Student Research Could Produce Cheaper Source of Bio-diesel Fuels
KU students have begun to research possible ways of chemically engineering bio-diesel fuel from waste cooking oils.
“The ultimate goal is to use inexpensive materials to make something that would be useful as a fuel source,” Susan Williams, Professor of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, said. “We’re looking for something domestically available, homegrown and renewable so that we are not relying on foreign resources for fuel.”
Bio-diesel is an environmentally friendly, non-toxic fuel made from renewable resources such as vegetable oils. According to Williams, the problem is the initial cost of production.
Williams said that pure vegetable oils are highly processed. As a result, the initial cost of making the fuel is at least twice as much.
Waste oil, produced from used cooking grease, is hypothesized to be able to provide a more cost efficient raw material, or feedstock, because the initial product is unwanted and cheap.
“If you could reduce the cost of the feedstock, you could significantly impact the process overall,” Williams said.
David Slade, a student researcher working on his PhD, said that some people are afraid to use bio-diesel fuel.
“The biggest obstacle for the whole project is getting people to accept that this fuel made from plain vegetable oil is actually a high quality fuel. If anything, it is good for your car,” Slade said.
Environmental Benefits of Research
The production of bio-diesel fuel uses sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive and toxic material. This process is hurtful to the environment.
A goal of the research is to find a catalyst, a chemical that changes the state of the oil, which is not absorbed and is re-usable itself.
“The big challenge is to find something that is as useful as sulfuric acid, but you can get back out and re-use,” Slade said. “Something that is easier to handle, less corrosive and less environmentally negative in its own right.”
“If you can use the catalyst without losing any of the material, you don’t have to spend money and resources on new materials,” Williams said.
Student and Community Co-operation
“One of the things that we are most excited about is getting the campus and community to do something like this in-house,” Williams said.
Williams said that we could take our own waste grease to make fuel for our own campus buses or diesel vehicles. This would allow students to take part in something technologically relevant in our society.
“It’s here. It’s happening in the US. It’s happening all over the world,” Williams said. “Students could actually do projects that are relevant, getting hands on experience.”
Students have the opportunity to work with other disciplines on campus, co-operating for a common goal.
“Engineers, chemists, physicists, business students, environmental engineers, people working on societal impacts could all work together to do something that is good for the community,” Williams said.
Research Could Attract National Praise
This kind of research is being looked at on the national level and has the potential to attract people KU. The project is funded through the Center for Beneficial Catalysis.
“In the national and international arena, KU could get a name as being a school at the forefront of this kind of research,” Slade said.
Williams said that this is a research area that has become a very popular topic in important markets. Very little has actually been done in the area and there is a lot of room for growth and new discoveries.