The Biodiesel Project

The Biodiesel Project
Andrew Cho
Christiaan Khurana
Xingkai Li
William Mavrode
Apurva Pradhan
Jingting Wu
Jay Yostanto
March 10, 2015

Contents
1 Objective 1
2 Needs Statement 1
3 Community Partners 2
3.1 University Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.2 Cal Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3.3 Filta Cleaning Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.4 Bauer’s IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3.5 Other Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
4 Similar Projects Undertaken in the Past 4
5 Project Summary 5
5.1 Bench Scale Research Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.1.1 Research Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.1.2 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.1.3 Proposed Bench Scale Eﬀort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.2 Scaling Up the Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.3 Facilities, Product Validation, and Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6 Timeline 10
7 Measuring Impact and Success 11
7.1 Benchtop Research Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
7.2 Pilot Plant Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
8 Team Bios 12
9 Budget 13
10 References 16
11 Appendix A: Requirements for Biodiesel Blend Stocks 19
12 Appendix B: Quantitative Milliliter Scale Biodiesel Production Analysis 20
12.1 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With Methanol 20
12.2 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With Propanol 21
12.3 Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With Propanol 21
12.4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1 Objective
Our goal is to provide UC Berkeley with a sustainable means of acquiring biodiesel as a
cleaner, cost-effective, alternative energy source for use in campus vehicles and equipment.
This will be accomplished through recycling of waste cooking oil (WCO) from local campus
dining facilities. This self-sustaining initiative will provide a fulfilling hands-on experience
for Berkeley engineers, educate Berkeley students about renewable energy resources, and
reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. The process involves filtering the recycled oil and
producing biodiesel product through chemical reaction. Our biodiesel product will then be
stored and made ready for campus distribution.
2 Needs Statement
The Berkeley dining commons currently use university funding to dispose of their waste
cooking oil (WCO). Instead, WCO can be used to create biodiesel, thereby eliminating waste
and turning it into profit. Since the Industrial Revolution, the release of greenhouse gases
have increased, leading to the rise of global temperature and its subsequent consequences
such as the melting of the icecaps and the raising of ocean levels1
. Supplemental to the
needs, the team performed a lifetime greenhouse gas analysis to measure the environmental
benefits of redefining where and which products waste cooking oil goes into. We utilized the
Argonne National Laboratory’s Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in
Transportation (GREET) simulation model to track the carbon dioxide output. This model
was normalized on the basis of one gallon of fuel. Changes in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
emissions were compared between the reprocessing of waste cooking oil to disposing of the
oil in landfill. Based on the model, the baseline emissions are 7706 grams of GHGs while the
recycling process reduces that figure to 1358 grams. This is an 82% reduction in greenhouse
gas emissions for the environment.
With these advantages in mind, we hope to pioneer a cost-effective method for biodiesel pro-
duction on a small-scale academic setting that improves efficiency over conventional biodiesel
production, and sets a precedent for raising awareness in green energy. Just like we have
economically refined the production of gasoline, there is potential, given an increase in mo-
tivation and awareness, to do the same with renewable energy. This sustainability must be
widespread to be effective. If people, especially students, see what we are doing, they are
likely to become involved, donate, or bring a similar initiative to a new location. People will
be able to witness the functionality of renewable energy in daily campus transportation. To
imagine that this transportation was made possible from using a byproduct of their daily
food consumption will inspire a mindset of sustainability to the next generation of students.
Witnessing this functionality garners the support and ingenuity of future scientists, engi-
neers, and politicians. And although it may begin with biodiesel from waste cooking oil, the
awareness of any renewable energy will inevitably thrive. We can jumpstart this process by
promoting our environmentally benign initiative to other universities through news articles,
a live blog, and keynote presentations.
1

3 Community Partners
3.1 University Partners
The faculty and staff amongst the UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering department have been
integral to the team’s progress and development. The faculty advisor for the Innovation
Incubator space is Dr. Shannon Ciston, who also serves as the Director of Undergraduate
Education. With her support, we have secured lab space and time for bench scale operations
in the Innovation Incubator as well as received advice on leads to our pilot plant location
for February 2016.
Professor Jeffrey Reimer, the Chair of the Chemical Engineering department, was one of the
first mentors in the faculty that we reached out to for initial support, and his involvement
in the Innovation Incubator committee has helped us tremendously with approvals for work
in the Incubator. Colin Cerretani is a lecturer in the Chemical Engineering department who
will serve as a lab advisor for us while we work in the Incubator. His expertise in supervising
the Unit Operations course, a chemical engineering lab that employs many different bench
and pilot scale experiments for chemical and mechanical processes in the curriculum, will be
vital in troubleshooting our lab related obstacles. Esayas Kelkie is the manager of lab space
and equipment in the Chemical Engineering Department at UC Berkeley, and his thoughtful
observation of our Standard Operating Procedure has allowed him to graciously provide us
with the standard PPE and basic equipment detailed in section 5.3.
Paul Bryan, a lecturer in the Chemical Engineering department and former VP of Biofuels
Technology at Chevron, has been our technical advisor for our research methods and safety
concerns. He has helped us find and evaluate a myriad of existing and new possible conversion
routes of waste cooking oil to biodiesel, from solid catalysts to ion exchange membranes and
more. His invaluable experience at Chevron has inspired an emphasis on safety that has
given us the foresight into searching for pilot plant locations with access to appropriate
PPE, fume hoods, and proper waste disposal abilities. He has also helped us consider the
demand side of biodiesel, possible sources of biodiesel use on campus besides transportation
(such as backup generators), and current research being conducted on biodiesel production
from natural resources in developing countries.
Additionally, in an effort to make our progress and accomplishments transparent and ac-
cessible, we have several partners to help us publicize our work: Mindy Rex, the Assistant
Dean of the College of Chemistry, Karen Lin, an author of the Daily Californian, and Ananth
Kumar and Nikos Zarikos, the president and chief editor of Berkeley Technology Review,
respectively.
3.2 Cal Dining
The main source of our waste cooking oil feed stock will be from Cal Dining. Cal Dining
of Cal Dining manages all the restaurants located on campus including the major dining
commons, Crossroads and Cafe 3. As a part of our project, we arranged meetings with
2

