1 | P a g e

An Investigation into Establishing a Biodiesel Program at UIC

Allan Fluharty NBCT

Science Teacher Prosser Career Academy High School

Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Science Teacher Research Program

NSF RET Grant (EEC 0743068 and EEC 1132694)

2 | P a g e

Acknowledgements

Faculty Advisor Professor Thomas L Theis

Director Institute for Environmental Science and Policy

University of Illinois at Chicago

Professor Andreas A Linninger

Director Chicago Science Teacher Research Program

University of Illinois at Chicago

Seon Kim PhD Candidate

Manager Chicago Science Teacher Research Program

University of Illinois at Chicago

Professor Cindy Klein-Banai

Associate Chancellor for Sustainability Office of Sustainability

University of Illinois at Chicago

Richard D Anderson

Interim Director for Health and Safety Environmental Health and Safety Office

University of Illinois at Chicago

Zach Waickman

Biodiesel Lab Manager Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy

Loyola University Chicago

Adam Hage

Research Fellow Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy

Loyola University Chicago

Pete Probst

President Chicago Biofuels LLC

3 | P a g e

Contents

Acknowledgements 2

Introduction 4

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels 5

Peak Oil and Energy Depletion 5

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming 5

Life cycle assessments of biofuels 6

Ethical Issues of Biofuels 7

The Significance of Biofuels 8

Making Biodiesel from Non-Edible Plant 9

Fuel-health dilemma 10

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel 12

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry 12

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO 15

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct 18

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC 19

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities 19

Collegiate Biodiesel Producer Network (CBPN) 20

Estimated Amount of WVO Available Near to UIC 21

Suggested Steps to Develop a Campus WVO Recycling Program at UIC 22

Ways that UIC can ldquoGo Greenrdquo 23

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs 24

Concluding Remarks 25

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum 26

Works Cited 27

4 | P a g e

Introduction

This Research Experience for Teachers (RET) project grew out of my interest in promoting the

use of biodiesel as a substitute for petroleum diesel There is great interest in developing

alternative forms of energy due to a shrinking supply of crude oil and the widespread recognition

that global warming is cause by their combustion To promote interest in alternative fuels among

my students I obtained a grant from the Toyota Motors company to develop a biodiesel club at

my high school During the 2011 school year my students used this funding to design and build

a 40-gallon biodiesel processor In June my students successfully manufactured a batch of

biodiesel using waste vegetable oil from the culinary arts program at my school

In addition to starting the biodiesel club I started to meet individuals and learn about

organizations working to promote biodiesel I came to appreciate how little I knew and how

much more I wanted to know about biodiesel Subsequently I proposed that my RET research

focus on biodiesel After nosing around campus for ideas I learned through the UIC Office of

Sustainability that UIC had initiated a biodiesel program in 2009 Students and staff had in fact

built an 80-gallon biodiesel processor in a hazardous materials handling facility on the west-side

of campus The project had become dormant but there was interest in moving it forward

Ultimately I choose to focus my RET project on the following goals

Become familiar with the current academic discussion on the use of biofuels as an

alternative fuel source

Increase my understanding of biodiesel reaction chemistry

Develop recommendations that will advance the UIC biodiesel project

Determine the availability and quality of WVO from the UIC community

Develop a series of lessons that can be used to teach high school students about biodiesel

production

The initial proposal was open-ended and I am grateful to the RET program and Dr Theis my

RET advisor that I was given the leeway to develop my project

5 | P a g e

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels Peak Oil and Energy Depletion

Modern society is dependent on readily available energy A primary source of energy

particularly for transportation is obtained from crude oil In the United States we currently

import over 50 of our petroleum a number that will inevitably increase as the worldrsquos reserves

of crude oil are depleted

Figure 1 Annual Production Scenarios with 2 Percent Growth Rates and Different Resource Levels (Decline RP=10)

The US Geological Society estimates that crude oil supplies will begin to decline well within

the lifetime of my high school students somewhere between 2026 and 2047 (see Figure 1)

Should this occur and without a viable alternative fuel the growth of and development of

modern economies will be restricted

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

A second reason for societies increasing interest in alternative fuels is global warming caused by

the collection of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earthrsquos atmosphere The major

source of greenhouse gases is the combustion of fossil fuels

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 Without the greenhouse effect

Earth would be a frozen ball in space incapable of supporting life as we know it While the

majority of gases in our atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen a small fraction consists of

greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxides as well as other trace

gases The greenhouse effect works like a blanket around the earth by trapping heat radiated off

6 | P a g e

the surface of the planet itrsquos the same as putting on extra layers of clothing and doing so you trap

more heat inside the layers Since the beginning of the industrial age nitrous oxides have

increased 18 carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion by 39 and methane 148 By

adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere man has altered the natural cycles Earth is

getting warmer This warming also increases the temperature of the ocean which evaporates

more water also a significant greenhouse gas (Reisman 2010)

While average global temperatures will fluctuate from year to year scientists focus on the

decadal trend Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000 As

greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to rise scientists expect the

long-term temperature increase to continue (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Global temperatures since 1880 (data source NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Image credit NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon)

Global warming will impose significant cost to society ranging from a rise in sea level to an

increase in the frequency and severity of droughts storms heat waves and floods to the

destruction of fragile ecosystems and massive species extinction

Since the US transportation sector is responsible for more than one-third of man-made carbon

dioxide emissions in this country considerable attention has been focused on finding alternatives

to burning fossil fuels

Life cycle assessments of biofuels

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to limit global

warming has lead to the emergence of the green movement and to research on alternative sources

of energy Among those alternatives are biofuels for internal combustion engines It is thought

that biofuels have a lower impact on the environment compared to fossil and other fuels As a

byproduct of plant and animal oils biofuels are considered to be ldquocarbon neutralrdquo in that they do

not add to atmospheric carbon because they are part of Earthrsquos carbon cycle of sequestration of

carbon by plants

2 | P a g e

Acknowledgements

Faculty Advisor Professor Thomas L Theis

Director Institute for Environmental Science and Policy

University of Illinois at Chicago

Professor Andreas A Linninger

Director Chicago Science Teacher Research Program

University of Illinois at Chicago

Seon Kim PhD Candidate

Manager Chicago Science Teacher Research Program

University of Illinois at Chicago

Professor Cindy Klein-Banai

Associate Chancellor for Sustainability Office of Sustainability

University of Illinois at Chicago

Richard D Anderson

Interim Director for Health and Safety Environmental Health and Safety Office

University of Illinois at Chicago

Zach Waickman

Biodiesel Lab Manager Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy

Loyola University Chicago

Adam Hage

Research Fellow Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy

Loyola University Chicago

Pete Probst

President Chicago Biofuels LLC

3 | P a g e

Contents

Acknowledgements 2

Introduction 4

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels 5

Peak Oil and Energy Depletion 5

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming 5

Life cycle assessments of biofuels 6

Ethical Issues of Biofuels 7

The Significance of Biofuels 8

Making Biodiesel from Non-Edible Plant 9

Fuel-health dilemma 10

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel 12

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry 12

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO 15

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct 18

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC 19

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities 19

Collegiate Biodiesel Producer Network (CBPN) 20

Estimated Amount of WVO Available Near to UIC 21

Suggested Steps to Develop a Campus WVO Recycling Program at UIC 22

Ways that UIC can ldquoGo Greenrdquo 23

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs 24

Concluding Remarks 25

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum 26

Works Cited 27

4 | P a g e

Introduction

This Research Experience for Teachers (RET) project grew out of my interest in promoting the

use of biodiesel as a substitute for petroleum diesel There is great interest in developing

alternative forms of energy due to a shrinking supply of crude oil and the widespread recognition

that global warming is cause by their combustion To promote interest in alternative fuels among

my students I obtained a grant from the Toyota Motors company to develop a biodiesel club at

my high school During the 2011 school year my students used this funding to design and build

a 40-gallon biodiesel processor In June my students successfully manufactured a batch of

biodiesel using waste vegetable oil from the culinary arts program at my school

In addition to starting the biodiesel club I started to meet individuals and learn about

organizations working to promote biodiesel I came to appreciate how little I knew and how

much more I wanted to know about biodiesel Subsequently I proposed that my RET research

focus on biodiesel After nosing around campus for ideas I learned through the UIC Office of

Sustainability that UIC had initiated a biodiesel program in 2009 Students and staff had in fact

built an 80-gallon biodiesel processor in a hazardous materials handling facility on the west-side

of campus The project had become dormant but there was interest in moving it forward

Ultimately I choose to focus my RET project on the following goals

Become familiar with the current academic discussion on the use of biofuels as an

alternative fuel source

Increase my understanding of biodiesel reaction chemistry

Develop recommendations that will advance the UIC biodiesel project

Determine the availability and quality of WVO from the UIC community

Develop a series of lessons that can be used to teach high school students about biodiesel

production

The initial proposal was open-ended and I am grateful to the RET program and Dr Theis my

RET advisor that I was given the leeway to develop my project

5 | P a g e

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels Peak Oil and Energy Depletion

Modern society is dependent on readily available energy A primary source of energy

particularly for transportation is obtained from crude oil In the United States we currently

import over 50 of our petroleum a number that will inevitably increase as the worldrsquos reserves

of crude oil are depleted

Figure 1 Annual Production Scenarios with 2 Percent Growth Rates and Different Resource Levels (Decline RP=10)

The US Geological Society estimates that crude oil supplies will begin to decline well within

the lifetime of my high school students somewhere between 2026 and 2047 (see Figure 1)

Should this occur and without a viable alternative fuel the growth of and development of

modern economies will be restricted

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

A second reason for societies increasing interest in alternative fuels is global warming caused by

the collection of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earthrsquos atmosphere The major

source of greenhouse gases is the combustion of fossil fuels

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 Without the greenhouse effect

Earth would be a frozen ball in space incapable of supporting life as we know it While the

majority of gases in our atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen a small fraction consists of

greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxides as well as other trace

gases The greenhouse effect works like a blanket around the earth by trapping heat radiated off

6 | P a g e

the surface of the planet itrsquos the same as putting on extra layers of clothing and doing so you trap

more heat inside the layers Since the beginning of the industrial age nitrous oxides have

increased 18 carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion by 39 and methane 148 By

adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere man has altered the natural cycles Earth is

getting warmer This warming also increases the temperature of the ocean which evaporates

more water also a significant greenhouse gas (Reisman 2010)

While average global temperatures will fluctuate from year to year scientists focus on the

decadal trend Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000 As

greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to rise scientists expect the

long-term temperature increase to continue (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Global temperatures since 1880 (data source NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Image credit NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon)

Global warming will impose significant cost to society ranging from a rise in sea level to an

increase in the frequency and severity of droughts storms heat waves and floods to the

destruction of fragile ecosystems and massive species extinction

Since the US transportation sector is responsible for more than one-third of man-made carbon

dioxide emissions in this country considerable attention has been focused on finding alternatives

to burning fossil fuels

Life cycle assessments of biofuels

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to limit global

warming has lead to the emergence of the green movement and to research on alternative sources

of energy Among those alternatives are biofuels for internal combustion engines It is thought

that biofuels have a lower impact on the environment compared to fossil and other fuels As a

byproduct of plant and animal oils biofuels are considered to be ldquocarbon neutralrdquo in that they do

not add to atmospheric carbon because they are part of Earthrsquos carbon cycle of sequestration of

carbon by plants

3 | P a g e

Contents

Acknowledgements 2

Introduction 4

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels 5

Peak Oil and Energy Depletion 5

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming 5

Life cycle assessments of biofuels 6

Ethical Issues of Biofuels 7

The Significance of Biofuels 8

Making Biodiesel from Non-Edible Plant 9

Fuel-health dilemma 10

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel 12

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry 12

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO 15

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct 18

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC 19

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities 19

Collegiate Biodiesel Producer Network (CBPN) 20

Estimated Amount of WVO Available Near to UIC 21

Suggested Steps to Develop a Campus WVO Recycling Program at UIC 22

Ways that UIC can ldquoGo Greenrdquo 23

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs 24

Concluding Remarks 25

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum 26

Works Cited 27

4 | P a g e

Introduction

This Research Experience for Teachers (RET) project grew out of my interest in promoting the

use of biodiesel as a substitute for petroleum diesel There is great interest in developing

alternative forms of energy due to a shrinking supply of crude oil and the widespread recognition

that global warming is cause by their combustion To promote interest in alternative fuels among

my students I obtained a grant from the Toyota Motors company to develop a biodiesel club at

my high school During the 2011 school year my students used this funding to design and build

a 40-gallon biodiesel processor In June my students successfully manufactured a batch of

biodiesel using waste vegetable oil from the culinary arts program at my school

In addition to starting the biodiesel club I started to meet individuals and learn about

organizations working to promote biodiesel I came to appreciate how little I knew and how

much more I wanted to know about biodiesel Subsequently I proposed that my RET research

focus on biodiesel After nosing around campus for ideas I learned through the UIC Office of

Sustainability that UIC had initiated a biodiesel program in 2009 Students and staff had in fact

built an 80-gallon biodiesel processor in a hazardous materials handling facility on the west-side

of campus The project had become dormant but there was interest in moving it forward

