Applesee Processor Biodiesel Kit

The Appleseed Processor is a great biodiesel kit. It is simple yet very effective. When making or purchasing a biodiesel processor, these are some of the characteristics you should look for:

*Tanks made of steel, not plastic
*Internal heating element (greatly speeds up the conversion process and yields biodiesel that is of much higher quality than a kit which does not heat the oil during the reaction)
*Easily expandable to include site tubes, methanol recover, and additional tanks for preheating
*Uses easy-to-find (and replace) parts
*Has a great online support community

The Appleseed Processor is the only biodiesel kit I've found that meets these requirements. Wait, let me retract that statement. It's the only biodiesel kit I've found that meets those requirements for under $1,000. Most of the others cost over $4,000.

One of the reasons to make biodiesel is to save money, so why would you spend five times the cost of an Appleseed Processor for a biodiesel kit that isn't really superior?

If you've done more than a quick search for biodiesel kits, you've probably found lots of kits made from fancy-looking cone bottom tanks. Obviously these tanks drain better than a flat bottom tank (that's why the funnel was invented), but why are so many people still using the Appleseed Processor design if it's inferior?

The truth is, it isn't inferior. When you're draining glycerine or water from the bottom of your tanks, there is never going to be 100% separation of the liquids. In fact, there is a small layer which contains both biodiesel and glycerine (or water), and unless you want contamination in your final product you'd better drain off that entire "gray" area. Sure, you'll waste a few ounces (or milliliters, for our neighbors up north) of biodiesel, but it's far worth the sacrifice to know that you don't have any nasty glycerine in your biodiesel.

This fact is true whether you use a cone-bottom tank or a flat-bottom tank. Ok, you might get slightly better separation and drainage with a cone (we're seriously talking about a difference of ounces here), but is it worth the extra $3,000+? I don't think so.

Because you get almost the same degree of separation and final product from an Appleseed Processor, but you pay only 1/4 of the price, I believe the Appleseed Processor is actually a superior biodiesel kit to 95% of the cone-bottom processors for homebrewing. You really have to start adding high-dollar bells and whistles before it makes a difference.

So, stick with the Appleseed Processor biodiesel kit, recoup the cost of our initial investment much quicker, and laugh at all those who went the other direction.

From even just a quick glance at a picture of an Appleseed Processor you can tell it does not have to be a very complex machine. So, that being said, why not just build your own? Well, the answer is simple, and that answer is this:

To put it lightly, you don't want to screw up. The Appleseed Processor design you see above has been tried and tested. All the valves are in the right place, the piping diameters and fittings are all right, and everything runs into and out of the pump the way it needs to. Well, if you follow the assembly instructions correctly, that is.

Making a mistake on any of these assembly steps will screw up your biodiesel, resulting in a huge mess, or worse (if you don't catch your mistake before you put the results in your gas tank). You're much better off just buying all of the parts from b100 supply and following their assembly instructions.

If you still insist on finding your own parts, you should at least purchase their Biodiesel Brewers Guide, which details how to assemble and use an Appleseed Processor. For more on the Biodiesel Brewers Guide, keep reading.

The Appleseed Processor can be found here. There are two different kits you can buy, the Appleseed Biodiesel Processor Kit (for $399) or the Biodiesel Processor System (for $539).

The Appleseed Biodiesel Processor Kit comes with all of the piping, valves, tubes, fittings, pump, etc. you will need to turn a water heater into a biodiesel processor. It also comes with gloves, goggles, and dust masks for your safety and instructions on how to put it all together. The kit can be upgraded to use stainless steel piping as an added safety benefit.






The (slightly) more expensive Biodiesel Processor System includes everything listed above, plus a titration kit for determining the quality of your waste oil, a biodiesel wash tank kit, and a digital scale. Pick up an electric water heater and a steel drum and you won't need anything other than this kit to start producing high-quality biodiesel fuel.




You can also purchase these items individually from b100supply.com:

Titration Kit
This Titration Kit provides you with everything you need to quickly determine the quality of a batch of oil. Not is this imperative before you start making biodiesel, but you can do a quick titration before even agreeing to take oil from a supplier. This titration kit is the best-selling item from b100supply.com.








Biodiesel Wash Tank Kit
Good conversion is only half the battle when trying to produce quality biodiesel. It must also be properly washed, which can be easily done with this wash tank kit. It contains everything you need to convert a 55 gallon drum into a wash tank. Washing your biodiesel is very important because that is how you get rid of any excess glycerine byproduct. Failing to do so is a very bad idea.

You can also purchase a digital scale to use for measuring out your lye/potassium hydroxide, carboys for methanol/lye mixing, and upgrade to a deluxe titration kit.

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COST: $29.95

The Biodiesel Brewers Guide is a two manual set; one manual details how to make biodiesel (better than almost any other manual I've seen) and the other is a set of instructions for building an Appleseed Processor. If you order the Appleseed Processor kit from b100supply.com they will include these manuals, or, if you've already purchased them, they will deduct the price of the manuals from your processor order.

The Biodiesel Brewers Guide covers the following topics:
*Appleseed Processor assembly instructions
*Wash tank assembly instructions
*Testing procedures
*Advanced processing methods
*Advanced washing methods
*Waste stream management
*Also includes a glossary of biodiesel terms and MSDS sheets for some of the chemicals you'll be using to produce biodiesel

These instructions on how to make biodiesel were put together by some of the most well-known homebrewers. They are straight-forward, very detailed, and are backed by a company that has one of the best reputations in the biodiesel homebrewing community. I really like the fact that you are not only getting instructions for how to assemble your Appleseed Processor, but you also get instructions on how to use that specific processor to make biodiesel. These manuals will support you from step one through the time you put your first batch of biodiesel in your tank.

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