Scolastico.Kobe.MMA.Spring2009.EnergyandWater

=**Biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil** =

 By:

Joe Scolastico, Mike Kobe, Steven Riley **Introduction**   Since the middle of the 20th Century our planet Earth has been gradually getting warmer. Scientist believe this is due to the vast expenditure of waste CO2 being dumped into the atmosphere. "Greenhouse Gases" is the term coined by leading scientists for the problem. The gases emitted as waste on the ground are trapped by the atmospheric levels up above. The gas is so corrosive that it burns holes in the atmosphere if left untreated. With the atmosphere gone in some areas on the planet cosmic rays are allowed to freely enter our planet. These rays are highly radioactive and cause cancer to things and people exposed to them. Something needs to be done about the growing problem of greenhouse gases and the scarcity of fossil fuels. It is said that out supply of fossil fuels with run out within 30 to 40 years. We need to look to an alternative method of fuel in order to survive the upcoming years. One of the solutions is biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oil.   **Topics Discussed** 

1. What is the problem at hand? 2. What is the driving force of the problem? 3. What are people currently doing or not doing to solve the problem? 4. Pick your favorite of the following list 5. **Explain how it works. THIS IS A BIG ONE!** 6. Determine the amount of CO2 it produces or inhibits 7. Highlight the best aspects of it 8. Describe how the critics would discuss it 9. If it already makes up a lot of the world's fuel/energy supply explain why. 10. If it doesn't make up much of the world’s fuel/energy supply explains why. 11. Try to include a lot of pictures. 12. YOU MUST include quotes from scientists or policy makers. 13. Explain how it could help solve some of the problems or contributes to those problems. 14. Explain what it would take to do your thing better or in a larger scale. 15. Explain who uses that technology and why. If it isn't used very much explain that instead. 16. After learning about it what would you do next to change how it’s used? Why?

**Problem At Hand** 

Global warming has become a forefront issue in both an economic and political sense. The scarcity of fossil fuels like gasoline and regular diesel has driven much debate. Many experts say that the War in Iraq was started over the United States thirst for oil. The ever climbing price of fuels for our everyday needs forces citizens to spend more than they can afford for oil. The home heating oil industry has also suffered from the lack of oil and gasoline from the world's supplies. Many people last winter were not able to heat their home to the fullest ([|www.csnbc.com]).

Experts say that we can expect the level of our seas to rise dramatically in the next fifty years. This is due to the melting of the polar ice caps because of the rise in temperatures. Marine and land bound ecosystems can be heavily affected by a change it temperature and sea levels. Our world is a very balanced place. Plants and animals have adapted to the temperatures that the environment experiences now. They are not adapted for a change of five to ten degrees over the upcoming years. ([|www.csnbc.com])

The use of fossil fuels is also hurting the environment beyond repair. Thousands of tons of carbon emissions and hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere everyday. Greenhouse gases are the problem on everyone's mind today. They cause global warming and hurt the environment. The world is looking for a way to produce new forms of renewable, clean, an efficient energy. One of the solutions is Biodiesel derived from waste Vegetable oil.

 **Driving forces** 

Al Gore, former presidential candidate, is a driving force behind the stoppage of global warming. He has petitioned for cleaner air laws and protection of the environment and is able to do so because of his political standing. Davis Guggenheim created a documentary in 2006 about the global warming problem. He explained in the documentary about how the uses of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions have hurt the environment. Many people are suggesting that the world needs to move towards a newer and cleaner energy source.

Al Gore once said " <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">For a long time, the scientists have been telling us global warming increases the temperature of the top layer in the ocean, and that causes the average hurricane to become a lot stronger. So, the fact that the ocean temperatures did go up because of global warming, because of man-made global warming, starting around in the seventies and then we had a string of unusually strong hurricanes outside the boundaries of this multi-decadal cycle that is a real factor; there are scientists who point that out, and they're right, but we're exceeding those boundaries now". The climate is changing for the worst, and we need to do something about it. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> There are companies that produce diesel from waste vegetable oil on a commercial level. They sell systems that an average home owner can buy and own. These systems are small and efficient and can be stored in a garage. These companies are trying to drive the cleaner biodiesel into the fore front of the diesel market. Car companies are now starting to promote cars that run on biodiesel predominately. All of these efforts are to make the public buyers more aware of the cleaner biodiesel. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13.2pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**Biodiesel from waste Vegetable Oil** <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Biodiesel is the name commonly given to any diesel derived from a non-petroleum product. A petroleum product would include anything like bunker c, home heating oil, diesel, or gasoline. Biodiesel can be made from many different sources, some of which are surprising. Biodiesel can be derived from corn oil, waste vegetable oil, or any other oil from a plant or nut. The most commonly used biodiesel in the world is made from corn oil. Corn oil is of course derived from corn. There are companies like BP that commercially produce biodiesel for sale at gas stations ([|www.wikipedia.org]). In some countries biodiesel is made so efficiently it costs less than regular diesel. Companies someday want biodiesel to be much cheaper than diesel so people will start to buy more of it.

