BIODIESEL: QUANTIFYING WATER AND FREE FATTY ACIDS IN
WASTE VEGETABLE OIL TO IMPROVE THE YIELD OF FATTY ACID METHYL ESTERS IN THE
TRANSESTERIFICATION PROCESS OF TRIGLYCERIDES.
Richard A. Smart
Bob Allen
Department of
Physical Science
Alternative fuel sources are quickly becoming a topic of
interest for many chemists. The world’s
oil supply is limited and a source of renewable fuel is greatly needed. Biodiesel is a
renewable fuel that is produced by the transesterification
of triglycerides in vegetable oil. The
most economic feedstock to obtain is waste vegetable oil, which can be obtained
from virtually any restaurant.
Biodiesel is the common term for Fatty Acid
Methyl Esters (FAME’s). These molecules are produced by the transesterification of triglyceride (lipid) molecules. The process is carried out via a one step
reaction in which methanol (MeOH) and potassium
hydroxide (KOH) are combined to form potassium methoxide
which catalyzes the transesterification process. There are several factors that contribute to
the yield and quality of biofuel produced from waste
vegetable oil (WVO) that must be considered.
Water present in the WVO can lead to the formation of a
by-product known as alkali soap. This
can be reduced by quantifying the water in the WVO. Also, the free fatty acids in the WVO play a
major role in the ability of the reaction to go to completion. A simple titration can be carried out and a
correction for free fatty acids can be made that greatly increases the yield of
Biodiesel.
The main course of study throughout this research was improving
methods of producing biodiesel yield and
quality. By quantifying Water and free
fatty acid’s the yield of biodiesel has been
increased. Also, the elimination of
alkali soap in the biodiesel has been accomplished by
the addition of magnesium sulfate in the washing stage of production.
By improving the methods of biodiesel
production and making this process known to the general public, it is hopeful
that the process will soon become a household topic that will help reduce our
dependence on fossil fuels.
MARKET AND PROFIT POINT IDENTIFICATION FOR BIODIESEL
Megan Judy and Crystal Washington
Loretta Cochran, Kim Troboy, and Bill Harmon
Department of Business and Economics
Current research on biodiesel
business plans leads potential producers to consider a mid-range B100 biodiesel refinery in