Bio Diesel Safety
Transcript of Bio Diesel Safety
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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.
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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.
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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 -
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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.
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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
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goggles
gloves
clothing
aprons
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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)
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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).
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Exposure to small amounts of Methanol fumes can lead
to blindness or death.
Immediately wash if on skin and seek emergency
medical treatment.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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