Driven by Innovation: WMRC Explores the Possibilities of Biodiesel

Source: Illinois Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC), 10/18/05
Date: 10.18.05

There’s a new truck on the University of Illinois campus emitting the tantalizing aroma of fried food.

But it’s not a new lunch cart or caterer. It’s an experiment in cleaner fuel. The goal is to turn a common waste into an effective, environmentally friendly, domestically produced fuel. The pleasant-smelling exhaust fumes are just a bonus.

Scientists at the Illinois Waste Management and Research Center (WMRC) are converting used cooking oil collected from the University’s Dining Services to biodiesel as part of an alternative fuels program. WMRC is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a University of Illinois affiliate. Tim Lindsey, director of WMRC’s technical assistance program, says that about 2000 gallons of grease from UI Dining Services will be converted to fuel per year. The 100% pure biodiesel, or B100, is being used to power a standard diesel Ford 250 pickup truck.

This makes the WMRC project particularly interesting, since what is commonly referred to and sold as biodiesel is actually a blend of pure biodiesel and petroleum diesel (B20, or 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum diesel, for example) to improve performance during colder temperatures. Chemical additives, rather than petroleum diesel, will be mixed with the pure biodiesel in the WMRC truck to offset cold weather issues during Illinois winters. Researchers will evaluate the performance of the biodiesel under various conditions and seek ways to improve or innovate upon the process of biodiesel production.

Most people think of biodiesel as a relatively new form of alternative fuel that is produced exclusively from soybean oil. However, Rudolf Diesel invented the Diesel engine in 1895. In 1900 at the World Exhibition in Paris, the engine was demonstrated using peanut oil as fuel at the request of the French government (peanuts were common in France’s African colonies at that time). Diesel came to believe that his engine would be a boon to agricultural development, and that vegetable oils might someday become as important as petroleum products. Petroleum diesel came to dominate the market for a variety of social and political reasons, including its relatively cheaper cost, and the fact that it was a byproduct of gasoline production. But, with today’s soaring oil prices, Rudolf Diesel’s notions about the importance of vegetable oils seem prophetic as biodiesel demands increasing attention from many audiences.

Biodiesel is produced through a chemical process that involves the separation of glycerin from fatty acids and binding of those acids to alcohol molecules. It may sound complex, but across the country, a growing number of private citizens are producing biodiesel using simple production kits that can be purchased on the Internet. Any vegetable oil, not just soybean oil, may be used. Animal fats may also be used, though vegetable oils work better. Oils from algae can even be used. Biodiesel offers similar power and lower emissions as compared to petroleum diesel and is as biodegradable as sugar, making it an environmentally friendly alternative that can reduce dependence on foreign oil.

WMRC works with Illinois industries, businesses and citizens to reduce waste and prevent pollution – thus the interest in both the used cooking oil waste stream and cleaner burning, renewable fuels like biodiesel. WMRC researchers are hoping to explore the use of other industrial wastes and byproducts in the production of biodiesel to assist businesses and organizations in turning what might otherwise be seen as a disposal burden into a valuable commodity.

"Currently we’re investigating the use of byproducts and oily wastes from a few large food processing companies in Illinois," says Lindsey. "We’ve found that samples collected from these companies can indeed be used to produce biodiesel. We’ve also received interest from the owner of a company that picks up waste oil and grease from food processors and restaurants. He uses diesel trucks to pick up and transport his shipments, so the possibility of using the waste he collects to produce biodiesel that could then power his own fleet is very appealing."

The use of oil from algae presents the possibility of working with Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs), brownfields, lagoons, or other sites where algae is an unwanted reality, to create a situation in which water is cleaned while renewable fuel is produced, on site. Algae can even be cultivated for the purpose of producing biodiesel efficiently. Lindsey says that some algae produce oil at rates 40 times faster than the most productive terrestrial oil-producing plants.

As the project progresses, there may be opportunities for WMRC to provide technical assistance and workshops regarding biodiesel production not only to industry but also to schools, private citizens, and farmers. At least one school has expressed interest in having its industrial arts students produce biodiesel from waste cooking oil generated in the cafeteria for use in school buses.

The scientists at WMRC also hope to explore alternative crops, such as sunflowers, as sources of oil for biodiesel production, expanding the benefits of the biodiesel feedstock market to a wider range of agricultural operations. Farmers might also benefit from the use of manure as a fuel feedstock, or from the substitution of ethanol for the methanol commonly used in the process—both possibilities the WMRC researchers are investigating.

"Given the environmental benefits of using biodiesel, the inherent efficiency of the Diesel engine, the economic and social issues associated with dependence on petroleum, and the fact that biodiesel can be integrated into our country’s existing fuel infrastructure, it makes sense to pursue biodiesel as an alternative fuel," says Lindsey.

For more information about WMRC and its programs, visit www.wmrc.uiuc.edu.

Send an email to the author, Joy Scrogum, at jscrogum@wmrc.uiuc.edu