Shawn Lapean, the Executive Director of Cal Dining to determine how much oil Cal Dining
produces annually and whether they would be willing to sell us the waste cooking oil. Cal
Dining has informed us that their facilities produce a total of 94,000 pounds of waste cooking
oil per year.
We then met with Shawn Lapean and Sunil Chacko, the purchasing manager of Cal Dining,
in person to learn more about what Cal Dining does with its waste cooking oil and determine
how much it would cost to acquire the cooking oil. We found that Cal Dining currently pays
a third party called Filta Cleaning Services to collect waste cooking oil directly from Cal
Dining fryers and dispose of it. Cal Dining agreed to give us as large a volume of waste
cooking oil as we desire free of charge and gave us contact information for Filta Cleaning
Services.
3.3 Filta Cleaning Services
With the help of Cal Dining, we arranged a meeting with Adel Moradi, vice president of
Filta Cleaning Services. Filta Cleaning Services collects waste cooking oil from all Cal
Dining Facilities on campus and pretreats the waste cooking oil to remove any residual food
particles and uses a proprietary technique to reduce the concentration of free fatty acids in
the waste cooking oil. The company then sells the filtered waste cooking oil to local biodiesel
refineries.
As the company has a very good relationship with the University and Cal Dining, they
have agreed to deliver up to 200 gallons of waste cooking oil per year to any location on
campus, free of charge, in hopes that we will begin purchasing the waste cooking oil from
them once we scale up to demo scale. Additionally, they have given us access to a 250 gallon
storage container and a small pump to store the biodiesel and pump it into the reactor.
Once we purchase our pilot scale reactor and begin producing biodiesel on the gallon scale,
our relationship with Filta Cleaning Services will become very important.
3.4 Bauer’s IT
Our team has been in touch with Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation (Bauer’s IT), UC Berke-
ley’s transportation company, to negotiate a way to sell our fuel to them after we scale-up
our process. We have learned that all the buses used by Bauers’s IT run diesel fuel and have
the capability of running with a blend of up to 20:80 biodiesel to diesel. Bauer’s IT is only
one of the many avenues we may explore to satisfy the demand aspect of our projects, as we
are well aware that even Berkeley’s generators use diesel to operate.
3.5 Other Partners
Our mentor through Big Ideas has been Bill Buchan. Bill is the CEO of Market Potential,
where he leads a consulting practice that specializes in helping young firms commercialize
3

their technology or services in the clean tech arena. He has 27 years of experience in clean
technology commercialization, with a focus on alternative fuels such as biodiesel, biofuels,
and bioproducts. His experience includes founding two biofuel start-ups using feedstocks such
as yard waste and municipal waste. He is a Cal Alum with degrees chemical engineering
and civil environmental engineering, as well as an MBA. Through our weekly skype phone
calls, we have communicated with him about our progress, troubleshooting problems in every
aspect of the project, and seeking advice on plans for one year from now and even beyond
that. His insightful comments developed from past industry experience and mentorship of
other Big Ideas groups has surely been an immense contributor to our progress.
4 Similar Projects Undertaken in the Past
In 2007, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made a similar proposal to build a waste
cooking oil to biofuel processor on campus. Lorna J. Gibson, Chairman of MIT’s Committee
for the Review of Space Planning (CRSP) Program, assessed the project, and realized that
proposal costs had been largely underestimated. This miscalculation was because ”[T]hey
weren’t aware of all of the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) issues regarding a fuel
processor. Key issues include fire suppression and spill mitigation” 11
. With MIT’s unfortu-
nate roadblocks in mind, our budget incorporates extensive safety equipment. Additionally,
the prospective sites for our pilot scale facility, Berkeley Biolabs and the Richmond Fuel Sta-
tion, are both equipt with safety systems including sprinkler systems and fire alarms.
MIT also faced the challenge of safe disposal. Although glycerol by itself is fairly innocuous,
it contains excess catalyst, methanol, and water. Since glycerol is unprofitable and not
particularly toxic, it is not cost effective to sell it after isolation. Therefore, we must collect
the byproduct stream of catalyst, water, and glycerol, and dispose of it properly due to its
potentially hazardous nature. The UC Berkeley Guidelines for Drain Disposal states that
methanol and glycerol can be poured down the drain as long as they do not exceed 100g
per drain per day. As our pilot scale facility will exceed these restrictions, we will need to
contact the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to discuss what precautions will
need to be taken and whether we will need to acquire a permit. Additionally, MIT failed to
properly document and publicize their methods of biodiesel production and the steps they
took to scale up their process. We hope to make the work we do, both in the bench scale
as well as in the pilot scale, as transparent as possible in hopes of educating others about
renewable energy resources. We hope to achieve this goal by working with the UC Berkeley
community as discussed in sections 3.1 and 7.2.
We may also donate the waste glycerol to a potential sub-group of student researchers in-
terested in the development of soap, candle, and cosmetic technology. They can utilize this
glycerol in their experiments since it is a large component of their finished products.
4

Figure 1: Transesterification of Triglycerides to Biodiesel
5 Project Summary
5.1 Bench Scale Research Procedure
5.1.1 Research Objective
The objective of our bench-scale research is to determine methods to reduce cost and increase
efficiency of biodiesel production on larger scales. Various heterogeneous and homogeneous
catalysts will be studied in respect to efficiency, reusability, cost, and safety. Further re-
search will focus on optimizing conditions for conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel by
testing various temperatures and reagent compositions. The results from these preliminary
experiments shall be further optimized on the pilot scale.
5.1.2 Background
The ultimate goal of this project is to create a clean, cost-effective, and self-sufficient uni-
versity that can take its waste cooking oil and produce biodiesel for use in campus vehicles
and back-up power generators that utilize diesel. In order to accomplish this in a clean
and sustainable manner, it is imperative to perform small scale testing to determine how
composition, temperature, catalyst, and reagent purity affect biodiesel quality, production
of byproducts, reaction time, and conversion.
Vegetable oils and animal fats are comprised of a mixture of triglycerides, free fatty acids,
gums, waxes, and other aliphatic compounds. Biodiesel is usually produced through a chem-
ical process called transesterification in which triglycerides react with an alcohol in the pres-
ence of a catalyst to produce glycerol and a mixture of fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel)26
.
Figure 1 above shows the chemical process by which biodiesel is produced.
The majority of commercial biodiesel is currently produced through the transesterification
of soybean oil using a homogeneous base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.
Although the base catalyzed process is less corrosive, the acid catalyzed process, utilizing
sulfuric acid, is faster. Though homogeneous catalyzed biodiesel processes demonstrate
high conversion rates with minimal side reactions, they are not very cost competitive with
conventional diesel fuel because the homogeneous catalyst cannot be recovered and additional
efforts must be made to neutralize the acid or base in the final product and the process cannot
be made continuous. Preliminary studies were done on the homogeneous catalysts sodium
5

