Bio fuel is alternative fuel source for cars takes things such as biomass and waste grease and converts it into a usable power source. This is preferable to using oil and petroleum because it comes from a renewable resource and burns cleaner.
How do you make biofuel.
The production of biofuel can be broken down into three major components
- Obtain Oil Feedstock
- Filter
- Dewater
- Measure Acidity
- Prepare Reactants
- Purify (decant glycerin, wash several times, dry)
- Verify Biodiesel Quality
This project will be focusing it's efforts on designing a system that performs steps 2, 3 and 4 in an efficient and inexpensive way.
What are the benefits of biodiesel?
It is a alternative fuel source that one can make in his/her own garage that is less expensive than regular diesel. It is also renewable unlike crude oil and burns cleaner.What is the availability and properties of fryer grease?
Fryer grease being much cheaper than fresh vegetable oil improves the cost and economics of biodiesel. Fryer grease is produced through a process where fat is heated, and the frying process is usually used by restaurants making the availability of grease simple. The grease is mostly composed of free fatty acids and triglycerides allowing for the process of transesterification to occur with the addition of an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol.
