Biodiesel Fuel Education Program
Biodiesel is a diesel fuel
replacement made from vegetable oil. The University of Idaho has
been involved in Biodiesel research since 1979. Dr. Charles
Peterson is a leader in this field and has headed many Biodiesel
research projects for various local, state, federal, and private
agencies.
The
University of Idaho has run many diesel engines on various forms
of Biodiesel. Farm machinery, stationary engines, Cummins Diesel
engines in Dodge Pickups, Navistar engines in Ford Pickups, and
soon to be run in a Caterpillar engine in a Kenworth Truck.
Biodiesel can be
made from most any plant derived oil. Biodiesel is actually an
alcohol ester of vegetable oil. Research at the University of
Idaho has involved the following types of oils.
-
Mustard Seed Oil
-
Rapeseed oil
-
Canola oil
-
Soybean oil
-
Hydrogenated
Soybean oil
-
Tallow
-
and others
The U of I currently
uses a batch process to make Biodiesel. The basic ingredients
are:
Put very simply, the
ingredients are mixed in a stainless steel batch reactor and
stirred. We use an open vat reactor, however, when using
methanol a closed reactor with a methanol vapor trap should be
used. After the reaction (called esterification) takes place,
the heavier glycerol component settles to the bottom and the
resulting ester is pumped off to be used as Biodiesel. The
glycerol has some commercial value and may be sold to offset the
cost of the oil. Our experience is that our glycerol with no
additional processing is very difficult to dispose of.
For more information
about Biodiesel, please look at the rest of this site. There are
interesting links in the
resources page which points to other sites with Biodiesel
information.
Disclaimer