How do you make a biodiesel experiment?

Making crude biodiesel: Student Procedure 1) Using a graduated cylinder (located near the vegetable oil), measure 200 ml of vegetable oil. 2) Pour the vegetable oil into the jar with the potassium methoxide. Secure the lid. 3) Carefully and vigorously shake the mixture for at least 10 minutes.

What is the science behind biodiesel?

Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products – methyl esters and glycerin. Methyl esters is the chemical name for biodiesel and glycerin is used in a variety of products, including soap.

What chemicals are used to make biodiesel?

Biodiesel is made by reacting vegetable oil or animal fat with an alcohol (methanol or ethanol) and a catalyst (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide). Sulfuric and hydrochloric acids are also used in biodiesel production. Methanol, the catalysts, and the acids are toxic chemicals.

How is algae extracted from biodiesel?

The oil can be extracted from algae using a mechanical press, as seen in figure 1. This process—which forces the algal paste into a nozzle that removes oil and expels much drier biomass—can extract up to 70% of the algal oil, but generally requires a dry algae feedstock. Dry algae is the product of dewatering.

How is biodiesel made from algae?

Algal oil is converted into biodiesel through a transesterification process. Oil extracted from the algae is mixed with alcohol and an acid or a base to produce the fatty acid methylesters that makes up the biodiesel.

How does the BioDiesel project help the environment?

This activity introduces students to alternative fuels and gives them an opportunity to produce their own biodiesel fuel. The text of the exercise gives students a brief background in the environmental benefits of using biodiesel as a diesel substitute.

Is it possible to mix biodiesel with diesel?

The production and sale of blended diesel fuels, which contain a percentage of biodiesel (e.g., 20% in the case of biodiesel B-20) mixed with petroleum-based diesel fuel, is a growing industry in Europe, where sources of petroleum-diesel are limited.

How is biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil?

Many students have heard of biodiesel without realizing that producing the fuel from waste vegetable oil is a fairly simple process. Seeing the process firsthand and going through the steps from oil to fuel enables the student to grasp the fuel-making process.

Who was the inventor of the diesel engine?

Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine, demonstrated in 1900 at the world’s fair in Paris that an engine could run on peanut oil rather than petroleum-based fuels.