Biodiesel burns cleaner and emits far less CO2 than regular fossil fuel diesel. Biodiesel's main selling point is that it is made from a completely renewable resource. Fossil fuels are made from sediment left over from material in the ground. It has taken millions of years to make the fuel, and will take millions more to make a new supply. The fossil fuel in the ground is not a renewable resource. Biodiesel is derived from plants rather than sediment. The only thing it would take to get more biodiesel is to plant more corn plants. Biodiesel is a completely renewable resource. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Greg Pahl, a prominent Biodiesel scientist writes about biodiesel, how it is made, and where it comes from. "What, exactly, is biodiesel, and why is it generating so much excitement? First, it’s important to understand that even though diesel is part of its name, pure biodiesel does not contain any petroleum diesel or fossil fuel of any sort. Biodiesel generally falls under the category of biomass, which refers to renewable organic matter such as energy crops, crop residues, wood, municipal and animal wastes, et cetera, that are used to produce energy. More specifically, bio fuels, a subcategory of biomass, includes three energy-crop-derived liquid fuels: ethanol (usually referred to as grain alcohol), methanol (usually referred to as wood alcohol), and biodiesel. Technically a fatty acid alkyl ester, biodiesel can be easily made through a simple chemical process from virtually any vegetable oil, including (but not limited to) soy, corn, rapeseed (canola), cottonseed, peanut, sunflower, avocado, and mustard seed. But biodiesel can also be made from recycled cooking oil or animal fats. There have even been some promising experiments with the use of algae as a biodiesel feedstock. And the process is so simple that biodiesel can be made by virtually anyone, although the chemicals required (usually lye and methanol) are hazardous and need to be handled with extreme caution." []

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">To understand how biodiesel works, you must first understand how diesel engines work. Diesel engines have been around for as long as internal gasoline combustion engines. Rudolf Diesel (b.1858) patented an internal combustion diesel engine in 1898. Car manufactures realized the potential of power and efficiency from these engines. Diesel engine were placed in delivery trucks in the early 1920's. As time went on larger machinery started to utilize the power of diesel engines. Construction equipment, trains, and ships were all powered with steam until the 1930's. Diesel technology was fast growing and newer bigger engines were placed in the machines. The age of diesel was evolving very rapidly.

Diesel engines are often 4 stroke engines. The engine goes through a process to create power. The process goes as Intake, compression, combustion, exhaust. Any diesel engine regardless of its fuel works the same way. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> > > > > > This is an example of a 4 stroke diesel engine piston going through its 4 step process. Intake, compression, combustion, and exhaust are the 4 steps of a diesel engine. Four stroke engines are most commonly used for larger applications like trucks, trains, and slow speed diesels. They are the most fuel efficient out of the two types of diesels. However, they are less powerful than their counterpart two strokes because it takes more time for them to produce power. > > > > > > > > This is a 2 stroke diesel engine. It has the same concept as a 4 stroke only its done in 2 steps.Two-stroke engines do not have valves, this lowers the weight and the size of the engine. 2 strokes fire once every revolution, while four-stroke engines fire once every other revolution. This gives two stroke engines more power compared to the 4 stroke.
 * **How a diesel engine works**

In order to run biodiesel in a regular diesel engine you must buy a conversion kit. This is another set back to using biodiesel from waste vegetable oil in your car. The lowest cost for a conversion kit we found on the internet is $1537.13 for the complete set-up. The reason the engines need a conversion kit is because vegetable oil tends to leave behind greater amounts of power robbing sludge in the engine. A kit is need to refine and filter the fuel while it is on board. The kit also keeps the fuel warm and keeps it from freezing while in cold temperatures. The conversion kit is essential to the running of the biodiesel engine. ([])

There are different kinds of diesel engines for numerous different uses. Diesels are most commonly used to power vehicles, more specifically 18 wheelers and large trucks. Diesel engines are also used in locomotives and other cross-country traveling vehicles. Slow-speed diesels are often used to spin generators and create power. Slow speed Wartsilla diesel engines are most commonly used on ships to create at sea power. These engines spin at between 650-850 rpm and create a lot of torque. All of these engines would need a conversion kit to run on biodiesel. The bigger the engine gets the more expensive the conversion kit would be.