hydroxide and acid hydrogen sulfate, and our results can be seen in Appendix B. We hope
to begin research on heterogeneous catalysts and compare their yields with those already
obtained. The use of heterogeneous catalysts may result in a more cost effective process,
primarily due to the ability to reuse heterogeneous catalysts and the prospective of creating
a continuous process.
Heterogeneous catalysts are categorized as solid acid and solid base. Solid base catalysts
include several compounds containing alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alumina loaded with
various compounds, and zeolites. Solid base catalysts have been successful with high con-
version and yield of biodiesel, but are sensitive to the presence of free fatty acids. Solid acid
catalysts do not have this issue. Additionally, heterogeneous solid acid catalysts can simul-
taneously catalyze esterification and transesterification. Esterification can be used to react
with free fatty acids to produce additional biodiesel and increase purity of the product9
.
Figure 2: Relative Activities of Solid Acid Catalysts with a 0.25 wt%
Concentration26
The primary qualities for a
solid acid catalyst are selectiv-
ity, stability, numerous strong
acid sites, large pores, a hy-
drophobic surface, and eco-
nomically viability. The Fig-
ure 2 shows the relative ac-
tivities for the transesterifi-
cation of triacetin, a triglyc-
eride, with methanol using a
6:1 methanol to triacetin ra-
tio and 60◦
C with a solid acid
weight percent of 0.25wt%.
We will determine which cata-
lysts to test in our bench scale
research by using kinetic infor-
mation shown by Figure 2 and other similar papers.
5.1.3 Proposed Bench Scale Effort
We will be carrying out our bench scale testing in the Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering
incubator space in 307 Gilman. The primary experiments we plan to conduct on a bench
scale involve optimizing the biodiesel conversion process. Temperature, reagent composition,
and catalyst type shall be optimized to maximize biodiesel conversion and minimize the
production of byproducts. Intertek has agreed to run ASTM testing on our biodiesel samples
to determine the purity of our compound, and cetane testing to determine the quality of
our product. Our techniques for quality control is discussed in section 5.3. Additionally,
gravimetric analysis and chromatography tests will be run to determine the concentration
of water and search for undesired byproducts.
Temperature shall be varied from 30◦
C to 80◦
C. This is the range of temperatures than can
6

safely be attained in the reactor we plan to use. Reagent compositions shall be varied based
on ranges used in literature. The primary catalysts that will be studied include tungsta
modified zirconia, Amberlyst-15, supported phosphoric acid, and sulfate modified zirconia,
sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide. Deactivation studies on the most active solid catalysts
shall be carried out to determine the number of reaction cycles that can be run on each
catalyst before it needs to be regenerated or replaced. The bench scale chemicals for this
project shall be purchased through the UC Berkeley Department of Chemical Engineering
using funds earned through Big Ideas and other grant sources.
Experiments shall also be run on pretreatment of the waste cooking oil. Various techniques
of filtering the oil will be examined including the use of various filter paper porosity. Studies
will also be done on acid pretreatment to determine whether it increases yield or plays a
major role in reaction time. Other processing including straining the used cooking oil shall
also be reviewed.
The glycerol byproduct will primarily be removed from our biodiesel product through sep-
aration by density. Two methods shall be tested to wash the biodiesel and remove and
residual methanol or glycerol present in the product. Wet washing with water is the most
widely used method to remove any glycerol from the biodiesel product. Water washing will
be studied to determine whether it can be done without forming emulsions and undermining
the quality of the biodiesel product. Ion exchange resins for dry-washing the biodiesel shall
also be studied to determine product quality and economic viability. Although ion exchange
resins will produce a biodiesel product with a lower glycerol product than through wet wash-
ing alone, they are more expensive and are prone to fouling, in which the top layer of resin
becomes coated with contaminants, and compaction, in which resin beads grow in size and
compact themselves within the tube. Though most ion-exchange resins can be regenerated
by washing with methanol, they do have a limited life and are designated as hazardous
chemical material that will need to be disposed of safely.27
Drying salts shall be used as desiccants to dry the biodiesel and reduce the water content of
the final product. Three salts will be studied to determine their ability to dry the biodiesel:
calcium chloride, sodium sulfate, and calcium sulfate. The resulting biodiesel shall be tested
for water content and purity to determine if any undesired reactions with the salt took
place28
.
Throughout the course of our bench scale investigation, Professor Jeffery Reimer, an expert
on heterogeneous catalysis, and Dr. Paul Bryan, the former vice-president of Chevron’s
biofuels division, shall advise us. Their specific involvement is discussed in section 3.1. Once
the ideal conditions for conversion are determined, we shall scale up the process to the pilot
scale and determine whether the same conditions produce the same level of purity and quality
as on the bench scale.
5.2 Scaling Up the Process
For the scale up portion of our proposal, the team has chosen to pursue the 55 gallon capacity
FuelMeisterII, where most of the funds will go. A specialized system capable of turning heav-
7

ily used cooking oil into clean, burning, biodegradable biodiesel, the FuelMeisterII provides
exactly what the team needs in order to scale up biodiesel production. Relevant features
include the production of two 40 gallon batches of biodiesel in 24 hours while only requiring
45 minutes per batch of hands-on operating time25
. As such, the operation typically requires
40 gallons of vegetable oil and 8 gallons of methanol catalyst for every 40 gallon batch of
biodiesel; however, the team plans to modify the reaction in the event that a more optimal
reaction or reactant concentration ratio is found.
Figure 3: A Photograph
of the FuelmeisterII25
The FuelMeisterII was selected specifically for its ability to directly
inject catalyst into a safe, closed system without requiring to pour
or stir any liquids. In the event that further scale up is viable,
the quick disconnect fittings on the FuelMeisterII allow for future
expansion and more convenient connection to tanks and lids. The
FuelMeisterII Dual will then be purchased to double up production
while only requiring similar operating times. The Figure 3 shows a
photograph of the FuelMeisterII.
Another advantage of the FuelMeisterII is its simple design. Though
the plastic reactor is designed for use with a homogeneous base cat-
alyst, it can be easily modified to accommodate the use of hetero-
geneous catalyst pellets. A grating will be added to the bottom of
the reactor to separate the catalyst pellets from the pump. Once
the reactor is drained, the catalyst pellets can easily be removed
and cleaned as necessary. Additionally, the design of the pump system on the tank allow for
us to change the feed as necessary so that reagents can be pumped directly into the tank
without need for an external pump.
5.3 Facilities, Product Validation, and Future
The facilities that the Biodiesel project group will be utilizing for the first year of imple-
mentation have been secured in a safe and economic manner. The bench scale research
and development will be nurtured on the UC Berkeley campus, conveniently located in 307
Gilman, a lab space hosted by the Chemical Engineering department in the College of Chem-
istry, free of charge to our student group. This lab in Gilman Hall is better known as the
”CBE Innovation Incubator” and is a renovation of the former laboratory space where Pluto-
nium was discovered. To achieve access to this space, our group submitted a written proposal
to the Innovation Incubator committee with sections similar to those of Big Ideas proposals
and impressed them with the rigor of our proposed procedure, safety considerations, and
merit of project goals. We have been graciously granted access to the lab space in concision
with our submission of necessary safety training documentation (referred to as EHS101) and
Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) to the committee. The Innovation Incubator has
been kind enough to provide us with standard Personal Protective Equipment or PPE (lab
coats, powder free nitrile gloves, safety glasses), small beakers, flasks, pipettes, stirring bars,
stirring and hot plates, syringes, access to air, water, vacuum, and a fume hood at their
own expense. They have also agreed to remove our glycerol waste produced in the lab on
8

