containers)
With the unreliability of WVO sources it seems to make sense to collect what you can when you can and store it if you have the space in case a supplier stops giving you their WVO tomorrow.
From reading a number of threads on more WVO specific forums i.e. http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3525
http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/...ge=1#pid107133
It would seems that the key thing is: Any oil can go rancid which will make it unusable. It is easy to tell if your oil is going rancid by sniffing it- it will smell ‘painty’ or more broadly speaking will smell of and make you want to vomit.
Ways to help negate this are:
• Ensure the oil is processed (i.e. dewatered and filtered before storing it)
• Try to ensure that whatever containers you use are cleaned and dried before putting the oil into them
• Keep sunlight off them (if using plastic opaque containers either put a tarpaulin over them or whatever)
• Fill the containers right up to the top so there is no air space left (you could put a gas to replace the air in the space i.e. squirt a shot of CO2 from a fire extinguisher) but I’m not sure its possible to flush all the air this way without industrial methods?
There still seem to be many who think these steps are not enough so any thoughts from those with relevant experience of how to reliably store it for at least a year or two or even better, indefinitely?
Questions
• Should metal oil drums be avoided as it is impossible to confirm they are absolutely cleaned of their engine/fuel oil they previously contained? If so would clip top drums be fine or would they not keep enough air out?
• Is there any use when washing your containers to use a dilute fungicide or similar to wash them? If so what cheap and workable product would make sense to use?
• How much would it help to add say 10% petrol or an amount of diesel and/or .1% of 2 ethyl hexyl nitrate (veggieboost WVO/SVO cetane improver) to the oil before storing? These will likely be added before using in the vehicle. Petrol may be a good one especially but does this a) make storage more dangerous at this concentration and 2) does petrol have a limited storage life too? Also I think diesel may degrade plastic so unless using metal containers could using diesel or any others of these additives make soluble plastics appear in the WVO over time?
• Whilst writing this I have just found that you can buy biocides for biodiesel which I guess would be fine and work the same for WVO? Or would the addition of the petrol have the same effect? http://www.chemiphase.co.uk/index.ph...roducts_id=126
• Also just read that 1cc of vitamin E per litre of biodiesel can have the same effect?
• Oil has been used for centuries as a form of preservative so is the likelihood of rancidity just because it is impossible to make the cleanliness of plastic containers 100% perfect (when used in domestic food preservation you would I guess do similar as in jam making i.e. boiling or steaming glass vessels to remove all bacteria and moisture before filling to the top and making airtight)
N.B. I believe if storing amounts over 100L you should get a waste storage exemption, which allows you to store up to 5000lts at a time, and its free. Details on the vegetableoildiesel forum.
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