•This is a SCREENING TEST for Biodiesel Feedstock Oil & Grease Quality
•The test is a VISUAL check, not quantitative: Screens for Good vs. Bad oil
•Serves as a “Firewall” for rejecting bad oil with high Free Fatty Acids (FFA)
•Detects aged acidic feedstock fats and oils by a COLOR shift in the indicator:
RED color indicates low acid levels: under 5% Free Fatty Acids (Acceptable)
ORANGE color indicates moderate acid levels: 6-8% Free Fatty Acids (Marginal)
YELLOW color indicates high acid levels: Over 10% Free Fatty Acids (Unacceptable)
The color shift is roughly linear with acidic pH: More Acid = More Yellow
•Traces of oxidized oil, food debris and impurities make the oil layer TURBID
•Impurities and debris will settle down on the “lens” interface as visible layer.
•A REFERENCE Vial of ‘Real-World Good’ Waste Vegetable Oil with FFA under 4% is included.
Test Kit Includes: One reference vial, five test vials, plastic squeeze bulb and testing instructions.
The FOG pHLip Test is a real time (10 minute) visual check of feedstock oil quality to allow ‘Good to Moderate’ levels of Free Fatty Acids (FFA) to be sorted in the field from ‘Bad’ (High FFA) oils that would be unsuitable to make into ASTM Biodiesel. A simple color shift from Red to Orange occurs in the indicator solution that tells you when the FFA levels are ‘marginal’ and potentially at the ‘cut off’ for using that batch of oil for biodiesel production. In the field, good quality used cooking oil will not change the color of the Red Indicator solution after ‘flipping’ the vial. However, the pHLip Test will turn Orange when the FFA levels exceed 5.5 to 6, the ‘cut off’ range for good oil. Yellow color would indicate even higher FFA-over 8% and probably unacceptable as feedstock to make biodiesel oil easily.
The test also allows for the visual inspection of the oil sample after exposure to the water solution. Impurities and oxidized oil contaminants will cause the used cooking oil in the test vial to become increasingly turbid (opaque), with darker color (Vitamin E tocopherol turns brown as it oxidizes).
Instruction for Testing Fats, Oil, and Grease
One test vial per sample: Open the vial and use the plastic squeeze bulb provided to transfer your room temperature oil sample to the vial – transfer a volume of sample oil equal to the volume of red indicator solution in the test vial (10 ml). Tighten the cap on the vial and ‘flip’ (invert) the mixture vigorously 10 times. Let the vial stand still for 10 minutes to allow the oil and water phases to separate. Note the color of the lower Red Indicator solution (compare to other unopened test vials). If the red color remains ‘cherry red’, the oil has a low to moderate level of free fatty acids (FFA < 4%). If the indicator turns orange, the FFA levels are greater than 5-6%, at or near the ‘cut-off’ limit for marginal quality oil destined for easy biodiesel production. If the indicator turns yellow, the oil has a high FFA (over 8%) and is unsuitable for conventional biodiesel production (unless a plant has been designed for high FFA feedstock with a robust two-stage process).
In addition to FFA level indication, note the clarity of the separated oil phase in the test result after 10 minutes. Good quality used oil should be nearly transparent. The more turbid (opaque) and darker the oil layer appears, the more contaminants (e.g., oxidation products, residual food, etc.) are present in the oil.
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