Diesel, the fossil fuel kind, is already cleaner and more efficient than its counterpart gasoline. Beth Murphy wrote in her online article about the differences between the exhaust gases of gasoline and diesel. She writes that gasoline is in fact more volatile than diesel, and is more harmful to the environment. She also writes that diesel emits far less hydrocarbons when it is burned than gasoline. Diesel has already been off to a good start.

Beth Murphy, in her dissertation about biodiesel, writes "It turns out that gasoline is more volatile than diesel, not because of what its base consists of, but because of the additives it contains. In addition, vehicles that use diesel tend to be more fuel-efficient and produce less greenhouse gases. In that respect, diesel is more environmentally friendly. Diesel actually produces 15% more in greenhouse gases than gasoline when compared by the liter rather than the gallon. Yet it is through the 20-40% improvement in fuel economy over gasoline that offsets the higher emissions per liter. In actuality, the carbon dioxide emissions are considerably less than gasoline, but diesel does contain 2,778 grams of carbon per gallon, whereas gasoline contains 2,421 grams per gallon. But, again, it is the fuel economy of diesel that accounts for the smaller rate of carbon emissions."<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (Beth Murphy [])

With the growing need for more fossil fuels on the planet, the world needs a new alternative power source for diesel engines. One way of putting a dent in the diesel energy crisis is by creating diesel fuel from waste vegetable oil. Restaurants often cook their meals with deep frying oil, this oil is often vegetable oil. The oil only can be used for about a day in the fryers, after that it is thrown out by the restaurant. Scientists have figured out how to derive diesel fuel from this waste vegetable oil. Before this discovery, the oil would have to be disposed of by a special company in a special place. The oil can now be picked up by a company and turned into viable diesel fuel ( [] ).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since vegetable oil has burnable qualities it can be used in a converted diesel engine, as discussed before. The oil burns cleaner, has far less emissions, and does not have the smell that regular diesel is often associated with. The steps listed below are how a team of students and researchers at Virginia Tech created almost 200 gallons of B100 diesel from waste vegetable oil. the process is simple and can be done at home by someone with the right equipment. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"The process of making the oil is straight forward. [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> The biodiesel is made from the waste cooking oil reacting with chemicals to make fuel. The oil must first be filtered many times to remove any waste products. Once the the oil is clean it is place in a tub that has a mixing mechanism in it, like a blender. Ethanol is added to the waste oil to create a stronger reaction. After mixing the substance Sodium Hydroxide is added to mixture, all while still mixing. After the two chemicals are added the solution is allowed to ferment to allow reaction. The substance that forms on the top of the mixture is the biodiesel, the rest is glycerin left at the bottom of the tub. ( [] )
 * 1) The collected oil is pre-filtered using a centrifuge unit to remove sediments and food debris. Oil that hasn't been used long is best. The filtering process continues as the oil is pre-heated in a tank, and then put through filter bags.
 * 2) The level of the oil's acidity is then determined. This determines how much methoxide, a combination of potassium hydroxide and methanol, to add to the oil. The vegetable oil is kept at roughly 140 degrees Fahrenheit during this process.
 * 3) The mixture is agitated for roughly 8 hours at the same temperature. During the reaction stage, the catalyst -- caustic potash or Potassium Hydroxide -- attacks the oil and begins breaking the molecules apart into glycerol and fatty acid chains. Just after the molecules are broken apart, the methanol begins to react with the fatty acid chains. Glycerin, a side product, is produced when the glycerol molecules separated from the reaction mixture.
 * 4) The solution is then moved into settling tanks, where the glycerin settles to the bottom of the tank while the freshly made biodiesel remains at the top. The glycerin is drained out, and used for several purposes including composting or with animal feed.
 * 5) The biodiesel now must be washed with water that is sprayed into the tanks containing the unwashed fuel. As the water falls, excess methanol and soap molecules dissolve in the water and settles in the bottom layer, thereby cleansing the biodiesel.
 * 6) The soapy waste water is now drained off the oil, leaving behind "wet" liquid biodiesel. To "dry" the fuel of water, the biodiesel is heated for several hours to evaporate the water.
 * 7) The finished biodiesel is then pumped through a final filter into a diesel vehicle's fuel tank"

