Biodiesel Waste

Biodiesel is made by chemically reacting vegetable oil or animal fat (or combinations of oils and fats) with alcohol (usually nearly pure methanol or 200 proof ethanol) and a catalyst (sodium hydroxide, or lye). The oil is chemically acidic; the alcohol is chemically a base. This chemical reaction breaks the fat molecules in the oils into an ester, which is the biodiesel fuel, and glycerol. This reaction is called transesterification. Since the biodiesel is less dense than the glycerol, it floats on top of the glycerol and may be pumped off, or the glycerol can be drained off the bottom. The fuel can then be filtered and used in heating or lighting applications. Some people use it in diesel engines without further processing, but others recommend removing impurities (soap, un-reacted alcohol, and sodium hydroxide) by a washing process.

Other articles:
Biofuel - Biodiesel Videos

Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) is vegetable oil that has become unfit for food preparation. The common causes of this degradation are: Chemical degradation, including oxidation. Its uses include: Animal feed additive. Fuel for waste-to-energy plants. Use as a biofuel, especially: As feedstock for the production of biodiesel by transesterification. But it was the waste vegetable oil (WVO) that MVNU’s Pioneer College Caterers paid a fee to get rid of each month that got him excited. Could the University somehow transform that to power maintenance equipment or even buses? That‘s when he found two resources that made the idea a reality—a company and a champion.