The Diesel Crew Making Biodiesel Fuel from Waste Cooking Oil

1. The Diesel Crew Making Biodiesel Fuel from Waste Cooking Oil Solution The Diesel Crew produced biodiesel from waste cooking oil from deep fryers, which is more economical, as it creates a valuable fuel from a waste. Our system uses a solid CaO catalyst that can easily be recovered and reused, resulting in no toxic waste. This catalyst is inexpensive, gives comparable reaction rates to traditional catalysts and is easy to use for a home biodiesel producer. The Crew pictured from left to right: Adam Alexander, Thomas Voss, Michael Lubben, Angus Richeson (All chemical concentration) Problem There is an increase in demand for biofuels to supplement petroleum fuels. Biodiesel from soy bean oil has become a very popular solution over the last decade; however, using soy bean oil is very expensive and gives biodiesel a high energy cost. Furthermore, many people make biodiesel at home as a hobby, and the most common catalyst results in chemical waste. Design The Diesel Crew designed and prototyped a continuous system that cleans up the waste oil, converts it to biodiesel, purifies the product, and collects the other components to be recycled in the system. Sponsors: CaO → + 3X + Triglyceride (Oil) Methanol Glycerol Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (Biodiesel)