****Stoichiometry**** equation
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The way biodiesel is produced comes from this equation- 100 lbs of oil + 10 lbs of methanol → 100 lbs of biodiesel + 10 lbs of glycerol []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Independent companies are starting to realize the benefits of producing biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. Companies are starting to produce small scale systems that produce biodiesel inexpensively. Virginia Tech's version of Biodiesel production was aided by emerging companies in this field. They take all of the guess work out of adding chemicals and blending for the right amount of time. These systems can product up to 20 gallons of viable diesel fuel from 55 gallons of waste oil. The customer must purchase the whole system and all of the extra chemicals associated with it. They must also supply their own waste oil from restaurants. These systems run for about $3,495 and are available both for homes and commercially. ( [] )



Biodiesel from waste vegetable oil can also be made on a commercial level for sale by major companies. The process is the same as the home-process mentioned above, but on a much larger scale. Companies like SB Tank (A British Company) produce the fuel for sale at local gas stations. They are able to produce and sell the fuel at a cheaper price than regular diesel. People who have the conversion kit for their diesel engines are able to purchase the product at the pump in select areas. These stations are mainly in the United Kingdom, where diesel prices have reached an all time high. ([|www.wikipedia.org])

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
 * CO2 Emissions of Biodiesel from waste vegetable Oil**

Biodiesel burns a lot cleaner than regular diesel. When biodiesel is used instead of regular diesel all of the sulfur emissions are eliminated. The emission of carbon monoxide is cut in half when using biodiesel fuels. Hydrocarbon emissions are cut down between 75 and 90 percent. The most important of the attribute related to biodiesel is the limited emission of Carbon Dioxide. Emission of this harmful chemical are cut down by nearly 75 percent. This will do wonders for the environment, eliminating most of the greenhouse gases emitted.

Steve Johnson of Co-Op America writes in an online article about Biodiesel, "Using 100-percent biodiesel (B100) eliminates all of the sulfur emissions associated with conventional diesel, cuts emissions of carbon monoxide and smog-producing particulate matter almost in half, and reduces hydrocarbon emissions by between 75 and 90 percent. Perhaps most significantly, using B100 reduces the emissions of carbon dioxide—the main greenhouse gas causing global warming—by more than 75 percent. Even using a blended biodiesel fuel like B20 (a 20-percent biodiesel/80-percent petrodiesel blend offered at most biodiesel fueling stations) still reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 15 percent, according to the Department of Energy." ([])

Using the biodiesel instead of regular diesel can greatly decrease the amount of hydrocarbons emitted into the air. If only a fraction of the diesel engines switched to biodiesel derived from vegetable oil the hurt on the environment would be decreased drastically.


 * Best Aspects of Biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oil**


 * 1) Burns clean and efficiently is converted engines
 * 2) The waste oil is easy to get and easy to produce
 * 3) Restaurants no longer have to look for a way to dispose of the waste oil
 * 4) Biodiesel is cheap and easy to produce at home and commercially.
 * 5) Biodiesel is a renewable resource, unlike fossil fuel diesel
 * 6) Biodiesel leaves less sediment in the engine, leading to longer engine life and less need for maintenance
 * 7) Will lower the greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere
 * 8) Will limit the amount of harmful hydrocarbons emitted into the atmosphere.
 * 9) When Biodiesel burns it does not give off a foul stench, it smells like cooking oil while it burns.


 * Critics of Biodiesel from Waste Vegetable Oil**

Critics have some things to say about biodiesel derived from waste vegetable oil. These are listed below.
 * 1) Biodiesel has trouble staying in liquid form when exposed to extremely cold temperatures
 * 2) Biodiesel fueling stations are not yet in place, they will need to be built in order to fulfill the needs of the Biodiesel market.
 * 3) The start up money require to get biodiesel off the ground may not outweigh the money saved by using the fuel.
 * 4) Restaurants only produce a certain amount of waste oil, once they run out what will we do with the technology?
 * 5) Additional land use will be needed to support the crops needed to make the oil in the first place.
 * 6) The biodiesel being produced now produces more Nitrous Oxide emissions than regular diesel.
 * 7) Biodiesel tends to reduce fuel economy by almost 11%.
 * 8) Biodiesel has solvent properties, which means it will dissolve the fuel filters and seals in regular diesel engines.
 * 9) People need to buy an expensive conversion kit for their engines, along with an equally expensive fuel production station.