Ultimately I choose to focus my RET project on the following goals

Become familiar with the current academic discussion on the use of biofuels as an

alternative fuel source

Increase my understanding of biodiesel reaction chemistry

Develop recommendations that will advance the UIC biodiesel project

Determine the availability and quality of WVO from the UIC community

Develop a series of lessons that can be used to teach high school students about biodiesel

production

The initial proposal was open-ended and I am grateful to the RET program and Dr Theis my

RET advisor that I was given the leeway to develop my project

5 | P a g e

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels Peak Oil and Energy Depletion

Modern society is dependent on readily available energy A primary source of energy

particularly for transportation is obtained from crude oil In the United States we currently

import over 50 of our petroleum a number that will inevitably increase as the worldrsquos reserves

of crude oil are depleted

Figure 1 Annual Production Scenarios with 2 Percent Growth Rates and Different Resource Levels (Decline RP=10)

The US Geological Society estimates that crude oil supplies will begin to decline well within

the lifetime of my high school students somewhere between 2026 and 2047 (see Figure 1)

Should this occur and without a viable alternative fuel the growth of and development of

modern economies will be restricted

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

A second reason for societies increasing interest in alternative fuels is global warming caused by

the collection of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earthrsquos atmosphere The major

source of greenhouse gases is the combustion of fossil fuels

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 Without the greenhouse effect

Earth would be a frozen ball in space incapable of supporting life as we know it While the

majority of gases in our atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen a small fraction consists of

greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxides as well as other trace

gases The greenhouse effect works like a blanket around the earth by trapping heat radiated off

6 | P a g e

the surface of the planet itrsquos the same as putting on extra layers of clothing and doing so you trap

more heat inside the layers Since the beginning of the industrial age nitrous oxides have

increased 18 carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion by 39 and methane 148 By

adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere man has altered the natural cycles Earth is

getting warmer This warming also increases the temperature of the ocean which evaporates

more water also a significant greenhouse gas (Reisman 2010)

While average global temperatures will fluctuate from year to year scientists focus on the

decadal trend Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000 As

greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to rise scientists expect the

long-term temperature increase to continue (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Global temperatures since 1880 (data source NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Image credit NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon)

Global warming will impose significant cost to society ranging from a rise in sea level to an

increase in the frequency and severity of droughts storms heat waves and floods to the

destruction of fragile ecosystems and massive species extinction

Since the US transportation sector is responsible for more than one-third of man-made carbon

dioxide emissions in this country considerable attention has been focused on finding alternatives

to burning fossil fuels

Life cycle assessments of biofuels

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to limit global

warming has lead to the emergence of the green movement and to research on alternative sources

of energy Among those alternatives are biofuels for internal combustion engines It is thought

that biofuels have a lower impact on the environment compared to fossil and other fuels As a

byproduct of plant and animal oils biofuels are considered to be ldquocarbon neutralrdquo in that they do

not add to atmospheric carbon because they are part of Earthrsquos carbon cycle of sequestration of

carbon by plants

4 | P a g e

Introduction

This Research Experience for Teachers (RET) project grew out of my interest in promoting the

use of biodiesel as a substitute for petroleum diesel There is great interest in developing

alternative forms of energy due to a shrinking supply of crude oil and the widespread recognition

that global warming is cause by their combustion To promote interest in alternative fuels among

my students I obtained a grant from the Toyota Motors company to develop a biodiesel club at

my high school During the 2011 school year my students used this funding to design and build

a 40-gallon biodiesel processor In June my students successfully manufactured a batch of

biodiesel using waste vegetable oil from the culinary arts program at my school

In addition to starting the biodiesel club I started to meet individuals and learn about

organizations working to promote biodiesel I came to appreciate how little I knew and how

much more I wanted to know about biodiesel Subsequently I proposed that my RET research

focus on biodiesel After nosing around campus for ideas I learned through the UIC Office of

Sustainability that UIC had initiated a biodiesel program in 2009 Students and staff had in fact

built an 80-gallon biodiesel processor in a hazardous materials handling facility on the west-side

of campus The project had become dormant but there was interest in moving it forward

Ultimately I choose to focus my RET project on the following goals

Become familiar with the current academic discussion on the use of biofuels as an

alternative fuel source

Increase my understanding of biodiesel reaction chemistry

Develop recommendations that will advance the UIC biodiesel project

Determine the availability and quality of WVO from the UIC community

Develop a series of lessons that can be used to teach high school students about biodiesel

production

The initial proposal was open-ended and I am grateful to the RET program and Dr Theis my

RET advisor that I was given the leeway to develop my project

5 | P a g e

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels Peak Oil and Energy Depletion

Modern society is dependent on readily available energy A primary source of energy

particularly for transportation is obtained from crude oil In the United States we currently

import over 50 of our petroleum a number that will inevitably increase as the worldrsquos reserves

of crude oil are depleted

Figure 1 Annual Production Scenarios with 2 Percent Growth Rates and Different Resource Levels (Decline RP=10)

The US Geological Society estimates that crude oil supplies will begin to decline well within

the lifetime of my high school students somewhere between 2026 and 2047 (see Figure 1)

Should this occur and without a viable alternative fuel the growth of and development of

modern economies will be restricted

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

A second reason for societies increasing interest in alternative fuels is global warming caused by

the collection of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earthrsquos atmosphere The major

source of greenhouse gases is the combustion of fossil fuels

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 Without the greenhouse effect

Earth would be a frozen ball in space incapable of supporting life as we know it While the

majority of gases in our atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen a small fraction consists of

greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxides as well as other trace

gases The greenhouse effect works like a blanket around the earth by trapping heat radiated off

6 | P a g e

the surface of the planet itrsquos the same as putting on extra layers of clothing and doing so you trap

more heat inside the layers Since the beginning of the industrial age nitrous oxides have

increased 18 carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion by 39 and methane 148 By

adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere man has altered the natural cycles Earth is

getting warmer This warming also increases the temperature of the ocean which evaporates

more water also a significant greenhouse gas (Reisman 2010)

While average global temperatures will fluctuate from year to year scientists focus on the

decadal trend Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000 As

greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to rise scientists expect the

long-term temperature increase to continue (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Global temperatures since 1880 (data source NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Image credit NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon)

Global warming will impose significant cost to society ranging from a rise in sea level to an

increase in the frequency and severity of droughts storms heat waves and floods to the

destruction of fragile ecosystems and massive species extinction

Since the US transportation sector is responsible for more than one-third of man-made carbon

dioxide emissions in this country considerable attention has been focused on finding alternatives

to burning fossil fuels

Life cycle assessments of biofuels

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to limit global

warming has lead to the emergence of the green movement and to research on alternative sources

of energy Among those alternatives are biofuels for internal combustion engines It is thought

that biofuels have a lower impact on the environment compared to fossil and other fuels As a

byproduct of plant and animal oils biofuels are considered to be ldquocarbon neutralrdquo in that they do

not add to atmospheric carbon because they are part of Earthrsquos carbon cycle of sequestration of

carbon by plants

5 | P a g e

Part 1 Current discussion on using biofuels as alternative fuels Peak Oil and Energy Depletion

Modern society is dependent on readily available energy A primary source of energy

particularly for transportation is obtained from crude oil In the United States we currently

import over 50 of our petroleum a number that will inevitably increase as the worldrsquos reserves

of crude oil are depleted

Figure 1 Annual Production Scenarios with 2 Percent Growth Rates and Different Resource Levels (Decline RP=10)

The US Geological Society estimates that crude oil supplies will begin to decline well within

the lifetime of my high school students somewhere between 2026 and 2047 (see Figure 1)

Should this occur and without a viable alternative fuel the growth of and development of

modern economies will be restricted

The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming

A second reason for societies increasing interest in alternative fuels is global warming caused by

the collection of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in Earthrsquos atmosphere The major

source of greenhouse gases is the combustion of fossil fuels

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 Without the greenhouse effect

Earth would be a frozen ball in space incapable of supporting life as we know it While the

majority of gases in our atmosphere are oxygen and nitrogen a small fraction consists of

greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide methane and nitrous oxides as well as other trace

gases The greenhouse effect works like a blanket around the earth by trapping heat radiated off

6 | P a g e

the surface of the planet itrsquos the same as putting on extra layers of clothing and doing so you trap

more heat inside the layers Since the beginning of the industrial age nitrous oxides have

increased 18 carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion by 39 and methane 148 By

adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere man has altered the natural cycles Earth is

getting warmer This warming also increases the temperature of the ocean which evaporates

more water also a significant greenhouse gas (Reisman 2010)

While average global temperatures will fluctuate from year to year scientists focus on the

decadal trend Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000 As

greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to rise scientists expect the

long-term temperature increase to continue (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Global temperatures since 1880 (data source NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Image credit NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon)

Global warming will impose significant cost to society ranging from a rise in sea level to an

increase in the frequency and severity of droughts storms heat waves and floods to the

destruction of fragile ecosystems and massive species extinction

Since the US transportation sector is responsible for more than one-third of man-made carbon

dioxide emissions in this country considerable attention has been focused on finding alternatives

to burning fossil fuels

Life cycle assessments of biofuels

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to limit global

warming has lead to the emergence of the green movement and to research on alternative sources

of energy Among those alternatives are biofuels for internal combustion engines It is thought

that biofuels have a lower impact on the environment compared to fossil and other fuels As a

byproduct of plant and animal oils biofuels are considered to be ldquocarbon neutralrdquo in that they do

not add to atmospheric carbon because they are part of Earthrsquos carbon cycle of sequestration of

carbon by plants

6 | P a g e

the surface of the planet itrsquos the same as putting on extra layers of clothing and doing so you trap

more heat inside the layers Since the beginning of the industrial age nitrous oxides have

increased 18 carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion by 39 and methane 148 By

adding more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere man has altered the natural cycles Earth is

getting warmer This warming also increases the temperature of the ocean which evaporates

more water also a significant greenhouse gas (Reisman 2010)

While average global temperatures will fluctuate from year to year scientists focus on the

decadal trend Nine of the 10 warmest years since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000 As

greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric carbon dioxide continue to rise scientists expect the

long-term temperature increase to continue (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Global temperatures since 1880 (data source NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Image credit NASA Earth Observatory Robert Simmon)

Global warming will impose significant cost to society ranging from a rise in sea level to an

increase in the frequency and severity of droughts storms heat waves and floods to the

destruction of fragile ecosystems and massive species extinction

Since the US transportation sector is responsible for more than one-third of man-made carbon

dioxide emissions in this country considerable attention has been focused on finding alternatives

to burning fossil fuels

Life cycle assessments of biofuels

Depletion of fossil fuel reserves and the need to reduce CO2 emissions in order to limit global

warming has lead to the emergence of the green movement and to research on alternative sources

of energy Among those alternatives are biofuels for internal combustion engines It is thought

that biofuels have a lower impact on the environment compared to fossil and other fuels As a

byproduct of plant and animal oils biofuels are considered to be ldquocarbon neutralrdquo in that they do

not add to atmospheric carbon because they are part of Earthrsquos carbon cycle of sequestration of

carbon by plants

7 | P a g e

A viable alternative to petroleum diesel must meet four criteria show superior environmental

benefits over the fossil fuel it displaces be economically competitive with that fuel be

producible in sufficient quantities to make a meaningful impact on energy demands and provide

a net energy gain over the energy sources used to produce it In order to investigate these fuels

against the criteria researchers from the University of Minnesota and St Olaf College led by

ecology professor G David Tilman conducted a comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of

these biofuels (Manuel 2007)

Life Cycle Assessment is a tool for quantitative assessment of materials energy flows and

environmental impacts of products services and technologies There is a broad agreement in the

scientific community that LCA is one of the best methodologies for the evaluation of the

environmental burdens associated with biofuel production by identifying energy and materials

used as well as waste and emissions released to the environment moreover it also allows an

identification of opportunities for environmental improvement (Sanz-Requena 2011)

The Tilman study evaluated two predominant alternative transportation fuels in the United

States corn grain ethanol and soybean biodiesel The study used data on farm yields commodity

and fuel-prices farm energy and chemical inputs production plant efficiencies production of

coproducts greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental effects The study also included

energy required to manufacture the machinery used to farm corn and soybeans Study included

the following findings (Hill 2006)

