High School Biodiesel Reactor Teaching Module

1. High School Biodiesel Reactor Teaching Module Allan Fluharty, NBCT Prosser Career Academy, CPS Research Mentor: Dr. Thomas L. Theis Professor of Civil and Materials Engineering Director, Institute of Environmental Science and Policy Chicago Science Teacher Research Program, NSF-RET University of Illinois at Chicago December 5, 2010

2. Petroleum (Liquid Fuel) Picture • We currently import over 50% of our petroleum needs - 70% by 2025. • Once roughly half the oil has been extracted, it becomes harder – and more expensive – to get at the remainder. • The key date is not when the oil runs out, but when production peaks, meaning supplies decline. The peak may come by about 2020. Proved Oil Reserves 2003

3. Biodiesel – General Definitions • Biodiesel is a domestic, renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from fats and oils such as soybeans and animal fats. • Biodiesel can be used in any concentration with petroleum-based diesel fuel in existing diesel engines with little or no modification. • Biodiesel is not raw vegetable oil. Biodiesel is produced by a chemical process that removes glycerin from the oil. The type of biodiesel is designated BXX, where XX is the volume percent of biodiesel blended with petroleum-based diesel fuel.

4. Biodiesel Reaction Biodiesel can be manufactured in a batch process through the transesterification of oils (fatty acids or triglyceride) by methanol. The reaction is carried out using a strong base (NaOH or KOH) as a catalyst.

5. Emissions Reductions with Biodiesel Blends Emission Type B100 B20 B2 Total Unburned Hydrocarbons -67% -20% -2.2% Carbon Monoxide -48% -12% -1.3% Particulate Matter -47% -12% -1.3% Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) +10% + 2% +0.2% “When considering the combined benefit of all these reductions, the small increase in nitrogen oxides (NOx) should not overshadow the net environmental gain with biodiesel use in North Carolina. Biodiesel is a viable part of the overall effort to improve our air quality.” B. Keith Overcash, PE, NC DE&NR, DAQ

6. High School Biodiesel Reactor Module: Goals • Learn scientific principles that support Produce an environmentally friendly alternative fuel for the school district buses and other machinery that use diesel oil. • Learn how to operate a chemical manufacturing plant in a safe and efficient manner. • Design and equip a quality control laboratory to characterize biodiesel through a variety of tests using infrared spectroscopy, measurement of refractive index, specific gravity, and the heat of combustion. • Recycle waste cooking oil from the school cafeteria, culinary arts shop, and nearby fast food restaurants. • Educate ourselves and our community about the impact of fossil fuel emissions on our environment. • Help high school students prepare to pursue careers in technical fields and this emerging industry. • Use glycerol—a reaction byproduct—to make soap products for sale at the school store.

7. Rational & Impact • The project will positively impact several hundred students and many teachers in several departments at my school. • The bioreactor will provide a tool to teach important principles of chemistry, such as physical properties, inorganic and organic reactions, stoichiometry, etc. • The computer aided design, construction, and auto mechanics departments will help design and construct the reactor, providing an opportunity to many inquiry-based experiences as students go through the design/build process. • The HVAC shop will be needed to create the appropriate ventilation for the biodiesel reactor room and a fume hood for the quality control laboratory. • There will be opportunities for students in the auto mechanics and auto body shop to get involved during modification of the van to run on biodiesel fuel. • Other students will be involved in the production and sale of soap made from a glycerol byproduct of biodiesel manufacturing process. This has a potential to involve students from art classes and graphic design.

8. Collaboration • This is a collaborative project that will involve the science department with the vocational shops within the school. • Sponsors will be sought out from the many educational, business, and not-for-profit organizations in the Chicago area that have a stake in the development of green technology and practices. • Businesses and schools in the surrounding community will be asked to supply waste cooking oil, thus helping the community “go green.”

9. Biodiesel module supports Green Chemistry principles Principle #1:Pollution Prevention – It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it is formed. Principle #4:Chemical products should be designed to preserve efficacy of function while reducing toxicity. Principle #7:Renewable Resources – A raw material feedstock should be renewable rather than depleting whenever technically and economically practical. Principle #10: Chemical products should be designed so that at the end of their function they do not persist in the environment and break down into innocuous degradation products.

10. Activity 1: Determining the Physical Properties of Vegetable OilsLearning Standard: Properties of Matter • Students are given 4 unknown oils, and are asked to perform a test on the oils to determine their identities. • Upon cooling all 4 oils over ice, the coconut oil will solidify first, followed by the peanut oil. The canola oil and soybean oil should both not solidify due to their melting points being below the freezing point of water. • The concept of other distinguishing properties of the oils can also be discussed (density, color, etc.).

11. Activity 2: Titration of WVOLearning Standards: Solutions, Rates of Reaction, and Equilibrium • A titration of the triglycerides in the waste vegetable oil (WVO) is performed to define the amount of raw materials. This is necessary due to the breakdown of the triglycerides during the frying process. • This activity can be used to teach students solution chemistry (concentration and molarity), rates of reaction, and chemical equilibrium . • This activity also provides an opportunity to talk about concentration and have students perform scientific calculations.

12. Activity 3: Synthesis of BiodieselLearning Standard: Chemical Reactions and Stoichiometry • This activity can be used for discussing synthesis and synthetic transformations. The process involves the use of a catalyst and catalysis can be discussed. The nature of vegetable oil and diesel allows for many discussions of organic chemistry concepts including hydrocarbons, functional groups (esters), fatty acids, etc. • The synthesis of biodiesel is fairly straightforward and can be done in 2 class periods.

13. Activity 4: Analysis of BiodieselLearning Standards: Acids & Bases, and Oxidation & Reduction • This activity consists of three tests the students can perform on the biodiesel they have prepared in order to test the properties: • pH: They will test the pH of the biodiesel, allowing for a discussion of acids and bases and pH. • Combustion: This test allows for a discussion of combustion reactions. • Freezing Point: This test allows for a discussion of the use of a physical property to determine the nature of a material.

14. Making Soap from Biodiesel By-Products • A byproduct from making bio-diesel is glycerin. The glycerin can be purified and used as an industrial degreaser in its raw form, composted and used as a fertilizer, or made into bar soap. • The bar soap is excellent for use in the shop because of its degreasing abilities, but can also be used as a household soap for everyday use. Adding fragrances and dyes will make household use more appealing to other members of the household.

15. Biodiesel Project Summary • This project provides urban high school students a hands-on opportunity to perform scientific inquiry. • The project supports the goal of a vocational high school, which is to provide students with job skills that can be applied immediately after finishing high school. • A working biodiesel manufacturing process will provide many opportunities to create inquiry activities that give students hands-on experiences with scientific, technologic, and business topics.