this small bench scale (< 500 ml) responsibly and free of charge to us. A Graduate Student
Instructor (GSI) will provided for us to supervise our work and impart technical advice and
mentorship when generally applicable to basic lab research techniques and principles.
While working in small scale in the Innovation Incubator lab space, we will be conducting
tests on the < 500 ml scale to collect enough fuel for ASTM and cetane testing. With 6
batches of fuel around the 500 ml scale combined, we can produce enough fuel to perform
the necessary ASTM and cetane testing to validate the quality and safety of our fuel. We
have secured relations with Chevron Corporation, one of the largest oil companies in the
world, for the full subsidization of the cost of this ASTM and cetane testing at their third
party affiliate Intertek, located in Benecia, California. Intertek will perform ASTM standard
tests to ensure our fuel is passing the following standards: Sulfur, % mass (ppm), max; cold
soak filterability, monoglyceride content, % mass, max; flash point, water and sediment, %
volume, max; kinematic viscosity, sulfated ash, % mass, max; copper strip corrosion, max;
Cetane number, cloud point, carbon residue, % mass, max; acid number, free glycerin, %
mass, max; total glycerin, % mass, max; phosphorous content, % mass, max, and distillation
temperature. See the attached Table in the Appendix for a full list of potential tests and
ASTM Test Method numbers.
Figure 4: Photographs of CBE Innovation Incubator Space in Gilman Hall
for Bench-Scale Testing. There is enough room for 6 undergraduate students
to work simultaneously with ample storage space and a walk-in fume hood.
The aforementioned bench
scale operation is to con-
tinue from its start in
early March 2015 un-
til the end of January
2016. During the remain-
ing duration of this spring
semester (March to mid-
May 2015), the original
team as listed on this pro-
posal will meet in the
Innovation Incubator lab
space to perform bench
scale procedures. After
this period, the summer
session of the project will
occur from mid-May until about September 2015 where a new group of Chemical Engineering
undergraduates will continue bench scale research with the opportunity to study their own
novel biodiesel synthesis routes as well as optimize the original team’s work, still deriving
from waste cooking oil conversion. As the original team will be serving in digital guidance
during physical hiatus due to summer internships and other commitments, a new and fully
trained additional group will be given the opportunity to conduct independent bench scale
research utilizing our secured lab space and materials. This kind of open environment with
the supervising Graduate Student Instructor is vital to the optimization of pilot plant scale
experiments to occur later in our timeline. Again, the purpose of these bench scale operations
are to ultimately determine the conditions and synthesis route best suited for converting the
waste cooking oil we receive as feedstock into certified usable biodiesel products at the pilot
9

plant scale.
Beginning in February 2016, the team aims to have collected enough data to implement an
optimal pilot plant on a larger scale in a safe space, preferably on Campus. Currently, we
have no guarantee to be secured a space on the UC Berkeley campus for our intended pilot
reactor and barrels for feedstock, materials, and finished fuel products; however, we have a
number of leads to off campus opportunities within distance by bus from campus. The most
promising is Berkeley Biolabs. The rough estimate for rent of the space accommodating the
pilot reactor, necessary barrels, and for 2 members of the team to work at once is about $400
per month. This includes necessary waste disposal and guidance from Berkeley Biolabs staff
and personnel with experience in biofuels operations. The other option, which is currently
in progress of gathering information for, is the Richmond Fuel Station (RFS) and possible
collaboration with the College of Engineering and Zero Waste Research Center. The RFS
works with the formula one car team at Cal and could possibly support our efforts for a pilot
plant due to their affiliation with vehicles that require similar fuel to operate. It is to be
emphasized that prior to February 2016 we will be actively searching for cheaper alternatives
on the UC Berkeley campus to house these pilot plant operations and these aforementioned
leads are backup options that would require additional funding from Big Ideas next year
or other grant funds. After the 4 months of pilot plant operation from February to June
2016, we aim to be able to produce 40-gallon batches of useable biodiesel from our pilot
plant.
Once we have ensured that we can reliably produce ASTM certified batches of biodiesel, we
will finalize sales negotiations with our community partners mentioned in section 3.1. Our
prices are incredibly flexible as our feedstock is free; we aim to be highly competitive with
the price of diesel (last quoted at $2.57 per gallon in March 201520
) to motivate demand.
The Department of Chemical Engineering at Berkeley has also expressed interest in funding
the project for educational purposes even if we initially operate at a loss. These educational
demonstrations could be used as a part of the curriculum and bolster the initial mission of
the team to inspire students towards renewable and sustainable energy research.
Even further down the road into the second year of our project we aim to further scale up
our operations in terms of volume. We will recruit new, younger UC Berkeley students to
maintain the project and establish continuity.
6 Timeline
The Biodiesel Project has already received approval from the Chair of the Department of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley and has been approved to use the
Innovation Incubator described in section 5.3 beginning in March 2015. After discussing
ideas with Professor Reimer and Professor Mulvihill at the end of last spring, we began small
scale research under the supervision of Assistant Professor Cerretani during the summer to
determine ideal conditions for biodiesel production. In February 2015, we spoke with Shawn
LaPean, the executive director of Cal Dining and Adel Moradi, the VP of Filta who have both
agreed to work with us in acquiring pre-filtered waste cooking oil as our feedstock for biodiesel
10

Figure 5: Future Plans for the Biodiesel Project
Dec-‐14
Apr-‐15
Jul-‐15
Oct-‐15
Jan-‐16
May-‐16
Aug-‐16