Ethanol yields 25 net energy gain (eg biofuel energy content exceeds fossil fuel

energy inputs) whereas biodiesel yields 93 more

Compared with ethanol biodiesel releases just 10 83 and 13 of the agricultural

nitrogen phosphorus and pesticide pollutants respectively per net energy gain

Relative to the fossil fuels they displace greenhouse gas emissions are reduced 12 by

the production and combustion of ethanol and 41 by biodiesel Biodiesel also releases

less air pollutants per net energy gain than ethanol These advantages of biodiesel over

ethanol come from lower agricultural inputs and more efficient conversion of feedstock

to fuel

Biodiesel has major advantages over ethanol however neither significantly reduces reliance on

petroleum without dramatically affecting the food supply There was a call for the development

of biofuels based on nonfood crops such as prairie grasses and woody plants which can be

converted into synthetic hydrocarbons or cellulosic ethanol To understand why the report

recommended using nonfood crops it is useful to investigate the ethical issues that arise in the

development of biofuels

Ethical Issues of Biofuels

The focus of this report is to explore the use of biodiesel as an alternative fuel However

biodiesel is part of a more general category of biofuels that also includes corn ethanol In the last

ten years federal incentives have created a market for these biofuels This section includes a

discussion of ethical issues of biofuels My goal is to build an ethical justification for the pursuit

of biodiesel but not for corn ethanol

8 | P a g e

Food-Fuel Trade-off

Because biofuels are made using materials from plants or animals their development will have a

consequence on agriculture and the food supply Commodities like corn sugar and vegetable oil

can be used either as food animal feed or to make biofuels The food vs fuel dilemma asks

whether it is appropriate to divert agricultural resources away from the food supply when people

are starving in the world A compelling example of the dilemma occurred 2008 after the US

government mandated that part of the corn crop be set aside to produce ethanol for blending into

cleaner-burning gasoline This caused a food shortage when US farmers diverted corn crops

from food production into the more lucrative biofuels market contributing to a jump in prices

and sparking food riots in Haiti Bangladesh Egypt and Mexico It is quite possible that this

situation may be repeated in the near future due In 2012 gasoline refiners will use some 132

billion gallons of ethanol which will consume some 40 of the corn crop This is taking place

during a surge in grain prices amid the worst drought in the US in more than half a century

(Jegarajah 2012)

Fuel-Nature Trade-off

The fuel-nature dilemma explores ethical questions that pertain to appropriate land use First

people value land for different reasons ranging from farming to recreation to aesthetic

appreciation Another viewpoint is that animals plants and ecosystems have an intrinsic value

entirely apart from their use by human beings That said it is important to acknowledge that

human activities can irreparably harm nature and that society holds a collective obligation to

protect environments for future generations

The fuel-nature debate can be framed by a discussion of the agrarian ideals of the late 18th

and

early 19th

century Thomas Jefferson promoted agrarian ideals of self reliance family farms and

creation of an agricultural ecosystem that lived within environmental constraints In present time

there is evidence of a revival of agrarian ideals in organic farming community gardens and

farmers markets A reliance on local sources of natural foods might also provide motivation to

use arable land to produce biomass for transportation fuels Indeed it is conceivable that people

could come to see their use of fuels through the lens of sustainability providing a direct link to

agrarian ideals (Thompson 2008)

The Significance of Biofuels

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have provided figures to

demonstrate the non-significant effect of biofuels on the global economy (Bergsma 2006) The

FAO calculated that worldwide 4188 million km2 of land is available for agriculture although

just 1506 million km2 are in use and only 011 million km

2 are used for biofuels production

today which is no more than 1 of that area The FAO estimates that in 2030 0325 million km2

will be used for biofuels production which is no more than 2 of total agricultural land use

Nevertheless there is discussion of ways to free up land for the production of biofuels One

would be to use non-edible crops grown on marginal lands to provide biodiesel feedstock This

9 | P a g e

would avoid using edible crops their loss from the food supply and a subsequent increase of

food prices Another idea was proposed by Hannon (1977) and is called lsquoModern Agrarianismrsquo

The suggestion is to base land use for agriculture on the energy is used to produce what we eat

And in the process we will eat healthier The calculation goes like this in 1974 165 of the

energy produced in the US was used to bring food from the ground to the table In that year we

spent about 71 units of non-solar food energy to consume 1 unit of food energy Of this about

38 came from meat and animal products If all US animal feed grain programs were

suspended this would result in a reduction in the consumption f meat and animal products by

approximately one-third This loss of protein from the diet should not be a problem since

Americans eat 45 more protein than required Since a unit of beef protein requires about six

times the total energy of an equivalent unit of soybean protein such a change would reduce US

energy use by about 1 to 2 percent With these assumptions about 80 million acres of land

previously used to raise prime feed grain could be considered released from the food supply and

used to produce biodiesel feedstocks (Hannon 1997)

Making Biodiesel from Non-Edible Plant

Several studies have been conducted to identify suitable non-edible oil for the production of

biodiesel as summarized by Pinzi (2009) There are many considerations in identifying a suitable

source of oil that optimizes environmental economic and diesel engine performance

requirements Much of what defines an ldquoidealrdquo alternative biodiesel depends on the nature of the

fatty acids in the triglyceride (the ndashR groups) A good biodiesel will have a high presence of

monounsaturated fatty acids (such as oleic and palmitoleic acids) reduced presence of

polyunsaturated acids and controlled saturated acids content In this sense C181 and C161 are

the best-fitting acids in terms of oxidative stability and cold weather behavior among other

properties

Important specifications that determine overall fuel quality are density lubricity cold-flow

properties heat of combustion oxidative stability and sulfur content The nature of the fatty acid

will also influence the transesterification reaction and affect parameters such as reaction rate

yield and amount of reagent The price of the feedstock oils is by far one of the most significant

factors affecting the economic viability of biodiesel manufacturing

Table 1 provides data that compares the cetane number and Iodine Value of edible and non-

edible oils that are good candidates for use in biodiesel processing Cetane number CN measures

the combustion quality of diesel fuel during the compression ignition stage of the diesel cycle

Fuels with adequate CN will have the desirable property of shorter ignition delay periods The

American Society for Testing and Materials requires that diesel fuel have a CN gt47 (ASTM

D6751) while the European Union requires a CN gt51 (EN 14214) The Iodine Value (IV) is also

a useful measurement of biodiesel quality indicating a measure of the degree of saturation of the

fatty acid A biodiesel with a good IV will display stability and long storage life under extreme

conditions

10 | P a g e

Table 1 A comparison of petroleum diesel to biodiesel made from soybean and non-edible oils (Pinzi 2009)

Methyl Ester Common

Name

Description Cetane

Number

Iodine Value

(g I2100 g oil)

Mineral Diesel 43

Soybean Oil 505 132

Cynara

cardunculus

Cynara spp Genus includes thistle

cardoon and artichokes

59 117

Calophyllum

inophyllum

Nagchampa

Polanga Oil

Tree thrives in zerophytic

habitats

573 715

Terminalia

catappa

Brazilian tree 571 832

LE Brassica

carinata

Ethiopian

Mustard Oil

Well adapted to marginal

regions

52 92-128

Azadirachta

indica

Neem Oil Tree grows in arid climate 54 70-74

Mandhuca

indica

Mahua Oil Deciduous tree 5661 742

Pangamia

pinnata

Karanja

Seed Oil

Tropical tree 5433 865-90

Jatropha

curacas

Jatropha

Curcas

Perinnial tropical plant 51 95-107

EN 14214 Standard CNgt51 IVlt120

ASTM D6751 Standard CNgt47 IV not specified

Fuel-health dilemma

So far my report has been concerned making biodiesel

using agriculture There is also great interest in

producing biodiesel using waste vegetable oil (WVO)

from the deep fat fryers and grease traps A fuel-health

dilemma is created by promoting an activity requiring

waste vegetable oil when there is strong evidence that a

diet high in fat causes disease Researchers have found

that elevated triglycerides in children may cause heart

disease and heart attacks as adults The study followed

the health of 808 children for thirty-one years Results

showed those with high triglyceride levels as children had a considerably higher risk of

developing heart disease as an adult and the risk looked as if it was directly relative to how high

the triglyceride levels were during their preadolescent years (Jancin 2009)

Final thoughts on Part 1

Biofuels are often promoted as a jobs program and secondarily as a homeland-security issue

Ethics however trumps these objectives because it irresponsible to promote technologies that

utilize agriculture as a manufacturing system for non-food products without simultaneously

admitting that they have the potential to cause severe harm to some of the worldrsquos most

vulnerable people (Thompson 2008) It must be agreed that biodiesel technology should not

11 | P a g e

cause starvation in underdeveloped countries The focus must be put on non-edible oils instead of

edible ones to gain social acceptance of biodiesel In fact if done properly it could have the

opposite effect by helping developing countries decrease their dependence to fossil oil imports

thus enhancing their Balance of Payments and general welfare (Pinzi 2009)

The current US Department of Agriculturersquos biofuels program may be an example of misguided

policy and in particular through the use of corn ethanol as a gasoline additive The remaining

parts of this report will focus on biodiesel production

12 | P a g e

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry

Biodiesel chemistry is an example of organic chemistry since it deals with chemical reaction

between organic compounds The chemical compounds of living things are known as organic

compounds Organic compounds contain simple to complex arrangements of the element carbon

which act as the scaffolds that hold organic molecules together The properties of organic

compounds are dependent primarily on the physical structure of the molecules and by the

attachment of functional groups to the carbon backbone In fact organic chemists use the

functional groups to categorize and name organic compounds These include alcohols acids

esters aldehydes or ketones just to name a few (see Figure 3)

Figure 3 Examples of organic functional groups (graphic obtained from httppolaritybearsblogspotcom201106organic-chemistry-funtional-groupshtml on August 4 2012)

If a component of an organic compound is not important to the reaction being defined it is often

represented on paper as R which indicates the ldquoorganic restrdquo of the molecule under discussion

A special type of functional group is indicated by the presence of a single double or triple bond

(shown by the number of lines between the carbon atoms in Figure 3) An R group is said to be

saturated if it contains only single bonds otherwise it is considered to be unsaturated or

polyunsaturated if it contains one or more double bonds between carbons

Biodiesel is composed of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable

lipid (or fat) sources such as vegetable oil or animal fats Esters are organic compounds

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

8 | P a g e

Food-Fuel Trade-off

Because biofuels are made using materials from plants or animals their development will have a

consequence on agriculture and the food supply Commodities like corn sugar and vegetable oil

can be used either as food animal feed or to make biofuels The food vs fuel dilemma asks

whether it is appropriate to divert agricultural resources away from the food supply when people

are starving in the world A compelling example of the dilemma occurred 2008 after the US

government mandated that part of the corn crop be set aside to produce ethanol for blending into

cleaner-burning gasoline This caused a food shortage when US farmers diverted corn crops

from food production into the more lucrative biofuels market contributing to a jump in prices

and sparking food riots in Haiti Bangladesh Egypt and Mexico It is quite possible that this

situation may be repeated in the near future due In 2012 gasoline refiners will use some 132

billion gallons of ethanol which will consume some 40 of the corn crop This is taking place

during a surge in grain prices amid the worst drought in the US in more than half a century

(Jegarajah 2012)

Fuel-Nature Trade-off

The fuel-nature dilemma explores ethical questions that pertain to appropriate land use First

people value land for different reasons ranging from farming to recreation to aesthetic

appreciation Another viewpoint is that animals plants and ecosystems have an intrinsic value

entirely apart from their use by human beings That said it is important to acknowledge that

human activities can irreparably harm nature and that society holds a collective obligation to

protect environments for future generations

The fuel-nature debate can be framed by a discussion of the agrarian ideals of the late 18th

and

early 19th

century Thomas Jefferson promoted agrarian ideals of self reliance family farms and

creation of an agricultural ecosystem that lived within environmental constraints In present time

there is evidence of a revival of agrarian ideals in organic farming community gardens and

farmers markets A reliance on local sources of natural foods might also provide motivation to

use arable land to produce biomass for transportation fuels Indeed it is conceivable that people

could come to see their use of fuels through the lens of sustainability providing a direct link to

agrarian ideals (Thompson 2008)

The Significance of Biofuels

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have provided figures to

demonstrate the non-significant effect of biofuels on the global economy (Bergsma 2006) The

FAO calculated that worldwide 4188 million km2 of land is available for agriculture although

just 1506 million km2 are in use and only 011 million km

2 are used for biofuels production

today which is no more than 1 of that area The FAO estimates that in 2030 0325 million km2

will be used for biofuels production which is no more than 2 of total agricultural land use

Nevertheless there is discussion of ways to free up land for the production of biofuels One

would be to use non-edible crops grown on marginal lands to provide biodiesel feedstock This

9 | P a g e

would avoid using edible crops their loss from the food supply and a subsequent increase of

food prices Another idea was proposed by Hannon (1977) and is called lsquoModern Agrarianismrsquo

The suggestion is to base land use for agriculture on the energy is used to produce what we eat

And in the process we will eat healthier The calculation goes like this in 1974 165 of the

energy produced in the US was used to bring food from the ground to the table In that year we

spent about 71 units of non-solar food energy to consume 1 unit of food energy Of this about

38 came from meat and animal products If all US animal feed grain programs were

suspended this would result in a reduction in the consumption f meat and animal products by

approximately one-third This loss of protein from the diet should not be a problem since

Americans eat 45 more protein than required Since a unit of beef protein requires about six

times the total energy of an equivalent unit of soybean protein such a change would reduce US

energy use by about 1 to 2 percent With these assumptions about 80 million acres of land

previously used to raise prime feed grain could be considered released from the food supply and

used to produce biodiesel feedstocks (Hannon 1997)

