July 2 -  Picked up Jerry & Max & Abeku  - headed out to Frank’s farm. Assembled plumbing for processor.  No NaOH or KOH to start a batch with

 July 3 – 5:30am pick-up – Shopping with Frank in Accra. Bought NaOH, tools, blue wash barrel. Back to farm at 3pm. Assembly of processor.  Dinner at 6; 38 gallons of biodiesel at 8!!  As Pat and Allotey said, “It took Ghana 50 years to get oil; we got it in 2 days!”

BATCH #1

Problem:  welded seam is leaking.    Solution – build new processor

 July 4 – Arrived at farm at 11 am.  To Nsawan to torch weld processing barrels together. Bought parts; Jerry & Frank drained glycerin, prepared a wash barrel, completed 1^st wash, began 2^nd.

 July 5 – Arranged for plumbing from water tank to shed.  Shopped in Accra for parts and supplies.  Bought a large white tote.  Re-assembled processor with new barrels. Gunk in bottom of first processor – re-inspection of procedures, possibilities (water? impurities?)

 July 6 –  All day at farm.  Ike took Red to the hospital & has the key to the methanol building, so time spent in Dumpong inspecting sites for water tank and toilets.   Got methanol. Rushed mixing; result was clumping of sodium in methanol mixing barrel; forced into processor.  Pump jammed up continually; total sludge.  Addition of more sodium methoxide started flow.

BATCH #2

July 7 –  At farm in the morning.  Decided to use new clear tote for BD – blue barrel impossible to judge levels.  Michael & Jerry constructed bubble wash for tote. Biodiesel drained into tote, ok.  Michael, Peg & Pat shopped in Accra – found filter head & filters.  Unfortunately, had key to methanol building, forcing others to relax & sightsee.  Back at the farm at 7:30pm.  Cleaned gunk and palm kernels out of pump and pipes.

 July 8 -  At farm early.  New barrel of palm oil is palm slush.  Heated on fire to liquefy.  Frank produced a perfect batch – golden & turned quickly.

BATCH #3

Moved old tote onto platform for glycerin.  Washed yesterday’s batch again.

All to Accra for Jerry & Max’s last over night in Ghana at Tribes.

 July 9 – Interview with Cristobel from the Ghana News Agency.  Left Jerry at Tribes and headed out with Frank.  Shopped for tools & extra supplies.  Arrived at the farm 4pm. 

Michael & workers devised a tool to pump bd from tote & leave last wash water in for next batch. PVC pipe with bottom sealed; holes cut at level above water will allow BD drainage.

Pumped out BD – running out of containers!  Put some in Frank’s truck! Filled the generator. Pumped out half of the BD into tote.

Problem: Batch #3 has gelled & plugged lines. Solution: Will pump into old blue barrel & try to clean out processor with methanol.

Started bubble wash in tote -2 stones had fallen off, so found the last two & replaced them.  Finished up at 8:45pm.

 July 10 – To Accra for tools and supplies and a small scale for test batches.   The Dumpong Biofuels story is in the newspapers!  Borrowed a scale from one of Pat’s chemistry students.   Back at farm, mixed up test batches; moved the questionable Batch #3 into the old blue wash barrel.  Frank and Ike started BATCH #4.

 July 11 – Out at farm around 10 am.  Frank attempted to empty Batch #2 from tote, but detected water, so dumped it all back in and started another wash.  The BD in the processor looked good so far. 

Estimated footage for water line to village from Frank’s well. 

Village meeting at Dumpong; Frank informed elders & villagers of our project (cheers) and the newspaper article (cheers) and the possibilities for water in the future (cheers).  Presentation of soccer balls for the school (LOUD CHEERS!!)  Fun and exciting meeting.

 July 12 – Out of Africa.