Acquire
Pre-‐Filtered
Waste
Cooking
Oil

Access
Obtained
to
CBE
Innovation

Bench
Scale
Research
&
Production
Begins

Additional
Research
For
Biodiesel
Market

Bench
Scale
ASTM
Testing

Organize
Biodiesel
Club
for
Future

Summer
Bench
Scale
Research
&

Grant
from
Big
Ideas
@
Berkeley

Bench
Scale
Research
&
Production

Set
Up
of
Biodiesel
Pilot
Facility

Biodiesel
Pilot
Production
Begins

First
Batch
of
Biodiesel
Ready
for
Sale

conversion. Starting in February 2016, we hope to begin purchasing components to construct
a 40 gallon biodiesel reactor and begin the production of biodiesel. Additionally, we have
drawn interest and plan to start an official Biodiesel Club in the upcoming summer in order to
continue research throughout the summer months on the bench scale while simultaneously
stimulating interest and providing education of biofuels to those who desire a hands on
approach to biofuel production before entering industry. Once our pilot facility is set up
next year, we plan to have our first batch of biodiesel ready for sale by March 2016.
7 Measuring Impact and Success
7.1 Benchtop Research Phase
In the spirit of any rigorous scientific development, our studies over the course of this project
on small scale biodiesel production processes will undoubtedly make novel contributions to
this field of research. We will conduct systematic and well-documented studies of our exper-
iments, which will be publicized to the general and scientific community through publicity
partners denoted in Section 3.1. This expansion of knowledge guarantees success of our
project: even if our methods of biodiesel production are physically unsuccessful, the analysis
of methods that did not work will drive the community closer to a better process.
The success of each experiment in the 307 Gilman facility will be evaluated based upon
the following variables: cost-effectiveness, produced biodiesel quality, shelf-life of necessary
chemicals, and scale up feasibility. We will measure the quality of our biodiesel against the
ASTM standards (see Appendix A).
Based upon the results we will develop a highly optimized production procedure scaled to 40
gallons per batch. We will measure the success of our procedure by the cost per gallon of high
quality biodiesel produced and by the amount of waste produced. We aim to beat traditional
methods of biodiesel production at 55 cents per gallon (not including feedstock price) with
11

about 8 gallons of waste produced per 40-gallon biodiesel batch. Upon a successful research
phase, we can publish our findings and pave the way for small backyard operations, small
businesses, and especially other college campuses. It will help raise awareness for clean,
alternative energy, particularly biodiesel. We strongly hope that after successful operation
at UC Berkeley we can stand as a model to other college campuses across the nation and
promote the development of similar projects.
7.2 Pilot Plant Phase
Success of the pilot plant will be based upon the quality and quantity of biodiesel we can
reliably produce and our overall production cost with respect to the price of diesel. Our
initial goal will be to produce 15-20 gallons of ASTM certified biodiesel per month. The US
Energy Information Administration puts the price of diesel at $2.47 per gallon as of March,
2015. Considering that as the minimum cost of diesel for quite some time, we aim to beat
that price with our biodiesel to provide a competitive alternative20
.
Completion of the secondary stage of our project provides engineering students at Berkeley
with a rewarding, educational, hands-on experience. Furthermore, it establishes Berkeley as
a green, self-sustaining campus that recycles its own waste cooking oil into clean, renewable
biodiesel. Finally, we hope to integrate our project into UC Berkeley’s Chemical Engineering
curriculum as a way to introduce students to pilot scale reactor engineering and encourage
them to pursue green energy related research.
8 Team Bios
With seven dedicated undergraduate chemical engineers, the group represents focused re-
searchers, student leaders, and curious minds.
Andrew Cho - A third year Chemical Engineering major at UC Berkeley, Andrew has been
involved in research for over three years, beginning with characterizing hierarchical struc-
tures at the nano- and micro-scale to pattern the biomimetics of gecko feet under Professor
Char at Seoul National University. Andrew’s work experience also extends as far as BASF,
where he synthesized catalysts to eliminate pollutants in gas streams. Now, he works at the
Energy Biosciences Institute with the Balsara lab, characterizing the enzymatic degradation
of polysaccharides from non-edible feedstocks to enable continuous biofuel production.
Christiaan Khurana - Mr. Khurana is a third year student pursuing a Bachelors of Science
in Chemical Engineering. Outside of his coursework, he does electronic structure calcula-
tions, giving his a strong background not only in quantum mechanics, but also proficiency in
Matlab, Python, and the Unix command line. Mr. Khurana specializes in design and practi-
cality as he works to create a versatile and sustainable exhaust system for an Homogeneous
charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine.
Kai Li – A third year Chemical Engineering/Computer Science major at UC Berkeley,
Kai has been involved in biofuel research for two years. He currently works for the Joint
12

Bioscience Energy Institute (JBEI) under Jay Keasling, developing genetically modified yeast
cells for the production of biofuels. He’s worked to optimize the purity, efficiency, and
throughput of biofuel production. He’s extremely familiar with the chemistry involved in
producing biofuels and biodiesel as well as the industry standards in terms of quality and
price.
William Mavrode - a third year Chemical Engineering student at UC Berkeley, he is
involved in microfluidic channel construction and particle imaging experimentation. His
technical skills in the lab involving extraction, isolation, and purification of compounds
make him an important asset to this team. Outside of the lab, he is proficient in MATLAB
coding and has experience with molecular dynamics simulation software. In recent years,
his work has included assisting in a consulting project for irrigating Dow’s Wetlands. In
addition, his strong leadership and communication skills are invaluable to the success of the
project.
Apurva Pradhan - Apurva Pradhan is a third year Chemical Engineering and Materials
Science and Engineering student at UC Berkeley. Apurva has a large amount of technical
background through his research on high valence cobalt based catalysts for use in water
oxidation in the Tilley Group. He is well versed in analytical chemistry including in the
interpretation of NMR, Spectroscopy, and Spectrometry data. He is also experienced in the
use of LaTeX, and can use MATLAB to model processes and interpret data. These skills
will allow Apurva to analyze the purity and composition of the produced biodiesel to ensure
it meets standards.
Jingting Wu - Currently a third year Chemical Engineering major, Jingting is an aspiring
leader, holding officer positions in ChemE Car, AIChE, and ESC. As VP of ESC, he handled
the annual Engineers Week, which was publicized on the Daily Californian, the Berkeley
Technology Review, and the Berkeley Engineering website. Additionally, he helped fundraise
$18,400 for the week, which spent $12,000. He is more than familiar with campus resources
such as funding and facilities, a valuable asset to reducing cost for this project.
Jay Yostanto - is a third year chemical engineering undergraduate at UC Berkeley. He
is currently the President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as well as the
President and Founder of Cal’s first Food Science and Technology club. In the Reimer Group
and at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Jay is conducting research on Artificial Car-
boxysomes for the sequestration and conversion of carbon dioxide into useful hydrocarbon
fuels. Jay has worked for Procter and Gamble as a manufacturing intern, improving supply
chain, manufacturing practices, and chemical optimization of the papermaking process in
Charmin and Bounty products. Jay’s strong networking and leadership skills have cham-
pioned his success in connecting the group to resources both within Berkeley, particularly
the faculty in the Chemical Engineering department, and outside with relevant industry
relations.
9 Budget
13

SECTION 1. PROJECTED EXPENSES
I. Supplies Cost Supplies Cost Details Total
FuelMeister II from U-DoBiodiesel
This all-in-one reactor can produce 40 gallon batches of biodiesel in 12
hours and handles most waste cooking oils (WCOs). The system has a
steel methanol pump to add reagent to our WCO solutions. The system
has a turbine pump for mixing and allows for modular upgrades as well.
$2,295.00
Waste Cooking Oil
Pre-filtered waste cooking oil (WCO) will be provided by Cal Dining
facilities in conjunction with the Filta Group at no cost to us. We have
spoken with Shawn LaPean, the executive director of Cal Dining and
Adel Moradi, the VP of Filta who have both agreed to work with us. We
plan to use about 5 Gallons of WCO from Cal Dining over the first year
and plan to scale up to a pilot plant (200 gallon production)as production
becomes reliable and buyers for the biodiesel are found.
$0.00
Methanol
In order to convert 200 gallons of WCO to Biodiesel, we will require 32
gallons of methanol for the transesterification reaction. A 55 gallon drum
of pure methanol can be bought from Duda Energy for $209.24
$209.00
Lined 55-gallon Closed Top Steel Drum
Four of these drums will be acquired through the Filta Group who have
agreed to lend us these materials at no cost at all.
$0.00
95-Gal AIRE Industrial Spill Kit
This spill kit can be used to clean up after an accidental spill of cooking
oil or biodiesel.13
$430.60
Bench & Pilot Scale Supplies (Lab Equipment, glassware, etc.)
Lab officials in the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley have already
agreed to purchase much of our needed equipment to conduct small scale
bench experiments. However, there may be a need to purchase special
sized beakers, stir bars, funnels, and any additional equipment we may
require. $500.00
Additional Chemicals
During our research, we may discover new experimentation methods that
require use of chemicals we did not consider beforehand. Because of
this, we have incorporated an additional cost for any chemicals that
become necessary in the future.
$200.00
Subtotal Supplies $3,634.60
II. Travel & Transportation Costs Travel Cost Details Total
UVO Transportation
Filta has agreed to pump the WCO out of Cal Dining facilities and drive
it to our campus lab facility at no cost to us.
$0.00
Subtotal Travel $0.00
III. Other Project Costs Other Cost Details Total
Disposal of Glycerol
Though small amounts of glycerol can usually be washed down the sink
(100g/L concentration). For large volumes of glycerol, special disposal
procedures need to be followed. $200.00
ASTM Testing at Chevron
In order to ensure quality of our biofuel product, we must send our
product out to a Chevron facility for testing to make sure it meets
standard biofuel usage criteria. A close partnership between Chevron and
Berkeley's Chemical and Biomolecular (CBE) department has allowed us
to send out for these tests at no cost.
$0.00
Big Ideas@Berkeley 2015-16 Contest Budget
14

Pilot Scale Space Rent (Richmond Fuel Station or
Berkeley Biolabs location to be determined)
In efforts to scale up our process to the pilot level, we have contacted
Richmond Fuel Station and Berkeley Biolabs, both of which have
available space for us to store our biodiesel reactor. In order to keep the
space, we must pay either company roughly $400.00 per month.
$1,600.00
Subtotal Other Costs $1,800.00
TOTAL PROJECTED EXPENSES $5,434.60
SECTION 2. PROJECTED INCOME
Revenue and In-kind Contribution Sources Revenue/ In-kind Contribution Details Total
Biodiesel Sales
Though buyers have not yet been secured, we will assume that we will be
able to sell biodiesel at market price. The current market price for B20
biodiesel is $2.98 per gallon. We will assume we will have an annual
production of 100 gallons of biodiesel
$298.00
Subtotal Income $298.00
Additional Grant or Prize Money Additional Grant or Prize Money Details Total
Grant from UC Berkeley Chapter of the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers
The UC Berkeley chapter of AIChE has promised to partially fund us in
our endeavor. $200.00
The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF Grant)
TGIF grant is allocated to projects whose main purpose is to promote
green and sustainable projects to better the environment. $1,000.00
Subtotal additional grant or prize money $1,200.00
TOTAL PROJECTED INCOME $1,498.00
SECTION 3.FUNDING GAP
PROJECTED FUNDING GAP 3,936.60$
15

10 References
1. What is sustainability? Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.epa.gov/
sustainability/basicinfo.htm (Accessed April 10, 2014).
2. Alternative Fuel Data Center. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/prices.html (Ac-
cessed April 10, 2014).
3. Biodiesel Vehicle Emissions. http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/diesels-emissions.
html (Accessed April 10, 2014).
4. New York Times. The Methanol Alternative to Gasoline. http://www.nytimes.com/
2012/02/24/opinion/methanol-as-an-alternative-to-gasoline.html. (Accessed April
4, 2014).
5. About the Biodiesel Process. http://www.biodieseloflasvegas.com/biodiesel-process.
aspx. (Accessed April 10, 2014).
6. Granett, Spencer. Bspace.berkeley.edu. https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal/site/
4cc7b769-c78a-4044-9771-d138014adc8d/page/1372e1f0-21bb-4310-96ec-548bddfd205d.
”Lab-5” (accessed March 29, 2014).
7. Amazon. Industrial and Scientific. http://www.amazon.com/Winco-Stainless-Reinforced-Bouillon
dp/B001L68ARC/ref=sr_1_sc_5?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1398227261&sr=1-5-spell&keywords=
mesh+drainer (Accessed April 15th, 2014).
8. Grease Disposal Tips To Help the City’s Environment. http://www.nyc.gov/html/
dep/html/residents/congrease.shtml (Accessed April 10, 2014), NYC Environmental
Protection.
9. Sharma, Yogesh C.; Singh, Bhaskar. ”Advancements in solid acid catalysts for ecofriendly
and economically viable synthesis of biodiesel.” Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefining. 5:69-
92 (2011).
10. BP-6, BP-12 Biodiesel Purification Systems. http://www.doctordiesel.com/DryWashFlyer.
pdf (Accessed April 10, 2014).
11. Semenkovich, N. MIT Biodiesel Team Future Uncertain As Costs Wildly Escalate. The
Tech. [Online] 2008, Volume 128, Number 26, Page 11. http://tech.mit.edu/V128/N26/
biodiesel.html (accessed April 1, 2014).
12. Methanol Regeneration Procedure for Amberlite B10 Dry Resin. Rohm and Hass. http:
//www.amberlyst.com/literature/a4/BD10DRY_MethanolRegeneration.pdf (Accessed April
10, 2014).
13. Spill Kits. AIRE Industrial. http://www.aireindustrial.net/spill-kits/universal-spill-kits
asp. (Accessed October 15th, 2014).
14. Five Pound Fire Extinguisher. ULINE Products. http://www.uline.com/Product/
Detail/S-9873/Fire-Protection/5-lb-ABC-Fire-Extinguisher?pricode=WY604&gadtype=
pla&id=73106877082&gclid=CKP-vaDz9b0CFZNqfgod1T4AXw. (Accessed April 15th, 2014).
16

15. Unlined 55 Gallon Open Top Steel Drum with Lid. ULINE Products. http://www.
uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10758/Drums/Unlined-55-Gallon-Open-Top-Steel-Drum-with-Lid?
pricode=WY582&gadtype=pla&id=72162813802&gclid=CKbwqfLz9b0CFVBgfgodQzIABA. (Ac-
cessed April 15th, 2014).
16. Alternative Energy News. New Way to Convert CO2 into Methanol. http://www.
alternative-energy-news.info/new-way-to-convert-co2-into-methanol (Accessed March
29, 2014).
17. Waste and Recycling Facts. http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html (Ac-
cessed April 10, 2014), Clean Air Council.
18. Hillion, G; Delfort, B.; le Pennec, D.; Bournay, L.; Chodorge, J. Biodiesel production
by a continuous process using a heterogeneous catalyst. Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div.
Fuel Chem [Online], 636.
19. Comprehensive Separation and Filtration Technologies for BioDiesel Processes. http:
//www.pall.com/pdfs/About-Pall/FCBIODEN.pdf (Accessed April 10, 2014).
20. Radich, Anthony. Biodiesel Performance, Cost, and Use. . Energy Information Admin-
istration. [Online], 1-7, ftp://ftp.eia.gov/environment/biodiesel.pdf (Accessed April
11, 2014).
21. Searchinger, Timothy; Heimlich, Ralph; Houghton, R. A.; Dong, Fengxia; Elobeid,
Amani; Fabiosa, Jacinto; Tokgoz, Simla; Hayes, Dermot; Yu, Tun-Hsing. Use of U.S. Crop-
lands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change.
Science Magazine. [Online] 2008, 319, Abstract http://www.sciencemag.org/content/
319/5867/1238.short (Accessed April 1, 2014).
22. Geyer, L. Leon; Phillip Chong; and Hxue, Bill. Ethanol, Biomass, Biofuels and Energy:
A Proﬁle and Overview. Drake Journal of Agricultural Law. [Online] 2007, 12, 65 http://
nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/bibarticles/geyeretal_biomass.pdf (Accessed April
3, 2014).
23. Radich, Anthony. Biodiesel Performance, Cost, and Use. . Energy Information Ad-
ministration. [Online], 1-7, ftp://ftp.eia.gov/environment/biodiesel.pdf (Accessed
November 9, 2014)
24. Duda Energy. Methanol. http://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=methdrum&gclid=
CNbn37_N7MECFcNffgodOboAWw (Accessed November 9, 2014)
25. ”FuelMeister.” U-DoBiodiesel. http://www.udobiodiesel.comBiodiesel/FuelMeister.
html. (Accessed February 2, 2015).
26. Lopez, Dora; Goodwin, James Jr.; Bruce, David; Lotero, Edgar. ”Transesteriﬁcation of
triacetin with methanol on solid acid and base catalysts.” Applied Catalysis A: General 295
(2005) 97-105.
27. Tech, Rick Da. ”Ion Exchange Resins for Drywashing Biodiesel.” Make Biodiesel. http:
//www.make-biodiesel.org/Dry-Washing-Biodiesel/ion-exchange-resins-for-drywashing-biodie
html. (Accessed March 1, 2015). 28. ”Drying Agents” UCLA College of Chemistry. http://
17

www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.html.(Accessed March 1,
2015).
18

11 Appendix A: Requirements for Biodiesel Blend Stocks
TABLE 1 Detailed Requirements for Biodiesel (B100) Blend Stocks
Property Test MethodA Grade No. 1-B
S15
Grade No. 1-B
S500
Grade No. 2-B
S15
Grade No. 2-B
S500
Sulfur,B
% mass (ppm), max D5453 0.0015 (15) 0.05 (500) 0.0015 (15) 0.05 (500)
Cold soak ﬁlterability, seconds, max D7501 200 200 360C
360C
Monoglyceride content, % mass, max D6584 0.40 0.40 ... ...
Requirements for All Grades
Calcium and Magnesium, combined, ppm (µg/g), max EN 14538 5 5 5 5
Flash point (closed cup), °C, min D93 93 93 93 93
Alcohol control
One of the following shall be met:
1. Methanol content, mass %, max EN 14110 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
2. Flash point, °C, min D93 130 130 130 130
Water and sediment, % volume, max D2709 0.050 0.050 0.050 0.050
Kinematic viscosity,D
mm2
/s, 40°C D445 1.9-6.0 1.9-6.0 1.9-6.0 1.9-6.0
Sulfated ash, % mass, max D874 0.020 0.020 0.020 0.020
Copper strip corrosion, max D130 No. 3 No. 3 No. 3 No. 3
Cetane number, min D613 47 47 47 47
Cloud point,E
°C D2500 Report Report Report Report
Carbon residue,F
% mass, max D4530 0.050 0.050 0.050 0.050
Acid number, mg KOH/g, max D664 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50
Free glycerin, % mass, max D6584 0.020 0.020 0.020 0.020
Total glycerin, % mass, max D6584 0.240 0.240 0.240 0.240
Phosphorus content, % mass, max D4951 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001
Distillation temperature,
Atmospheric equivalent temperature,
90 % recovered, °C, max
D1160 360 360 360 360
Sodium and Potassium, combined, ppm (µg/g), max EN 14538 5 5 5 5
Oxidation stability, hours, min EN 15751 3 3 3 3
A
The test methods indicated are the approved referee methods. Other acceptable methods are indicated in 5.1.
B
Other sulfur limits may apply in selected areas in the United States and in other countries.
C
B100 intended for blending into diesel fuel that is expected to give satisfactory vehicle performance at fuel temperatures at or below –12°C shall comply with a cold soak ﬁlterability limit of 200 s maximum.
D
See X1.3.1. The 6.0 mm2
/s upper viscosity limit is higher than petroleum based diesel fuel and should be taken into consideration when blending.
E
The cloud point of biodiesel is generally higher than petroleum based diesel fuel and should be taken into consideration when blending.
F
Carbon residue shall be run on the 100 % sample (see 5.1.12).
D6751−12
4
Copyright by ASTM Int'l (all rights reserved); Wed Oct 16 22:12:33 EDT 2013
Downloaded/printed by
Intertek (Intertek ) pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions authorized.
19

12 Appendix B: Quantitative Milliliter Scale Biodiesel Production Analysis
12.1 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking
Oil With Methanol
The chemical equation for the synthesis for Biodiesel using methanol is as follows:
C55H98O6 + 3 CH3OH + 2 C → 3 C19H34O2 + C3H8O3
Based on the volume of waste cooking oil and methanol used to synthesize the biodiesel,
the theoretical yield of the biodiesel can be calculated. It is known that 20 mL of Oil was
combined with 0.4 M Sodium Hydroxide in methanol solution and that the density of the
oil is 0.895 g/mL, the density of the methanol is 0.7918 g/mL and the density of the Sodium
Hydroxide is 2.13 g/mL. Additionally, it is known that the molar mass of the oil is 885.43
g/mol, that of the methanol is 32.04 g/mol, and that of the NaOH is 39.997 g/mol.
(0.4 mol NaOH/L)(39.997g/1 mol)(1mL/2.13g) = 7.51 mL NaOH/L
1000 mL solution/L − 7.51 mL NaOH/L = 992.489 mL Methanol/L
(992.489 mL Methanol/L)(0.7918 g/mL)(1mol/32.04g)(1L/1000mL)(5 mL) = 0.1226 mol methanol
(0.4 mol NaOH/L)(1 L/1000 mL)(5mL) = 0.002 mol NaOH
(20 mL oil)(0.895 g/mL)(1 mol/885.43g) = 0.0202 mol Oil
The limiting reagent in this reaction is the waste cooking oil. If the reaction goes to com-
pletion and all the waste cooking oil is reacted, 0.0606 mol of Methyl Linoleate (biodiesel)
should be synthesized.
(0.0202 mol oil)(3 mol Biodiesel/1 mol oil) = 0.0606 mol Methyl Linoleate
Theoretical Yield : 0.0606 mol Methyl Linoleate (biodiesel)
The experimental yield was found to be 11 mL. Based on the density for methyl linoleate
found on Sigma-Aldrich, 0.889 g/mL at 25◦
C, the mass of the yield was calculated to
be:
m = (11 mL)(0.889 g/mL) = 9.779 g Methyl Linoleate
The number of moles of Methyl Linoleate can be calculated based on its molar mass, 294.47
g/mol.
(9.779 g)(1 mol/294.47 g) = 0.03321 mol Methyl Linoleate
The percentage yield can be calculated as follows:
%Y ield = Actual Y ield/Theoretical Y ield = 0.03321 mol/0.0606 mol
%Y ield Biodiesel = 54.80%
20

12.2 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking
Oil With Propanol
The calculations for this biodiesel are the same as those done earlier except the biofuel being
synthesized is propyl linoleate instead of methyl linoleate and the chemical formula being
used is:
C55H98O6 + 3 CH3CH2CH2OH + 2 C → 3 C21H38O2 + C3H8O3
Based on calculations similar to those above, the number of moles of waste oil used was
calculated to be 0.0202 mol. Since there is excess 1-propanol, the oil is once again the
limiting reagent.
(0.0202 mol waste oil)(3 mol biodiesel/1mol waste oil) = .0606 mol biodiesel
Theoretical Yield : 0.0606 mol Propyl Linoleate (biodiesel)
The experimental yield was found to be 8 mL.
(8 mL Biodiesel)(0.86 g/mL)(1 mol biodiesel/322.59g) = 0.0213 mol propyl linoleate (biodiesel)
12.3 Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking
Oil With Propanol
The same procedure was done as in section 12.2 except acid hydrogen sulfate was used as the
catalyst instead of the base sodium hydroxide. The same volume of waste cooking oil was
used as in Biodiesel A and B, and as a result, the theoretical yield of the biodiesel, Propyl
Linoleate will be the same.
Theoretical Yield : 0.0606 mol Propyl Linoleate (biodiesel)
The experimental yield was found to be 5 mL.
(5 mL Biodiesel)(0.86 g/mL)(1 mol biodiesel/322.59 g) = 0.0133 mol propyl linoleate (biodiesel)
%Y ield = Actual Y ield/Theoretical Y ield = 0.01333 mol/0.0606 mol
%Y ield Biodiesel = 22.00%
12.4 Conclusions
The theoretical yields of all three biodiesels were the same, 0.0606 mol. This was the case
because the volume of waste cooking oil added to the synthesis of each biofuel was the same,
and in each case, the waste cooking oil was the limiting reactant. However, the experimental
yields and the percent yields were diﬀerent. It was found that the production of Base
21

catalyzed Biodiesel with methanol was the most efficient with 54.80% yield. The production
of base-catalyzed Biodiesel with propanol was the next most efficient with a 35.19% yield.
The least efficient fuel was acid catalyzed biodiesel with propanol with a 22.00% yield.
Synthesis with methanol had a better yield than synthesis of biofuel with propanol possibly
because methanol is a much smaller molecule than propanol and the alcohol functional group
can be deprotonated easier so the oxygen and remaining R functional groups can bond with
the fatty acids from the triglyceride.
The fact that Methyl Linoleate has such a high yield compared to Propyl Linoleate is another
reason why base-catalyzed Biodiesel with methanol is the best option for use commercially
among the three biofuels tested. Not only does it have a higher heat of combustion, but it
also has the highest yield among the three biodiesel processing techniques tested, making it
more economical to produce.
22

The Biodiesel Project

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