Making Biodiesel from Non-Edible Plant

Several studies have been conducted to identify suitable non-edible oil for the production of

biodiesel as summarized by Pinzi (2009) There are many considerations in identifying a suitable

source of oil that optimizes environmental economic and diesel engine performance

requirements Much of what defines an ldquoidealrdquo alternative biodiesel depends on the nature of the

fatty acids in the triglyceride (the ndashR groups) A good biodiesel will have a high presence of

monounsaturated fatty acids (such as oleic and palmitoleic acids) reduced presence of

polyunsaturated acids and controlled saturated acids content In this sense C181 and C161 are

the best-fitting acids in terms of oxidative stability and cold weather behavior among other

properties

Important specifications that determine overall fuel quality are density lubricity cold-flow

properties heat of combustion oxidative stability and sulfur content The nature of the fatty acid

will also influence the transesterification reaction and affect parameters such as reaction rate

yield and amount of reagent The price of the feedstock oils is by far one of the most significant

factors affecting the economic viability of biodiesel manufacturing

Table 1 provides data that compares the cetane number and Iodine Value of edible and non-

edible oils that are good candidates for use in biodiesel processing Cetane number CN measures

the combustion quality of diesel fuel during the compression ignition stage of the diesel cycle

Fuels with adequate CN will have the desirable property of shorter ignition delay periods The

American Society for Testing and Materials requires that diesel fuel have a CN gt47 (ASTM

D6751) while the European Union requires a CN gt51 (EN 14214) The Iodine Value (IV) is also

a useful measurement of biodiesel quality indicating a measure of the degree of saturation of the

fatty acid A biodiesel with a good IV will display stability and long storage life under extreme

conditions

10 | P a g e

Table 1 A comparison of petroleum diesel to biodiesel made from soybean and non-edible oils (Pinzi 2009)

Methyl Ester Common

Name

Description Cetane

Number

Iodine Value

(g I2100 g oil)

Mineral Diesel 43

Soybean Oil 505 132

Cynara

cardunculus

Cynara spp Genus includes thistle

cardoon and artichokes

59 117

Calophyllum

inophyllum

Nagchampa

Polanga Oil

Tree thrives in zerophytic

habitats

573 715

Terminalia

catappa

Brazilian tree 571 832

LE Brassica

carinata

Ethiopian

Mustard Oil

Well adapted to marginal

regions

52 92-128

Azadirachta

indica

Neem Oil Tree grows in arid climate 54 70-74

Mandhuca

indica

Mahua Oil Deciduous tree 5661 742

Pangamia

pinnata

Karanja

Seed Oil

Tropical tree 5433 865-90

Jatropha

curacas

Jatropha

Curcas

Perinnial tropical plant 51 95-107

EN 14214 Standard CNgt51 IVlt120

ASTM D6751 Standard CNgt47 IV not specified

Fuel-health dilemma

So far my report has been concerned making biodiesel

using agriculture There is also great interest in

producing biodiesel using waste vegetable oil (WVO)

from the deep fat fryers and grease traps A fuel-health

dilemma is created by promoting an activity requiring

waste vegetable oil when there is strong evidence that a

diet high in fat causes disease Researchers have found

that elevated triglycerides in children may cause heart

disease and heart attacks as adults The study followed

the health of 808 children for thirty-one years Results

showed those with high triglyceride levels as children had a considerably higher risk of

developing heart disease as an adult and the risk looked as if it was directly relative to how high

the triglyceride levels were during their preadolescent years (Jancin 2009)

Final thoughts on Part 1

Biofuels are often promoted as a jobs program and secondarily as a homeland-security issue

Ethics however trumps these objectives because it irresponsible to promote technologies that

utilize agriculture as a manufacturing system for non-food products without simultaneously

admitting that they have the potential to cause severe harm to some of the worldrsquos most

vulnerable people (Thompson 2008) It must be agreed that biodiesel technology should not

11 | P a g e

cause starvation in underdeveloped countries The focus must be put on non-edible oils instead of

edible ones to gain social acceptance of biodiesel In fact if done properly it could have the

opposite effect by helping developing countries decrease their dependence to fossil oil imports

thus enhancing their Balance of Payments and general welfare (Pinzi 2009)

The current US Department of Agriculturersquos biofuels program may be an example of misguided

policy and in particular through the use of corn ethanol as a gasoline additive The remaining

parts of this report will focus on biodiesel production

12 | P a g e

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry

Biodiesel chemistry is an example of organic chemistry since it deals with chemical reaction

between organic compounds The chemical compounds of living things are known as organic

compounds Organic compounds contain simple to complex arrangements of the element carbon

which act as the scaffolds that hold organic molecules together The properties of organic

compounds are dependent primarily on the physical structure of the molecules and by the

attachment of functional groups to the carbon backbone In fact organic chemists use the

functional groups to categorize and name organic compounds These include alcohols acids

esters aldehydes or ketones just to name a few (see Figure 3)

Figure 3 Examples of organic functional groups (graphic obtained from httppolaritybearsblogspotcom201106organic-chemistry-funtional-groupshtml on August 4 2012)

If a component of an organic compound is not important to the reaction being defined it is often

represented on paper as R which indicates the ldquoorganic restrdquo of the molecule under discussion

A special type of functional group is indicated by the presence of a single double or triple bond

(shown by the number of lines between the carbon atoms in Figure 3) An R group is said to be

saturated if it contains only single bonds otherwise it is considered to be unsaturated or

polyunsaturated if it contains one or more double bonds between carbons

Biodiesel is composed of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable

lipid (or fat) sources such as vegetable oil or animal fats Esters are organic compounds

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

9 | P a g e

would avoid using edible crops their loss from the food supply and a subsequent increase of

food prices Another idea was proposed by Hannon (1977) and is called lsquoModern Agrarianismrsquo

The suggestion is to base land use for agriculture on the energy is used to produce what we eat

And in the process we will eat healthier The calculation goes like this in 1974 165 of the

energy produced in the US was used to bring food from the ground to the table In that year we

spent about 71 units of non-solar food energy to consume 1 unit of food energy Of this about

38 came from meat and animal products If all US animal feed grain programs were

suspended this would result in a reduction in the consumption f meat and animal products by

approximately one-third This loss of protein from the diet should not be a problem since

Americans eat 45 more protein than required Since a unit of beef protein requires about six

times the total energy of an equivalent unit of soybean protein such a change would reduce US

energy use by about 1 to 2 percent With these assumptions about 80 million acres of land

previously used to raise prime feed grain could be considered released from the food supply and

used to produce biodiesel feedstocks (Hannon 1997)

Making Biodiesel from Non-Edible Plant

Several studies have been conducted to identify suitable non-edible oil for the production of

biodiesel as summarized by Pinzi (2009) There are many considerations in identifying a suitable

source of oil that optimizes environmental economic and diesel engine performance

requirements Much of what defines an ldquoidealrdquo alternative biodiesel depends on the nature of the

fatty acids in the triglyceride (the ndashR groups) A good biodiesel will have a high presence of

monounsaturated fatty acids (such as oleic and palmitoleic acids) reduced presence of

polyunsaturated acids and controlled saturated acids content In this sense C181 and C161 are

the best-fitting acids in terms of oxidative stability and cold weather behavior among other

properties

Important specifications that determine overall fuel quality are density lubricity cold-flow

properties heat of combustion oxidative stability and sulfur content The nature of the fatty acid

will also influence the transesterification reaction and affect parameters such as reaction rate

yield and amount of reagent The price of the feedstock oils is by far one of the most significant

factors affecting the economic viability of biodiesel manufacturing

Table 1 provides data that compares the cetane number and Iodine Value of edible and non-

edible oils that are good candidates for use in biodiesel processing Cetane number CN measures

the combustion quality of diesel fuel during the compression ignition stage of the diesel cycle

Fuels with adequate CN will have the desirable property of shorter ignition delay periods The

American Society for Testing and Materials requires that diesel fuel have a CN gt47 (ASTM

D6751) while the European Union requires a CN gt51 (EN 14214) The Iodine Value (IV) is also

a useful measurement of biodiesel quality indicating a measure of the degree of saturation of the

fatty acid A biodiesel with a good IV will display stability and long storage life under extreme

conditions

10 | P a g e

Table 1 A comparison of petroleum diesel to biodiesel made from soybean and non-edible oils (Pinzi 2009)

Methyl Ester Common

Name

Description Cetane

Number

Iodine Value

(g I2100 g oil)

Mineral Diesel 43

Soybean Oil 505 132

Cynara

cardunculus

Cynara spp Genus includes thistle

cardoon and artichokes

59 117

Calophyllum

inophyllum

Nagchampa

Polanga Oil

Tree thrives in zerophytic

habitats

573 715

Terminalia

catappa

Brazilian tree 571 832

LE Brassica

carinata

Ethiopian

Mustard Oil

Well adapted to marginal

regions

52 92-128

Azadirachta

indica

Neem Oil Tree grows in arid climate 54 70-74

Mandhuca

indica

Mahua Oil Deciduous tree 5661 742

Pangamia

pinnata

Karanja

Seed Oil

Tropical tree 5433 865-90

Jatropha

curacas

Jatropha

Curcas

Perinnial tropical plant 51 95-107

EN 14214 Standard CNgt51 IVlt120

ASTM D6751 Standard CNgt47 IV not specified

Fuel-health dilemma

So far my report has been concerned making biodiesel

using agriculture There is also great interest in

producing biodiesel using waste vegetable oil (WVO)

from the deep fat fryers and grease traps A fuel-health

dilemma is created by promoting an activity requiring

waste vegetable oil when there is strong evidence that a

diet high in fat causes disease Researchers have found

that elevated triglycerides in children may cause heart

disease and heart attacks as adults The study followed

the health of 808 children for thirty-one years Results

showed those with high triglyceride levels as children had a considerably higher risk of

developing heart disease as an adult and the risk looked as if it was directly relative to how high

the triglyceride levels were during their preadolescent years (Jancin 2009)

Final thoughts on Part 1

Biofuels are often promoted as a jobs program and secondarily as a homeland-security issue

Ethics however trumps these objectives because it irresponsible to promote technologies that

utilize agriculture as a manufacturing system for non-food products without simultaneously

admitting that they have the potential to cause severe harm to some of the worldrsquos most

vulnerable people (Thompson 2008) It must be agreed that biodiesel technology should not

11 | P a g e

cause starvation in underdeveloped countries The focus must be put on non-edible oils instead of

edible ones to gain social acceptance of biodiesel In fact if done properly it could have the

opposite effect by helping developing countries decrease their dependence to fossil oil imports

thus enhancing their Balance of Payments and general welfare (Pinzi 2009)

The current US Department of Agriculturersquos biofuels program may be an example of misguided

policy and in particular through the use of corn ethanol as a gasoline additive The remaining

parts of this report will focus on biodiesel production

12 | P a g e

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry

Biodiesel chemistry is an example of organic chemistry since it deals with chemical reaction

between organic compounds The chemical compounds of living things are known as organic

compounds Organic compounds contain simple to complex arrangements of the element carbon

which act as the scaffolds that hold organic molecules together The properties of organic

compounds are dependent primarily on the physical structure of the molecules and by the

attachment of functional groups to the carbon backbone In fact organic chemists use the

functional groups to categorize and name organic compounds These include alcohols acids

esters aldehydes or ketones just to name a few (see Figure 3)

Figure 3 Examples of organic functional groups (graphic obtained from httppolaritybearsblogspotcom201106organic-chemistry-funtional-groupshtml on August 4 2012)

If a component of an organic compound is not important to the reaction being defined it is often

represented on paper as R which indicates the ldquoorganic restrdquo of the molecule under discussion

A special type of functional group is indicated by the presence of a single double or triple bond

(shown by the number of lines between the carbon atoms in Figure 3) An R group is said to be

saturated if it contains only single bonds otherwise it is considered to be unsaturated or

polyunsaturated if it contains one or more double bonds between carbons

Biodiesel is composed of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable

lipid (or fat) sources such as vegetable oil or animal fats Esters are organic compounds

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

10 | P a g e

Table 1 A comparison of petroleum diesel to biodiesel made from soybean and non-edible oils (Pinzi 2009)

Methyl Ester Common

Name

Description Cetane

Number

Iodine Value

(g I2100 g oil)

Mineral Diesel 43

Soybean Oil 505 132

Cynara

cardunculus

Cynara spp Genus includes thistle

cardoon and artichokes

59 117

Calophyllum

inophyllum

Nagchampa

Polanga Oil

Tree thrives in zerophytic

habitats

573 715

Terminalia

catappa

Brazilian tree 571 832

LE Brassica

carinata

Ethiopian

Mustard Oil

Well adapted to marginal

regions

52 92-128

Azadirachta

indica

Neem Oil Tree grows in arid climate 54 70-74

Mandhuca

indica

Mahua Oil Deciduous tree 5661 742

Pangamia

pinnata

Karanja

Seed Oil

Tropical tree 5433 865-90

Jatropha

curacas

Jatropha

Curcas

Perinnial tropical plant 51 95-107

EN 14214 Standard CNgt51 IVlt120

ASTM D6751 Standard CNgt47 IV not specified

Fuel-health dilemma

So far my report has been concerned making biodiesel

using agriculture There is also great interest in

producing biodiesel using waste vegetable oil (WVO)

from the deep fat fryers and grease traps A fuel-health

dilemma is created by promoting an activity requiring

waste vegetable oil when there is strong evidence that a

diet high in fat causes disease Researchers have found

that elevated triglycerides in children may cause heart

disease and heart attacks as adults The study followed

the health of 808 children for thirty-one years Results

showed those with high triglyceride levels as children had a considerably higher risk of

developing heart disease as an adult and the risk looked as if it was directly relative to how high

the triglyceride levels were during their preadolescent years (Jancin 2009)

Final thoughts on Part 1

Biofuels are often promoted as a jobs program and secondarily as a homeland-security issue

Ethics however trumps these objectives because it irresponsible to promote technologies that

utilize agriculture as a manufacturing system for non-food products without simultaneously

admitting that they have the potential to cause severe harm to some of the worldrsquos most

vulnerable people (Thompson 2008) It must be agreed that biodiesel technology should not

11 | P a g e

cause starvation in underdeveloped countries The focus must be put on non-edible oils instead of

edible ones to gain social acceptance of biodiesel In fact if done properly it could have the

opposite effect by helping developing countries decrease their dependence to fossil oil imports

thus enhancing their Balance of Payments and general welfare (Pinzi 2009)

The current US Department of Agriculturersquos biofuels program may be an example of misguided

policy and in particular through the use of corn ethanol as a gasoline additive The remaining

parts of this report will focus on biodiesel production

12 | P a g e

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry

Biodiesel chemistry is an example of organic chemistry since it deals with chemical reaction

between organic compounds The chemical compounds of living things are known as organic

compounds Organic compounds contain simple to complex arrangements of the element carbon

which act as the scaffolds that hold organic molecules together The properties of organic

compounds are dependent primarily on the physical structure of the molecules and by the

attachment of functional groups to the carbon backbone In fact organic chemists use the

functional groups to categorize and name organic compounds These include alcohols acids

esters aldehydes or ketones just to name a few (see Figure 3)

Figure 3 Examples of organic functional groups (graphic obtained from httppolaritybearsblogspotcom201106organic-chemistry-funtional-groupshtml on August 4 2012)

If a component of an organic compound is not important to the reaction being defined it is often

represented on paper as R which indicates the ldquoorganic restrdquo of the molecule under discussion

A special type of functional group is indicated by the presence of a single double or triple bond

(shown by the number of lines between the carbon atoms in Figure 3) An R group is said to be

saturated if it contains only single bonds otherwise it is considered to be unsaturated or

polyunsaturated if it contains one or more double bonds between carbons

Biodiesel is composed of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable

lipid (or fat) sources such as vegetable oil or animal fats Esters are organic compounds

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

11 | P a g e

cause starvation in underdeveloped countries The focus must be put on non-edible oils instead of

edible ones to gain social acceptance of biodiesel In fact if done properly it could have the

opposite effect by helping developing countries decrease their dependence to fossil oil imports

thus enhancing their Balance of Payments and general welfare (Pinzi 2009)

The current US Department of Agriculturersquos biofuels program may be an example of misguided

policy and in particular through the use of corn ethanol as a gasoline additive The remaining

parts of this report will focus on biodiesel production

12 | P a g e

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry

Biodiesel chemistry is an example of organic chemistry since it deals with chemical reaction

between organic compounds The chemical compounds of living things are known as organic

compounds Organic compounds contain simple to complex arrangements of the element carbon

which act as the scaffolds that hold organic molecules together The properties of organic

compounds are dependent primarily on the physical structure of the molecules and by the

attachment of functional groups to the carbon backbone In fact organic chemists use the

functional groups to categorize and name organic compounds These include alcohols acids

esters aldehydes or ketones just to name a few (see Figure 3)

Figure 3 Examples of organic functional groups (graphic obtained from httppolaritybearsblogspotcom201106organic-chemistry-funtional-groupshtml on August 4 2012)

If a component of an organic compound is not important to the reaction being defined it is often

represented on paper as R which indicates the ldquoorganic restrdquo of the molecule under discussion

A special type of functional group is indicated by the presence of a single double or triple bond

(shown by the number of lines between the carbon atoms in Figure 3) An R group is said to be

saturated if it contains only single bonds otherwise it is considered to be unsaturated or

polyunsaturated if it contains one or more double bonds between carbons

Biodiesel is composed of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable

lipid (or fat) sources such as vegetable oil or animal fats Esters are organic compounds

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

12 | P a g e

Part 2 Chemical Considerations of Biodiesel

Basic Biodiesel Chemistry

Biodiesel chemistry is an example of organic chemistry since it deals with chemical reaction

between organic compounds The chemical compounds of living things are known as organic

compounds Organic compounds contain simple to complex arrangements of the element carbon

which act as the scaffolds that hold organic molecules together The properties of organic

compounds are dependent primarily on the physical structure of the molecules and by the

attachment of functional groups to the carbon backbone In fact organic chemists use the

functional groups to categorize and name organic compounds These include alcohols acids

esters aldehydes or ketones just to name a few (see Figure 3)

Figure 3 Examples of organic functional groups (graphic obtained from httppolaritybearsblogspotcom201106organic-chemistry-funtional-groupshtml on August 4 2012)

If a component of an organic compound is not important to the reaction being defined it is often

represented on paper as R which indicates the ldquoorganic restrdquo of the molecule under discussion

A special type of functional group is indicated by the presence of a single double or triple bond

(shown by the number of lines between the carbon atoms in Figure 3) An R group is said to be

saturated if it contains only single bonds otherwise it is considered to be unsaturated or

polyunsaturated if it contains one or more double bonds between carbons

Biodiesel is composed of mono alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from renewable

lipid (or fat) sources such as vegetable oil or animal fats Esters are organic compounds

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

13 | P a g e

composed of an alcohol and an organic acid Alcohols are organic compounds that contain a

hydroxide (ndashOH) functional group Carboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain a

carboxyl (ndashCOOH) functional group

Vegetable oil or animal fat is composed of triglycerides of long chain fatty acids attached to

glycerol which is a type of alcohol Each triglyceride contains one 3-carbon glycerol attached to

a three chain fatty acids There are numerous types of triglycerides because of differences in the

fatty acids which differ in the length of the carbon chain or whether the chain is saturated

unsaturated or polyunsaturated Typical vegetable oils will be composed of single chains of 12 to

24 carbons with a carboxyl group

Biodiesel is made from the chemical reaction of vegetable oils or animal fats with an alcohol

such as methanol or ethanol A strong base such as potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide is

used to catalyze the reaction The overall reaction is shown in Figure 4 The reaction splits the

fatty acids from the triglyceride creating fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) or biodiesel and

glycerol as a side product The reaction is called a transesterification because it transforms one

type of ester into another The density of the biodiesel is much lower than the glycerol which

allows the two products to be easily separated

Equation 1 Complete Transesterification Reaction

Biodiesel can be made from a variety of natural oils On an industrial scale the most important

oils are soybean oils and rapeseed oil Rapeseed oil a close cousin of canola oil dominates the

growing biodiesel industry in Europe In the United States the biodiesel industry primarily

depends on soybean oil because more oil is produced from soybeans than all other sources

combined Other candidates for feedstocks include recycled cooking oils animal fats and a

variety of other oilseed crops Today the most widely used alcohol used for biodiesel production

is methanol mostly because of its relatively lower cost

Other reactions will occur in addition to the desired reaction shown in Figure 4 Two reactions

will contribute to the production of FAME The catalyst is added to the alcohol prior to prior to

charging the heated oil For example methoxide is produced when the solid sodium hydroxide is

mixed with methanol

CH3OH + NaOH rarr CH3O-hellip

Na+ + H2O

Equation 2 Methoxide Reaction

The methoxide then reacts with a triglyceride to form FAME and a triglyceride anion as shown

in the following reaction The triglyceride anion then needs a proton to form a diglyceride If the

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

14 | P a g e

proton comes from another methanol a new methoxide ion is formed regenerating the catalyst

This process will be repeated until all of the triglycerides have been dismantled to form FAME

and glycerol

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

CH3O- rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

CH-O- +

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH3O-C-Rrsquorsquo

Triglyceride Methoxide Diglyceride Anion Methyl Ester Equation 3 Partial Transesterification

Other reactions can inhibit FAME production Two reactions will be shown First the

triglyceride can undergo hydrolysis to form a diglyceride or a monoglyceride with the separation

of free fatty acid from the triglyceride

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-C-Rrsquorsquo + H2O rarr

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquo

O

CH-O-H + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo

O

CH2-O-C-Rrsquorsquorsquo Equation 4 Hydrolysis Reaction

This reaction is particularly prevalent in heavily used oil from deep fat fryers and is the primary

reason used cooking oil contains free fatty acids The presence of a base catalyst facilitates this

reaction in a similar way as it facilitates transeserification except the end result is soap as shown

below

O O

NaOH + HO-C-Rrsquorsquo rarr H2O + Na-O-C-Rrsquorsquo Equation 5 Soap Reaction

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

15 | P a g e

Water can react in a similar way as methanol with triglycerides except it results in free fatty acid

production Free fatty acids form soaps with alkali catalysts Therefore either the presence of

water or free fatty acids will limit the effectiveness of the catalyst and inhibit the completion of

the transesterification reaction that produces methyl ester

It should be noted that while these reactions were drawn as if they are one way to the right they

are actually reversible reactions Moving a reaction to the left or right will depend on the levels

of starting materials and reaction conditions as summarized by Le Chateliers principle The

presence of water and free fatty acids creates a challenge when using WVO from different

sources to make biodiesel Waste vegetable oils that have undergone harsher use will have higher

levels of free fatty acids water and food contaminants

Biodiesel Production Process Using WVO

This section contains a short description of how to manufacture biodiesel from WVO with the

purpose to briefly discuss the most important considerations to make good biodiesel The steps to

making biodiesel can be summarized in the following steps

1 Pre-treating the oil

2 Titrating the oil

3 Reducing the free fatty acid content

4 Transesterification reaction

5 Washing amp drying the biodiesel

6 Dealing with the glycerin by-product

Pre-treatment of WVO A block diagram of the biodiesel production process using WVO is shown in Figure 5 Not

shown in the diagram is a pre-treatment step to remove food particles and water from the WVO

Filtering the oil will remove food particles Heating the oil and letting it separate is probably the

best way to deal with water The best strategy is to find a source of clean and dry WVO to begin

with It is also a good idea to keep the WVO heated particularly in winter to keep the oil liquid

Figure 4 Block diagram of the biodiesel manufacturing process

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

16 | P a g e

A biodiesel plant will include storage and processing equipment and components such as tanks

piping valves filters and pumps Figure 5 presents an outline of the important tanks along with

vessel sizing recommendations

Figure 5 Outline of a biodiesel processing plant

Titration Step The first step in starting a batch is to determine the level of free fatty acids (FFA) in the WVO

This is done by titrating a small sample mixed in a methanol using a 01 NaOH standard

solution and a pH indicator If the WVO contains more than 25 FFA then it must undergo

further processing to reduce the amount of FFA

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

17 | P a g e

Reducing FFA Level The preferred method to reduce FFA in terms of cost and ease of processing is to blend high

FFA oil with low FFA oil until the mixture has le25 FFA If this is not possible the FFA can

be converted to FAME by adding sulfuric acid and methanol One recipe for performing acid

esterification is to use 1 mL of sulfuric acid for every liter of oil you have

Titration will determine the amount of catalyst to add to the batch The basic formula for virgin

oil is to add 7 grams of KOH or 55 grams of NaOH for every liter of WVO that is processed An

additional gram of either KOH or NaOH is added for each milliliter of titrate used The amount

of catalyst must also be adjusted for purity level Figure 6 provides an example calculation

Figure 6 Example titration calculation to determine the recipe for a 50-gallon biodiesel batch

Make the Methoxide Solution Because it is important to completely dissolve the solid catalyst the methoxide is prepared in a

separate tank with good mixing The methoxide reaction is exothermic The amount of methanol

to use is determined by the formula one part MeOH to 4 parts WVO The methanol and catalyst

must be handled using appropriate protective equipment and good ventilation is required when

handling methanol The methanol must be properly grounded to avoid static electricity or sparks

Methanol burns with a clear flame

Transesterification The WVO is added to the reaction vessel and heated to 130 -135

oF (note it is important that the

temperature does not exceed 150oC since this is the boiling point of methanol) The heat is

turned off and the methoxide is slowly added The reaction will take place over two or three

hours with continuous mixing Turn off the mixer and let the batch sit for 18 to 24 hours during

which time the glycerol will settle to the bottom with the biodiesel on top After separation

decant the glycerol to a storage tank It is easy to know when all the glycerol has drained due to

the difference in colormdashglycerol is a dark brown liquid while biodiesel is lighter colormdashand

viscosity

It is recommended that the transesterification be conducted in two stages In the first stage 80

of the methoxide is added and the batch is allowed to react After the glycerol byproduct is

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

18 | P a g e

decanted a second reaction is conducted using the remaining 20 of the methoxide This

procedure increases biodiesel yield through Le Chateliers principle Wash and Dry the Biodiesel After reaction the biodiesel will still contain methanol and catalyst that must be removed The

most common way to wash biodiesel is with a gentle misting of water place at the top of the

wash tank The water will gently pass through the biodiesel picking up contaminants as it goes

The wash continues until the pH of water drained from the bottom of the wash tank is neutral

Drying the batch involves bubbling air through the batch for 7 to 10 hours

Dealing with the Glycerol Byproduct The byproduct of the transeserification reaction is the biodiesel glycerol (or BDG) It is a dark

colored liquid that contains the leftovers of reaction including methanol mono-glycerides di-

glycerides soaps free fatty acids oils biodiesel and glycerol An easy and inexpensive way to

deal with this material is disposal but be sure to follow the requirements of local waste

management authorities It is desirable however to extract and reuse the methanol component

which lowers costs and keeps methanol out of the waste stream Extraction is easily done by

heating the raw glycerol above 150oF (the boiling point of methanol) and passing the vapors

through a condenser

Making Soap from the Biodiesel Glycerol Byproduct

The BDG contains all of the elements that make soap such as mono-glycerides di-glycerides

soaps free fatty acids and oils The first step is to remove the methanol from the BDG prior to

using it to make soap that will come into contact with a person or animal Next the saponification

value (or SAP value) must be determined The SAP represents the number of milligrams of

potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide required to saponify 1 gram of fat under controlled

conditions (see Equation 5)

The SAP value is the key for making consistent soaps batch after batch First and foremost it

avoids the possibility of making soap that contains too much caustic which can be dangerous

Secondly it ensures there is just enough caustic to saponify all of the ingredients of the soap

does not feel oily and clean poorly The SAP value makes the BDG is just another ingredient in

the soap making process so that the BDG can be used to formulate recipes with other ingredients

such as perfumes and colorings or even performing advanced soap making techniques such as

creating fully transparent liquid soap (Knicely 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

19 | P a g e

Part 3 Recommendations for Developing a Biodiesel Processor at UIC

In 2009 the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) began a project to see if

biodiesel could be made on campus as it has been at other universities In June of 2009 the

materials to create the fuel were purchased and test runs using the main tanks began in the

summer and fall of 2009 to no success Personnel in charge of the program left at the end of 2009

and the project went dormant In the spring of 2010 the project began again with new personnel

Current staff tasked to make the project work used the previous notes and procedures to no

success either (UIC Internal Report 2011) In this section I will provide recommendations for

how UIC should proceed to make its biodiesel production program successful

Biodiesel Programs at Other Universities

Since the commercial production of biodiesel began in the US in the early 1990s academic

institutions have been involved in both research and outreach Some colleges only touch on the

subject in chemistry or environmental classes while others have full-blown research programs

The University of Idaho provided biodiesel for a test by the national park service in 1995

Students at Loyola University in New Orleans are introduced to biodiesel in organic chemistry

lectures The University of Virginia in Charlottesville teaches about next-generation fuel stocks

and using the oil from growing algae to make biodiesel Alabama AampM University is developing

a multidisciplinary course on biodiesel through the schoolrsquos engineering and chemistry

departments The University of Kansas doesnrsquot have a specific biodieselndashrelated track for

students but it does have a small-scale biodiesel plant used for student projects The University

of Georgia has a full-scale program designed around biodiesel called the Biorefining and Carbon

Cycling Program that teaches students how to run biodiesel plants (Christiansen 2008)

In order to develop my recommendations for a UIC biodiesel program I decided to model best-

practices from other universities that have developed biodiesel programs One of the more

successful university-based biodiesel programs in the country is located at Loyola University

Chicago The program called the Loyola Biodiesel Program (LBP) focuses on production

education and outreach efforts centered on utilizing waste vegetable oil from campus cafeterias

to create energy and other products1 To date students have produced over 5000 gallons of

biodiesel fuel offsetting more than 75000 pounds of CO2 emissions The LBP helps fuel

Loyolas shuttle busses In addition the LBP is the first University-based biodiesel recycling

program in the US to become fully certified to sell biodiesel fuel having obtained the

certifications required by the various federal state and city agencies who regulate the sale of

fuel The LBP manufactures biodiesel according to ASTM standards

In addition to manufacturing biodiesel the LBP also makes a liquid soap using the glycerol

byproduct The hand soap called Loyola BioSoap has been certified by the EPA as a Design for

the Environment (DfE) product The DfE program helps consumers businesses and institutional

buyers identify cleaning and other products that perform well are cost-effective and are safer for

the environment

1 See the LBP website at wwwlucedubiodiesel (last accessed August 7 2012)

20 | P a g e

The LBP began in the fall of 2007 when Loyolarsquos Center for Urban Environmental Research

and Policy (CUERP) launched a class with a goal to develop a program to convert the

universitys used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel CUERP is a multidisciplinary organization that

in part offers educational programs in environmental sustainability In addition the CUERP

works to reduce the Universityrsquos environmental footprint develops interdisciplinary faculty and

student research teams that investigates contaminants in Chicagorsquos air and water and reaches out

to neighboring communities to promote environmental sustainability

The development of the initial biodiesel course was funded with a $10000 grant from the

Environmental Protection Agency As time went on student projects built upon each other until

2009 when the LBP was created as an education program within CUERP Later the EPA

awarded the LBP another $75000 to educate Chicago-area high school students on biodiesel

The LBP is located in a small well-ventilated room in a university building that looks like a

large storage warehouse on north Broadway in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago The

LBP is staffed by a full-time manager and two part-time undergraduate students The university

pays for the salary and benefits of the manager and part-time workers and provides a room for

the production facilities All operating costs are funded through the sale of biodiesel to the

University and the general public They currently sell their biodiesel for $425 per gallon

producing around 2000 to 3000 gallons per year

The primary purpose of the LBP is not to recycle waste vegetable oil Rather it is to educate

students and the general public on the production and use of biodiesel fuel as a renewable energy

source In fact the LBP uses an outside organization called Chicago Biofuels which provides a

logistical service that contacts WVO producers picks up the oil filters and removes water and

delivers it to the biodiesel manufacturers Chicago Biofuels currently collects WVO from five or

six sources restaurants and cafeterias around Loyola

Collegiate Biodiesel Producer Network (CBPN)

A number of campus biodiesel production programs have been established There is now an

effort to provide a forum and build a community for these collegiate biodiesel groups In order to

help facilitate this dialog a forum sponsored by the biodiesel program at Kansas University was

held at the 2012 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo2 This effort brought together a

number of collegiate producers from around the country and biodiesel experts from academia

national labs and industry During the course of this workshop interest was expressed in

continuing the conversation and forming the Collegiate Biodiesel Producer Network which

would continue to provide a forum for collaboration

The CBPN is now in the process of developing membership rules structure and short-term and

long-term goals The draft mission statement of the CBPN is The Collegiate Biodiesel Network

exists as a resource to and advocate for collegiate biodiesel programs to provide a forum that

enables communication and acts as a conduit to the broader biodiesel community

2 See httpwwwbiodieselconferenceorg2012SCHEDULEscheduleataglanceaspx (accessed August 7 2012)

21 | P a g e

Estimated Amount of WVO Available Near to UIC

In order to determine how much WVO was available in the UIC community I used information

provided by a 1998 study conducted the US Department of Energyrsquos National Renewable

Energy Laboratory (NREL) The NREL study collected and analyzed data on urban waste grease

resources in 30 randomly selected metropolitan areas in the United States The metropolitan

areas ranged in size from Bismarck North Dakota (pop 83831) to Washington DC (pop

3923574) The study found that the number of restaurants in most of the 30 metropolitan areas

studied was quite consistent at about 14 restaurants per 1000 people Cultural and dietary

preferences greatly affected the amount of oil used in cooking and it was found that the amount

of WVO from certain fast food restaurants was especially high However despite significant

local variations among a neighborhoodsrsquo grease output when entire metropolitan areas were

considered the quantities of WVO were reasonably consistent on a per capita (and a per

restaurant) basis (Wiltsee 1998)

I used the average WVO output of the Washington D C which has a population of 3923574

(1998 census) to develop an estimate for WVO available in the neighborhood of UIC

Washington DC has a restaurant density of 127 restaurants per 1000 people and produces 994

pound of WVO per person on an annual basis Using these figures I estimated that anywhere

from 13000 to 93000 gallons of WVO are produced around UIC per year (See Table 2)3

Table 2 Estimated amount of WVO generated in the neighborhood of UIC

WVO Produced 9 lb per person

Population of Chicago (2011 census) 2700000

Generated in Chicago 32 million gal

Collected from Restaurants 2000 to 13000 lb per restaurant

Total WVO Available from Chicago Restaurants

1 to 64 million gal

Total WVO Available from Restaurants Around UIC

(assuming 50 restaurants)

13000 to 93000 gal

I discussed these numbers with Pete Probst who owns a local waste cooking oil recycling

company called Chicago Biofuels LLC Mr Probst indicated that these numbers were consistent

with his experience

Chicago Biofuels is part of a new movement in the waste cooking oil recovery business sector

These companies guarantee that all waste cooking oil collected is recycled into ASTM standard

biodiesel By farming the urban landscape and recycling all waste oil collected into biodiesel

customers participate in a movement for a cleaner greener city It is critically important that

establishments that generate waste cooking oil support companies like Chicago Biofuels

3 I discussed these numbers with Pete Probst who owns a local waste cooking oil recycling company called Chicago

Biofuels LLC All of the WVO collected by his company is targeted for conversion into biodiesel Mr Probst indicated that my figures appeared reasonable

22 | P a g e

Suggested Steps to Develop a Campus WVO Recycling Program at UIC

Based on my investigation into other university biodiesel programs particularly the Loyola

Biodiesel Program I have created the following recommendations to develop a functional

biodiesel recycling program at UIC

1 Create momentum by developing staff and student interest

Create an interdisciplinary (chemistry natural science public affairs education

marketing sociology biology business administration and social philosophy)

and hands-on course to explore practical solutions to pressing and complex

environmental problems A course on biodiesel could be the starting point for a

campus biodiesel program because it will generate student interest and create an

enthusiastic group of students who are passionate about biodiesel All successful

university programs are run by students

Develop interest among the various stakeholders These would include the Office

of Sustainability the Environmental Health amp Safety Office various departments

in the College of Engineering and College of Arts amp Sciences and the Physical

Plant Department The Faculty Senate and Student Council could pass legislation

to create a biodiesel program with a goal to focus political pressure on

administrators who might provide funding Finally it is important to reach out to

the UIC community which would include local and state government elementary

and high schools and local businesses particularly those that produce WVO

Center lecture and discussion to provide a solid understanding of the

sustainability movement environmental leadership and a well-rounded

understanding of the environmental social economic and political intricacies of

the issues

In a laboratory the students will design construct and operate a biodiesel

processor while learning biodiesel chemistry

As part of the course students will become advocates for sustainability in public-

policy forums (student senate local community City of Chicago and the State of

Illinois)

2 Create a Biodiesel Production Facility

The primary mission of the production plant will not be to recycle WVO rather it

will be to educate students and the general public on the production and use of

biodiesel as a renewable energy source

Locate the biodiesel facility close to undergraduate students lecture rooms and

instructor offices The facility should be accessible to students and the general

public (this said the current biodiesel plant is probably misplaced)

A biodiesel program that manufactures biodiesel on a regular basis needs a steady

source of clean WVO Collecting the WVO from the community requires

administrative coordination a dedicated staff and additional equipment to clean

the WVO Sources will need to do without the small income that they receive by

selling waste oil to commercial recycle companies The WVO will need to be

picked up on a reliable schedule Operating a WVO recycling operation is a big

23 | P a g e

commitment that may best be left to commercial recyclers It is recommended that

the university biodiesel program not collect the WVO Instead I recommend that

the program purchase the WVO from a service that will provide filtered and

water-free yellow grease for $1 to $2 per gallon The chosen recycler should

guarantee that all recycled oil is used for biodiesel manufacturing

The biodiesel produced should augment the diesel fuel requirements of the

Universityrsquos diesel vehicles and equipment

Funding to set-up and run the biodiesel production program will need to be

negotiated by the various stakeholders It may be necessary to pursue granting

agencies to get the program started

3 Staff and fund a campus biodiesel processing plant

The production and lab equipment should be paid for by University possibly

through a state or federal grant Place processor in a rent-free location preferably

near a science or engineering department on the East campus Size the plant to

produce ~50 galbatch

Staffing one full-time manager and two or three part-time students Duties are to

manage biodiesel operations teach research and other functions that develop the

program Research might involve biodiesel process optimization soap product

development and costbenefit studies Other tasks my include community

outreach collaboration with other university biodiesel programs and developing

student and faculty interest in the biodiesel program Salarybenefits provided by

the University through a combination of grants and departmental support

All operational costs (equipment raw materials storage and marketing) for the

biodiesel facility paid through the sale of biodiesel and soap products

4 Develop the capacity to make quality biodiesel and soap products

Obtain certifications from local state and federal granting agencies

Install laboratory equipment to test biodiesel according to ASTM D6751 - 11b

Standard Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock

Using the glycerol byproduct make liquid soap that carries the EPArsquos Design for

the Environment (DfE) seal that identifies products that perform well are cost-

effective and are safer for the environment

Ways that UIC can ldquoGo Greenrdquo

In the short- and long-term there are several ways that the university can reduce its carbon

footprint with respect to waste vegetable oil Possible options include

Option 1 Have the motor pool purchase biodiesel for campus diesel engines All

purchased biodiesel will offset the Universityrsquos carbon footprint

Option 2 In addition to option 1 recycle all of the Universityrsquos WVO through a firm that

guarantees it will be used to produce biodiesel All collected WVO will offset the

Universityrsquos carbon footprint

24 | P a g e

Option 3 Operate a biodiesel production program to manufacture and sell biodiesel and

soap The University (staff or students) picks up the WVO from restaurants makes and

sells biodiesel and soap

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs

Missing from this report is the issue of cost Much of the economic data is available or could be

estimated How much do the various options and recommendations cost There are several

critical questions that need to be investigated such as

How much will it cost to operate a campus biodiesel program that includes a community

WVO recycling program compared to purchasing the waste oil from a vendor

What is the most economically desirable location for the biodiesel processor

How much will it cost to support a full-time staff member and what departments would

be willing to contribute to supporting such a position

There are many more questions dealing with cost Future work should entail a detailed study of

the cost of a UIC biodiesel program In the end primarily due to the cost of labor I do not think

that the program will be self-supporting particularly when getting it set up and running There are

opportunities to recoup costs by creating a course centered on the biodiesel processor or through

grants

25 | P a g e

Concluding Remarks

There is great interest in developing alternatives to petroleum fuels due to scarcity and

environmental concerns Over the last two decades government funding has encouraged the

development of biofuels specifically corn ethanol and biodiesel made from edible oils from

crops such as soybeans Corn ethanol is blended into gasoline to reduce air pollution Biodiesel is

also blended into petroleum diesel to reduce air pollution but can also be used straight with no

modification of the diesel engine and burns 78 cleaner than petroleum diesel

Life cycle studies demonstrate that both corn ethanol and biodiesel lose much of their

environmental advantage when the impact the agriculture used to produce them is considered It

is found that biodiesel has major advantages over ethanol however neither fuel significantly

reduces reliance on petroleum without dramatically affecting the food supply

A possible solution is to obtain alternative fuels from non-edible oils and biomass grown in

marginal lands It is important to realize that energy crops grown in marginal lands or biomass

from forests to produce biofuels may not provide the total amount of fuels required for our

current high energy-dependent life To reduce the impact on climate change and other related

problems including pollution a change in societal consumption habits required

There is a definite need for a biodiesel program at UIC particularly at a university with its array

of people and resources However rather than implementing a biodiesel program for the sake of

recycling waste vegetable oil the effort should be focused first of all on building momentum and

interest among the UIC student body I recommend that the biodiesel program be developed

around specific educational goals The UIC Biodiesel Program should be developed as a joint

effort of several university departments and groups It should start by offering a class that builds

a cadre of students interested in building and running a biodiesel processor

26 | P a g e

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum

A requirement for completion of the RET is to develop a curriculum based on the research

completed during the summer The curriculum that I am planning will be designed to familiarize

my students with issues surrounding our need for alternative fuels as well as the organic

chemistry and technology of biodiesel production The curriculum is based on lessons provided

by the Loyola Biodiesel Program and consists of the following lessons4

Concepts to be addressed include chemical reactions organic chemistry acidbase titration

chemical manufacturing (technology) equilibrium principles (Le Chateliers principle)

exothermicendothermic reaction reagent reactants and products

Lesson 1 Making biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

bull Transesterification exothermic reaction working with reagents

Lesson 2 Waste Vegetable Oil and Titration

bull Use titration to adjust the amount of reactants

Lesson 3 Properties of Liquids

bull Develop a correlation to predict the viscosity of biodiesel

Lesson 4 Combustion Lab

bull Compare and contrast the combustion of petroleum diesel to biodiesel

Lesson 5 Energy Debate

bull Understand issues surrounding the renewable energy debate

Lesson 6 Making Soap

bull Chemistry manufacture from glycerin using variables to alter the physical properties

4 See the LBP labs provided at httplucedubiodieseleducationlabs

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy

22 | P a g e

Suggested Steps to Develop a Campus WVO Recycling Program at UIC

Based on my investigation into other university biodiesel programs particularly the Loyola

Biodiesel Program I have created the following recommendations to develop a functional

biodiesel recycling program at UIC

1 Create momentum by developing staff and student interest

Create an interdisciplinary (chemistry natural science public affairs education

marketing sociology biology business administration and social philosophy)

and hands-on course to explore practical solutions to pressing and complex

environmental problems A course on biodiesel could be the starting point for a

campus biodiesel program because it will generate student interest and create an

enthusiastic group of students who are passionate about biodiesel All successful

university programs are run by students

Develop interest among the various stakeholders These would include the Office

of Sustainability the Environmental Health amp Safety Office various departments

in the College of Engineering and College of Arts amp Sciences and the Physical

Plant Department The Faculty Senate and Student Council could pass legislation

to create a biodiesel program with a goal to focus political pressure on

administrators who might provide funding Finally it is important to reach out to

the UIC community which would include local and state government elementary

and high schools and local businesses particularly those that produce WVO

Center lecture and discussion to provide a solid understanding of the

sustainability movement environmental leadership and a well-rounded

understanding of the environmental social economic and political intricacies of

the issues

In a laboratory the students will design construct and operate a biodiesel

processor while learning biodiesel chemistry

As part of the course students will become advocates for sustainability in public-

policy forums (student senate local community City of Chicago and the State of

Illinois)

2 Create a Biodiesel Production Facility

The primary mission of the production plant will not be to recycle WVO rather it

will be to educate students and the general public on the production and use of

biodiesel as a renewable energy source

Locate the biodiesel facility close to undergraduate students lecture rooms and

instructor offices The facility should be accessible to students and the general

public (this said the current biodiesel plant is probably misplaced)

A biodiesel program that manufactures biodiesel on a regular basis needs a steady

source of clean WVO Collecting the WVO from the community requires

administrative coordination a dedicated staff and additional equipment to clean

the WVO Sources will need to do without the small income that they receive by

selling waste oil to commercial recycle companies The WVO will need to be

picked up on a reliable schedule Operating a WVO recycling operation is a big

23 | P a g e

commitment that may best be left to commercial recyclers It is recommended that

the university biodiesel program not collect the WVO Instead I recommend that

the program purchase the WVO from a service that will provide filtered and

water-free yellow grease for $1 to $2 per gallon The chosen recycler should

guarantee that all recycled oil is used for biodiesel manufacturing

The biodiesel produced should augment the diesel fuel requirements of the

Universityrsquos diesel vehicles and equipment

Funding to set-up and run the biodiesel production program will need to be

negotiated by the various stakeholders It may be necessary to pursue granting

agencies to get the program started

3 Staff and fund a campus biodiesel processing plant

The production and lab equipment should be paid for by University possibly

through a state or federal grant Place processor in a rent-free location preferably

near a science or engineering department on the East campus Size the plant to

produce ~50 galbatch

Staffing one full-time manager and two or three part-time students Duties are to

manage biodiesel operations teach research and other functions that develop the

program Research might involve biodiesel process optimization soap product

development and costbenefit studies Other tasks my include community

outreach collaboration with other university biodiesel programs and developing

student and faculty interest in the biodiesel program Salarybenefits provided by

the University through a combination of grants and departmental support

All operational costs (equipment raw materials storage and marketing) for the

biodiesel facility paid through the sale of biodiesel and soap products

4 Develop the capacity to make quality biodiesel and soap products

Obtain certifications from local state and federal granting agencies

Install laboratory equipment to test biodiesel according to ASTM D6751 - 11b

Standard Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock

Using the glycerol byproduct make liquid soap that carries the EPArsquos Design for

the Environment (DfE) seal that identifies products that perform well are cost-

effective and are safer for the environment

Ways that UIC can ldquoGo Greenrdquo

In the short- and long-term there are several ways that the university can reduce its carbon

footprint with respect to waste vegetable oil Possible options include

Option 1 Have the motor pool purchase biodiesel for campus diesel engines All

purchased biodiesel will offset the Universityrsquos carbon footprint

Option 2 In addition to option 1 recycle all of the Universityrsquos WVO through a firm that

guarantees it will be used to produce biodiesel All collected WVO will offset the

Universityrsquos carbon footprint

24 | P a g e

Option 3 Operate a biodiesel production program to manufacture and sell biodiesel and

soap The University (staff or students) picks up the WVO from restaurants makes and

sells biodiesel and soap

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs

Missing from this report is the issue of cost Much of the economic data is available or could be

estimated How much do the various options and recommendations cost There are several

critical questions that need to be investigated such as

How much will it cost to operate a campus biodiesel program that includes a community

WVO recycling program compared to purchasing the waste oil from a vendor

What is the most economically desirable location for the biodiesel processor

How much will it cost to support a full-time staff member and what departments would

be willing to contribute to supporting such a position

There are many more questions dealing with cost Future work should entail a detailed study of

the cost of a UIC biodiesel program In the end primarily due to the cost of labor I do not think

that the program will be self-supporting particularly when getting it set up and running There are

opportunities to recoup costs by creating a course centered on the biodiesel processor or through

grants

25 | P a g e

Concluding Remarks

There is great interest in developing alternatives to petroleum fuels due to scarcity and

environmental concerns Over the last two decades government funding has encouraged the

development of biofuels specifically corn ethanol and biodiesel made from edible oils from

crops such as soybeans Corn ethanol is blended into gasoline to reduce air pollution Biodiesel is

also blended into petroleum diesel to reduce air pollution but can also be used straight with no

modification of the diesel engine and burns 78 cleaner than petroleum diesel

Life cycle studies demonstrate that both corn ethanol and biodiesel lose much of their

environmental advantage when the impact the agriculture used to produce them is considered It

is found that biodiesel has major advantages over ethanol however neither fuel significantly

reduces reliance on petroleum without dramatically affecting the food supply

A possible solution is to obtain alternative fuels from non-edible oils and biomass grown in

marginal lands It is important to realize that energy crops grown in marginal lands or biomass

from forests to produce biofuels may not provide the total amount of fuels required for our

current high energy-dependent life To reduce the impact on climate change and other related

problems including pollution a change in societal consumption habits required

There is a definite need for a biodiesel program at UIC particularly at a university with its array

of people and resources However rather than implementing a biodiesel program for the sake of

recycling waste vegetable oil the effort should be focused first of all on building momentum and

interest among the UIC student body I recommend that the biodiesel program be developed

around specific educational goals The UIC Biodiesel Program should be developed as a joint

effort of several university departments and groups It should start by offering a class that builds

a cadre of students interested in building and running a biodiesel processor

26 | P a g e

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum

A requirement for completion of the RET is to develop a curriculum based on the research

completed during the summer The curriculum that I am planning will be designed to familiarize

my students with issues surrounding our need for alternative fuels as well as the organic

chemistry and technology of biodiesel production The curriculum is based on lessons provided

by the Loyola Biodiesel Program and consists of the following lessons4

Concepts to be addressed include chemical reactions organic chemistry acidbase titration

chemical manufacturing (technology) equilibrium principles (Le Chateliers principle)

exothermicendothermic reaction reagent reactants and products

Lesson 1 Making biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

bull Transesterification exothermic reaction working with reagents

Lesson 2 Waste Vegetable Oil and Titration

bull Use titration to adjust the amount of reactants

Lesson 3 Properties of Liquids

bull Develop a correlation to predict the viscosity of biodiesel

Lesson 4 Combustion Lab

bull Compare and contrast the combustion of petroleum diesel to biodiesel

Lesson 5 Energy Debate

bull Understand issues surrounding the renewable energy debate

Lesson 6 Making Soap

bull Chemistry manufacture from glycerin using variables to alter the physical properties

4 See the LBP labs provided at httplucedubiodieseleducationlabs

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy

23 | P a g e

commitment that may best be left to commercial recyclers It is recommended that

the university biodiesel program not collect the WVO Instead I recommend that

the program purchase the WVO from a service that will provide filtered and

water-free yellow grease for $1 to $2 per gallon The chosen recycler should

guarantee that all recycled oil is used for biodiesel manufacturing

The biodiesel produced should augment the diesel fuel requirements of the

Universityrsquos diesel vehicles and equipment

Funding to set-up and run the biodiesel production program will need to be

negotiated by the various stakeholders It may be necessary to pursue granting

agencies to get the program started

3 Staff and fund a campus biodiesel processing plant

The production and lab equipment should be paid for by University possibly

through a state or federal grant Place processor in a rent-free location preferably

near a science or engineering department on the East campus Size the plant to

produce ~50 galbatch

Staffing one full-time manager and two or three part-time students Duties are to

manage biodiesel operations teach research and other functions that develop the

program Research might involve biodiesel process optimization soap product

development and costbenefit studies Other tasks my include community

outreach collaboration with other university biodiesel programs and developing

student and faculty interest in the biodiesel program Salarybenefits provided by

the University through a combination of grants and departmental support

All operational costs (equipment raw materials storage and marketing) for the

biodiesel facility paid through the sale of biodiesel and soap products

4 Develop the capacity to make quality biodiesel and soap products

Obtain certifications from local state and federal granting agencies

Install laboratory equipment to test biodiesel according to ASTM D6751 - 11b

Standard Specification for Biodiesel Fuel Blend Stock

Using the glycerol byproduct make liquid soap that carries the EPArsquos Design for

the Environment (DfE) seal that identifies products that perform well are cost-

effective and are safer for the environment

Ways that UIC can ldquoGo Greenrdquo

In the short- and long-term there are several ways that the university can reduce its carbon

footprint with respect to waste vegetable oil Possible options include

Option 1 Have the motor pool purchase biodiesel for campus diesel engines All

purchased biodiesel will offset the Universityrsquos carbon footprint

Option 2 In addition to option 1 recycle all of the Universityrsquos WVO through a firm that

guarantees it will be used to produce biodiesel All collected WVO will offset the

