Hi, I've been lurking for awhile now...

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

And I have some questions that I don't think have been answered before now.

I would actually like to make biodiesel (no! I know what I'm talking about, bear with me...). Biodiesel usually needs methanol as part of its processing, and methanol would just be damned hard to make. Not to mention it's poisonous enough that I wouldn't want to mess with it. You can't really ferment it in any great quantity, the process to make it from methane requires a million dollar factory, and the only other method would have me chopping down an acre of trees each year (and isn't easy itself).

But I've read on other sites, that in the right conditions, ethanol itself can be a substitute. But there are caveats. For ethanol to substitute, it has to be exceptionally dry (though not pure, only the water has to be removed). The things I'm reading say that something like 190 proof or higher is needed, and better yet 195. And if I remember correctly, distillation can only get you to about 180 proof, right? The article I read mentioned something about "zeolite" and/or "molecular sieves". I was able to find several places that sell them, apparently they look like rocks, and only cost about $2 a pound.

Has anyone ever used these? For anything, not necessarily making ethanol for biodiesel?

They don't seem too difficult to use. And, from what I've read, they can be reused. After tossing them in 180 proof ethanol, you wait a few hours and they (allegedly) soak up the water like a sponge. After removing them, you can bake them in an oven for a few hours, and they're ready to go again. I'm really wondering though, is how long they can be reused, if cared for properly? Will I get 5 or 6 uses out of them, and need more? I'd like to not have to continually buy supplies from someone just to make this... if gasoline goes away, methanol won't be easy to buy either, nor will some oddball product like zeolite. So, if anyone has used these extensively, I'd very much love to hear that you've used the same ones dozens and dozens of times, and that they're as good as when you first used them. (Crossing my fingers.)

My second question involves amounts. I don't have a still yet, and it may be a year or two before I even get to the point where I'll want one. However, ideally I'd love to make about 1000 gallons of biodiesel a year. I don't have any good numbers on how much ethanol that means I'd need, but it's somewhere between 200 and 300 gallons (and of 195 proof stuff, no less). Is that pie-in-the-sky stupidity from someone who doesn't know what he's asking? Are any of you folks who are making ethanol for fuel coming close to that much per year? What would you need equipment wise to be able to make that much? Some of you have hinted at how much you'll make... but I was under impression that the proof was lower, and I don't know how to convert that to 200 gallons of a higher proof (Is some lost in the process of distillation? *shrug*)

What would you need in materials, to make that much? Heck, what sorts of material do you even use for fuel ethanol? If you were making whiskey, you'd use corn or some other grain, no doubt, because you'd be concerned about taste. But, if you're really not going to drink the stuff, it doesn't really matter... so I figure there are better/cheaper things to use.

I've even read about them using cellulose to make ethanol... from trees, from switchgrass (and miscanthus), even bamboo. The articles aren't very big on details though, do I understand correctly that this requires some special and expensive enzyme before you can even ferment it into ethanol?

If 300 gallons of 195 proof per year is possible, how much time would you likely have to spend to make it? Is this a few hours each day, every day of the year? Is it a few hours each day for a few weeks, until next year rolls around?

Finally, I have a question that I know I can't hold you to the anwers, because it has to do with legal crap. No one here is a lawyer, and if I rely on their advice and get in trouble, I'm to blame, I know that. So, in the US, in Georgia specifically, what are the implications for distilling that much ethanol? I imagine I need some sort of license from the ATF, and likely from the state as well. Are they going to want $10,000 worth of fees? Will they always be hassling me? Is there any distinction if the alcohol is for fuel, or for personal use, or for both? If, hypothetically, a person were to just build a still for personal use, and made sure none ever slipped away... would they even know? Would a person who hypothetically did that be better off than one that tried to play by the rules?

Thank you in advance, and all suggestions, criticism, and even complaints of "dumb newbie" are welcome.