Biodiesel is a renewable, environmentally-friendly fuel utilized in a variety of ways ranging from use as fuel for generators and small engines to cars or even airplanes. Due to the environmental impact of climate change as well as the need to find cleaner fuel alternatives to replace the current options, renewable fuels such as biodiesel play an especially important role in the economic and environmental structure of today's society. Biodiesel is a biodegradable alternative fuel that leaves a smaller carbon footprint than traditional fuels. We will convert used vegetable oil provided by the dining halls on campus to biodiesel using methanol and an alkaline catalyst. The overall objective is to produce numerous gallons of biodiesel on a large scale. Current work involves developing a proper and effective procedure for producing biodiesel in a ten gallon reaction tank. We wish to eventually be able to run the York College shuttles solely on the discarded vegetable oil, saving money and resources, as well as having a positive effect on the environment.

Conversion of vegetable oil to biodiesel on a large scale

245th National Meeting (2013)

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