Safety and Waste Disposal Considerations

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Safety and Waste Disposal Considerations
Dr. Christie-Joy (C.J.) Brodrick Assistant
Professor, JMU Lisa Schweitzer Assistant
Professor, VT April 3, 2006
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Safety Highlights at JMU
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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Handling of Commercial Biodiesel
Chapter 11 Safety and Environmental
Regulation Composition Information Biodiesel
contains no 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 not exceed
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 to produce
vapors.
www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/pdfs/tp36182.pd
f
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Safety Data Sheets
To thoroughly understand the hazards involved
with working with specific chemicals substances,
the biodiesel small-scale unit operator should 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, storage and use,
control measures, transportation, disposal,
regulatory information, additional information.
MSDS LINKS Vegetable Oil http//sargentwelch.c
om/pdf/msds/sch94733.pdf Methanol
http//www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/methano
l.htm Glycerol http//www.biodieselgear.com/docu
mentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdf KOH
http//www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/KOH.htm
NaOH http//www.biodieselgear.com/documentation
/NaOH.htm Methoxide http//www.sciencestuff.com/
msds/C2658.html Glycerol http//www.biodieselgea
r.com/documentation/MSDS_Glycerol.pdf Biodiesel
http//www.biodieselgear.com/documentation/MSDS_BD
.pdf
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Sample MSDS Health Info

This is the classification for Flammable or
Combustible liquids.
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Table 2. Summary of MSDS Fire and Explosive
Information
Sample MSDS Health Info, cont
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JMUs General Safety Gear

• goggles
• gloves
• clothing
• aprons

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Location, Location, Location

• The following is a list of considerations we had
  when installing 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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Hazards are dependent on system design and
operation...
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Table 4. Summary of MSDS Reactivity Information
We looked at four processors

This is the classification for Flammable or
Combustible liquids.
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Sample Reactor Documentation
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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Examples of Common Hazards

• Basic small-scale biodiesel processing steps for
  a generic reactor
• Transfer oil to the processing tank
• Heat oil to 120F - 130F
• Check titration level
• Prepare methoxide - mix methanol and catalyst
• Combine oil and methoxide
• Mix (circulation and/or agitation) for fixed
  time
• Wait for glycerin to separate from biodiesel
• Remove gylcerine from processor tank
• Wash biodiesel
• Wait for water and biodiesel to separate
• Remove water from processor tank
• 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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Operation Steps 1 and 2 Transfer and Heat Oil
What if oil overheats? Hazard 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. Safeguards Temperature indication
(preferably one that is permanently installed in
the system). 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). JMU Approach 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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Operation Steps 1 and 2 Transfer and Heat Oil
What if oil spills from the supply drum or while
transferring? Hazard A large spill of oil
will cause slick surfaces. It could possible
cause irritation to skin if the oil temperature
is too hot. JMU Approach Install simple
secondary containment or at the minimum have
materials available for quick cleanup in case of
a large spill.

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Operation Steps 1 and 2 Transfer and Heat Oil
What if heating device (element)
overheats? Hazard 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. JMU Approach
Install a thermostat and internal heater.

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Operation Step 3 Check Titration Level
What if operator is exposed to MeOH fumes or
liquid touches the skin/clothing during
titration? Hazard Exposure to small amounts of
Methanol fumes can lead to blindness or
death. JMU Approach Immediately wash if on
skin and seek emergency medical treatment.

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Operation Step 4 Prepare Methoxide
What if the methanol leaks from the methanol
barrel or methoxide tank? Hazard 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 a
catastrophic barrel leak would be mishandling the
barrel during delivery or transport to the
processor location. JMU Approach Leave area
immediately. Vent. Use a purchased methanol
cleanup kit. Hazard Operator is or will be
exposed to methanol or methoxide fumes. JMU
Approach Remove any exposed clothing and wash
skin. Seek emergency treatment.

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Operation Step 4 Prepare Methoxide
What if the operator is exposed to catalyst?
Hazard Base catalyst (KOH and NaOH) are very
corrosive Safeguards Wear proper protective
equipment. JMU Approach Seek medical attention.
Note 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 of temperature 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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