[]

Another foreseeable problem that our own team came up with is the supply of waste vegetable oil. In the past restaurants had to pay somebody to come and take their waste oil away. Now that people are starting to buy home processing kits for producing their own oil, the restaurants may not give up their oil as easily. Everyone is looking for a profit, and the restaurants may eventually try to sell the waste oil for a profit. This could hurt the bottom line of biodiesel, making it perpetually more expensive than regular diesel.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**If it already makes up a lot of the world's fuel/energy supply explain why. If it doesn't make up much of the world’s fuel/energy supply explains why.**

Using biodiesel fuel has not really caught on in most places. It is popular in California, England, and places in the Midwest but here in the Northeast it has not yet become as popular. Part of the problem is the temperatures. As it has been stated biodiesel does not work well in colder temperatures. Here in the Northeast the temperature really fluctuates from season to season. Our average temperature ranges from 30 degrees in January and February to 90-95 degrees in July and August. The biodiesel does not really like being put in conditions that change so rapidly. Also biodiesel can only be used on cars that were originally meant for regular diesel fuel. Car owners have to buy a conversion kit and install it in their car in order for their car to run on diesel. (<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">[] )

A Biodiesel Conversion Kit


 * <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Explain how it could help solve some of the problems or contributes to those problems. **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Biodiesel would almost completely eliminate our dependence for foreign oil. One of the goals of the US is to slowly wean itself off of oil. With biodiesel the need for oil would be greatly reduced. Massachusetts Maritime Academy has a biodiesel engine on campus. The green club took a diesel engine and put one of the kits on to it to convert it into biodiesel. They have a 50 gallon drum to store the vegetable oil in and it barely needs to be filled with regular diesel oil. Biodiesel fuel is easy to get; all someone must do is to go to any restaurant using oil for cooking and ask them if you can take it. Most restaurants must pay to have their used oil removed you would not only be saving the restaurant money you yourself would save money on gasoline. It is a win win situation for both parties involved. ( [])



<span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">**Explain who uses that technology and why. If it isn't used very much explain that instead.** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Biodiesel is being used not only by the civilians in the US it is also being used by the US military. “<span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">Beginning June 1, 2005 all U.S. Navy and Marine non-tactical diesel vehicles will be required to operate on a B20 (20 percent) biodiesel blend as part of the military's efforts to increase their use of domestic and clean fuels.” This is a step in the right direction for the US. The US is trying to limit its use of petroleum, which is beginning to run low. They obviously use non-combat, non-tactical vehicles because no one is completely sure of the reliability. If the vehicles continue to perform well do not be surprised to see some of the combat vehicles beginning to have biodiesel kits on them. The US military is one of the largest military's in the world; it has millions of tanks, Humvee, planes etc. All of these use petroleum and create CO2 gas. The US is trying to do its part to reduce emissions hopefully the rest of the world can follow. ( [] )<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">([] )

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * Explain what it would take to do your thing better or in a larger scale.**

The world's biodiesel production is right at the level it needs to be now. The problem is not many people use the biodiesel. One reason is many people do not know about biodiesel and it only works on diesel cars. Not many family cars run on diesel fuel these days. In order for biodiesel to be widely used the manufacturers of the kits will need to construct one that works on regular gasoline. "the reason you see so fewer diesel cars in the U.S. is more of a choice by automakers than the product of a decree by regulators on either side of the Atlantic." ([|**http://www.nhpr.org/node/24403**]). The US does not have enough diesel cars for this to be effective here. It just will not work.



Like we stated before we would love to see it be available to all the types of cars in the US. Unfortunately much research will be needed in order to invent kits to work on regular gasoline powered cars. If we could continue research and testing perhaps we could begin switching other things besides cars over. Once the car situation is handled they could perhaps they could begin research to convert planes. Even if the wanted to start on a smaller scale and build lawnmowers running on biodiesel, this would lower our emissions greatly. Slow-speed low energy diesels could be the next target after smaller scale engines. The biodiesel industry is on the verge of changing the course of the future, with a little more research they can do it!
 * After learning about it what would you do next to change how it’s used? Why?**

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**Sources**

[] [] <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [|www.csnbc.com] [|www.wikipedia.org] [] []) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: blue;">[] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: blue;"> [] [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; color: blue;">[] [] [|h][|ttp://www.bdpedia.com/biodiesel/alt/alt.html] <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">( [] <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"><span style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17);"> [] [] [|**http://www.nhpr.org/node/24403**]