Biodiesel FiltersBiodiesel filters are used to strain the WVO and SVO before they are used to produce biodiesel. Biodiesel is sometimes filtered after it is produced. It is important to only use filtered biodiesel to minimize the wear on your engine. Also, the fuel filter in the vehicle won’t have to be changed as often. Any filter used in biodiesel production should be able to withstand heat, acids, and solvents. Click here to see what types of chemicals the biodiesel filters need to be able to withstand.
• Bag filters are a long tube of material. They can rely on gravity to feed the oil through them, or pressure can be applied to speed the process as long as they are encased in housing (they can be set up in a way so that they do not need to be constantly monitored). • There are filters that fit snuggly within buckets and drums. These filters go several inches down inside the container making pouring the oil in an easy, no-mess job. • With cartridge filters, there is the option of spin-on cartridges and ones enclosed in a permanent housing. Cartridge filters will require a pump. • Some home-brewers have used old blue jeans as a filter by sewing up the bottom of the legs and using them as huge bag filters! (This will only work well as a preliminary filter, not as a final filter!) • Some people don’t filter at all. They heat the WVO up, allow it to settle for 1 or 2 weeks and remove the top 4/5 for use.
• Here’s how filters work: the smaller the micron number, the finer the filter. • When filtering WVO, 200 and 400-micron filters are a popular size to start with (you may even need a higher micron grade depending on the griminess of your oil). • For SVO, 200 and 100-micron filters are the norm. • You should finish filtering with a 5-micron filter. • The finer the filter used for the biodiesel, the less often the filter within the vehicle will have to be changed.
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Different Types of Biodiesel Filters:
