Transport - Get Involved
Making a difference
Fourth-year Engineering student Alex Rogers (seen at right) is making his contribution to transport in a project where he collects used cooking oils from local Kensington restaurants and then uses this waste product to make clean, green biofuel.
Alex says anyone can do it but it’s important to realise that methanol is highly flammable and toxic and must be handled with extreme care. Also caustic soda is also hazardous and should be handled with appropriate protective clothing.
Here’s what to do:
Alex says anyone can do it but it’s important to realise that methanol is highly flammable and toxic and must be handled with extreme care. Also caustic soda is also hazardous and should be handled with appropriate protective clothing.
Here’s what to do:
First, start with used cooking oil from a source such as the local fish and chip shop or Chinese restaurant. Of course you could purchase canola oil at the supermarket for this exercise but it wouldn't have the same recycling benefit.
Mix one litre of this old cooking oil in a blender with 200ml methanol and 3.5g sodium hydroxide or caustic soda for about 15 minutes.
You’ll find the heavy brown glycerine separates to the bottom of the blender. This happens almost instantaneously if the reaction is done correctly, but it is best to leave it settle for about eight hours.
The resulting bright yellow liquid left on the top of the container is the clean, renewable, and cheap biodiesel that when used in a car will cut greenhouse emissions.
Alex says this is only the basic process for producing biodiesel. Talk to a qualified mechanic before using this fuel in your car.
For more info visit the National Biodiesel Board site.
For more info visit the National Biodiesel Board site.
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