Universityrsquos carbon footprint

24 | P a g e

Option 3 Operate a biodiesel production program to manufacture and sell biodiesel and

soap The University (staff or students) picks up the WVO from restaurants makes and

sells biodiesel and soap

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs

Missing from this report is the issue of cost Much of the economic data is available or could be

estimated How much do the various options and recommendations cost There are several

critical questions that need to be investigated such as

How much will it cost to operate a campus biodiesel program that includes a community

WVO recycling program compared to purchasing the waste oil from a vendor

What is the most economically desirable location for the biodiesel processor

How much will it cost to support a full-time staff member and what departments would

be willing to contribute to supporting such a position

There are many more questions dealing with cost Future work should entail a detailed study of

the cost of a UIC biodiesel program In the end primarily due to the cost of labor I do not think

that the program will be self-supporting particularly when getting it set up and running There are

opportunities to recoup costs by creating a course centered on the biodiesel processor or through

grants

25 | P a g e

Concluding Remarks

There is great interest in developing alternatives to petroleum fuels due to scarcity and

environmental concerns Over the last two decades government funding has encouraged the

development of biofuels specifically corn ethanol and biodiesel made from edible oils from

crops such as soybeans Corn ethanol is blended into gasoline to reduce air pollution Biodiesel is

also blended into petroleum diesel to reduce air pollution but can also be used straight with no

modification of the diesel engine and burns 78 cleaner than petroleum diesel

Life cycle studies demonstrate that both corn ethanol and biodiesel lose much of their

environmental advantage when the impact the agriculture used to produce them is considered It

is found that biodiesel has major advantages over ethanol however neither fuel significantly

reduces reliance on petroleum without dramatically affecting the food supply

A possible solution is to obtain alternative fuels from non-edible oils and biomass grown in

marginal lands It is important to realize that energy crops grown in marginal lands or biomass

from forests to produce biofuels may not provide the total amount of fuels required for our

current high energy-dependent life To reduce the impact on climate change and other related

problems including pollution a change in societal consumption habits required

There is a definite need for a biodiesel program at UIC particularly at a university with its array

of people and resources However rather than implementing a biodiesel program for the sake of

recycling waste vegetable oil the effort should be focused first of all on building momentum and

interest among the UIC student body I recommend that the biodiesel program be developed

around specific educational goals The UIC Biodiesel Program should be developed as a joint

effort of several university departments and groups It should start by offering a class that builds

a cadre of students interested in building and running a biodiesel processor

26 | P a g e

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum

A requirement for completion of the RET is to develop a curriculum based on the research

completed during the summer The curriculum that I am planning will be designed to familiarize

my students with issues surrounding our need for alternative fuels as well as the organic

chemistry and technology of biodiesel production The curriculum is based on lessons provided

by the Loyola Biodiesel Program and consists of the following lessons4

Concepts to be addressed include chemical reactions organic chemistry acidbase titration

chemical manufacturing (technology) equilibrium principles (Le Chateliers principle)

exothermicendothermic reaction reagent reactants and products

Lesson 1 Making biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

bull Transesterification exothermic reaction working with reagents

Lesson 2 Waste Vegetable Oil and Titration

bull Use titration to adjust the amount of reactants

Lesson 3 Properties of Liquids

bull Develop a correlation to predict the viscosity of biodiesel

Lesson 4 Combustion Lab

bull Compare and contrast the combustion of petroleum diesel to biodiesel

Lesson 5 Energy Debate

bull Understand issues surrounding the renewable energy debate

Lesson 6 Making Soap

bull Chemistry manufacture from glycerin using variables to alter the physical properties

4 See the LBP labs provided at httplucedubiodieseleducationlabs

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy

24 | P a g e

Option 3 Operate a biodiesel production program to manufacture and sell biodiesel and

soap The University (staff or students) picks up the WVO from restaurants makes and

sells biodiesel and soap

Further Work Identifying UIC Biodiesel Program Costs

Missing from this report is the issue of cost Much of the economic data is available or could be

estimated How much do the various options and recommendations cost There are several

critical questions that need to be investigated such as

How much will it cost to operate a campus biodiesel program that includes a community

WVO recycling program compared to purchasing the waste oil from a vendor

What is the most economically desirable location for the biodiesel processor

How much will it cost to support a full-time staff member and what departments would

be willing to contribute to supporting such a position

There are many more questions dealing with cost Future work should entail a detailed study of

the cost of a UIC biodiesel program In the end primarily due to the cost of labor I do not think

that the program will be self-supporting particularly when getting it set up and running There are

opportunities to recoup costs by creating a course centered on the biodiesel processor or through

grants

25 | P a g e

Concluding Remarks

There is great interest in developing alternatives to petroleum fuels due to scarcity and

environmental concerns Over the last two decades government funding has encouraged the

development of biofuels specifically corn ethanol and biodiesel made from edible oils from

crops such as soybeans Corn ethanol is blended into gasoline to reduce air pollution Biodiesel is

also blended into petroleum diesel to reduce air pollution but can also be used straight with no

modification of the diesel engine and burns 78 cleaner than petroleum diesel

Life cycle studies demonstrate that both corn ethanol and biodiesel lose much of their

environmental advantage when the impact the agriculture used to produce them is considered It

is found that biodiesel has major advantages over ethanol however neither fuel significantly

reduces reliance on petroleum without dramatically affecting the food supply

A possible solution is to obtain alternative fuels from non-edible oils and biomass grown in

marginal lands It is important to realize that energy crops grown in marginal lands or biomass

from forests to produce biofuels may not provide the total amount of fuels required for our

current high energy-dependent life To reduce the impact on climate change and other related

problems including pollution a change in societal consumption habits required

There is a definite need for a biodiesel program at UIC particularly at a university with its array

of people and resources However rather than implementing a biodiesel program for the sake of

recycling waste vegetable oil the effort should be focused first of all on building momentum and

interest among the UIC student body I recommend that the biodiesel program be developed

around specific educational goals The UIC Biodiesel Program should be developed as a joint

effort of several university departments and groups It should start by offering a class that builds

a cadre of students interested in building and running a biodiesel processor

26 | P a g e

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum

A requirement for completion of the RET is to develop a curriculum based on the research

completed during the summer The curriculum that I am planning will be designed to familiarize

my students with issues surrounding our need for alternative fuels as well as the organic

chemistry and technology of biodiesel production The curriculum is based on lessons provided

by the Loyola Biodiesel Program and consists of the following lessons4

Concepts to be addressed include chemical reactions organic chemistry acidbase titration

chemical manufacturing (technology) equilibrium principles (Le Chateliers principle)

exothermicendothermic reaction reagent reactants and products

Lesson 1 Making biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

bull Transesterification exothermic reaction working with reagents

Lesson 2 Waste Vegetable Oil and Titration

bull Use titration to adjust the amount of reactants

Lesson 3 Properties of Liquids

bull Develop a correlation to predict the viscosity of biodiesel

Lesson 4 Combustion Lab

bull Compare and contrast the combustion of petroleum diesel to biodiesel

Lesson 5 Energy Debate

bull Understand issues surrounding the renewable energy debate

Lesson 6 Making Soap

bull Chemistry manufacture from glycerin using variables to alter the physical properties

4 See the LBP labs provided at httplucedubiodieseleducationlabs

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy

25 | P a g e

Concluding Remarks

There is great interest in developing alternatives to petroleum fuels due to scarcity and

environmental concerns Over the last two decades government funding has encouraged the

development of biofuels specifically corn ethanol and biodiesel made from edible oils from

crops such as soybeans Corn ethanol is blended into gasoline to reduce air pollution Biodiesel is

also blended into petroleum diesel to reduce air pollution but can also be used straight with no

modification of the diesel engine and burns 78 cleaner than petroleum diesel

Life cycle studies demonstrate that both corn ethanol and biodiesel lose much of their

environmental advantage when the impact the agriculture used to produce them is considered It

is found that biodiesel has major advantages over ethanol however neither fuel significantly

reduces reliance on petroleum without dramatically affecting the food supply

A possible solution is to obtain alternative fuels from non-edible oils and biomass grown in

marginal lands It is important to realize that energy crops grown in marginal lands or biomass

from forests to produce biofuels may not provide the total amount of fuels required for our

current high energy-dependent life To reduce the impact on climate change and other related

problems including pollution a change in societal consumption habits required

There is a definite need for a biodiesel program at UIC particularly at a university with its array

of people and resources However rather than implementing a biodiesel program for the sake of

recycling waste vegetable oil the effort should be focused first of all on building momentum and

interest among the UIC student body I recommend that the biodiesel program be developed

around specific educational goals The UIC Biodiesel Program should be developed as a joint

effort of several university departments and groups It should start by offering a class that builds

a cadre of students interested in building and running a biodiesel processor

26 | P a g e

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum

A requirement for completion of the RET is to develop a curriculum based on the research

completed during the summer The curriculum that I am planning will be designed to familiarize

my students with issues surrounding our need for alternative fuels as well as the organic

chemistry and technology of biodiesel production The curriculum is based on lessons provided

by the Loyola Biodiesel Program and consists of the following lessons4

Concepts to be addressed include chemical reactions organic chemistry acidbase titration

chemical manufacturing (technology) equilibrium principles (Le Chateliers principle)

exothermicendothermic reaction reagent reactants and products

Lesson 1 Making biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

bull Transesterification exothermic reaction working with reagents

Lesson 2 Waste Vegetable Oil and Titration

bull Use titration to adjust the amount of reactants

Lesson 3 Properties of Liquids

bull Develop a correlation to predict the viscosity of biodiesel

Lesson 4 Combustion Lab

bull Compare and contrast the combustion of petroleum diesel to biodiesel

Lesson 5 Energy Debate

bull Understand issues surrounding the renewable energy debate

Lesson 6 Making Soap

bull Chemistry manufacture from glycerin using variables to alter the physical properties

4 See the LBP labs provided at httplucedubiodieseleducationlabs

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy

26 | P a g e

Appendix Proposed High School Biodiesel Curriculum

A requirement for completion of the RET is to develop a curriculum based on the research

completed during the summer The curriculum that I am planning will be designed to familiarize

my students with issues surrounding our need for alternative fuels as well as the organic

chemistry and technology of biodiesel production The curriculum is based on lessons provided

by the Loyola Biodiesel Program and consists of the following lessons4

Concepts to be addressed include chemical reactions organic chemistry acidbase titration

chemical manufacturing (technology) equilibrium principles (Le Chateliers principle)

exothermicendothermic reaction reagent reactants and products

Lesson 1 Making biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil

bull Transesterification exothermic reaction working with reagents

Lesson 2 Waste Vegetable Oil and Titration

bull Use titration to adjust the amount of reactants

Lesson 3 Properties of Liquids

bull Develop a correlation to predict the viscosity of biodiesel

Lesson 4 Combustion Lab

bull Compare and contrast the combustion of petroleum diesel to biodiesel

Lesson 5 Energy Debate

bull Understand issues surrounding the renewable energy debate

Lesson 6 Making Soap

bull Chemistry manufacture from glycerin using variables to alter the physical properties

4 See the LBP labs provided at httplucedubiodieseleducationlabs

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy

27 | P a g e

Works Cited

Bergsma G e (2006) Biofuels and their global influence on land avalability for agriculture and

nature Delft CE

Christiansen R (2008 September 16) Biodiesel on Campus Biodiesel Magazine

Hannon (1997) Modern Agrarianism Science Vol 197 no 4306 pp 821-822

Hill J e (2006) Environmental economic and energetic costs and benefits of biodiesel and

ethanol biofuels Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 11206-112010

Jancin B (2009 May 7) Pediatric Trighlycerides Predict Adulthood Events Family Practice

News pp Digital article accessed August 5 2012

httpwwwfamilypracticenewscomindexphpid=2633ampcHash=071010amptx_ttnews[tt_news]=4

8287

Jegarajah S (2012) Surging US Corn Prices Spark Food Versus Fuel Debate Last accessed

August 4 2012 CNBC News httpwwwcnbccomid48477352

Knicely R (2012) Biodiesel Glycerin - Can you really make soap out of it Article accessed on

August 5 2012 wwwutahbiodieselsupplycomblogarchives1422 Biodiesel Supply Company

Manuel J (2007 Feb) Battle of the Biofuels Environmental Health Perspectives pp A92-

A95

Pinzi S E (2009) The Ideal Vegetable Oil-based Biodiesel Composition A Review of Social

Economical and Technical Implications Energy amp Fuels Vol 23 2325-2341

Reisman J P (2010) A Climate minute - The Greenhouse Effect YouTube video accessed June

28 2012 httpwwwyoutubecomwatchv=Hi3ERes0h84 Scripps Institute University of

California at San Diego

Sanz-Requena J F (2011) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the biofuel production process

from sunflower oil rapeseed oil and soybean oil Fuel Processing Technology 190-199

Thompson P B (2008) The agricultural ethics of biofuels A first look Journal of Agricultural

and Enfironmental Ethics 183-198

UIC Internal Report (2011) UIC Biodiesel Project Update

Wiltsee G (1998) Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment Golden Colorado National

Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy