THE BUS STARTED!!!

Everyone met in front of the school, and we could not wait to see the bus start. Workers from the bus transportation commission poured the fuel in, and the last half was poured in by Hannah and Tai. We took a couple pics and headed inside because of the lockdown. We had icecream to celebrate our hard work!  All in all it was a fun and great experience that I will never forget.

May 16th and May 17th

Yesterday, we researched about about washing the fuel. I found out  that washing the fuel was time consuming and takes away some of the properties of the bio diesel.

 Today, we dumped out the usable bio diesel into a beaker, and the rest into the sludge bucket. Then we started a new batch by measuring a liter of used vegetable oil, and pouring that into the bottle. Then I measured out 12 grams of sodium hydroxide and dissolved it into the methanol; creating the methoxide. The methoxide was then added to the waste vegetable to separate out the fat and glycerin in the bio diesel.

The fuel is being refined further and further so that it can be used efficiently in a bus engine. We are getting closer and we can test this by running the fuel in a test engine. Then we can run tests on the engine, and preform various test and check the fuel lines for blockage.

May 12th, 2011

Today in class we finished cleaning the bottles by getting rid of any remaining sludge (glycerin, and fat), and pouring the usable bio diesel back into the bottle. We did this in a groups of two. One person squeezed the sludge out while the other person would wait until all the gunk came out. Then the bottle would have only bio diesel in it. The bottle was then put right side up on the counter.

What is a catalyst? A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without changing its properties. The catalyst we used was Sodium Hydroxide.

May 11th, 2011

Today in class we finished mixing our bio diesel. We first put on all the safety gear because we are working with chemicals that are harmful to the skin. I measured the 12 grams of sodium hydroxide. That dissolved into the methanol creates methoxide.

We used the following materials: 12 grams sodium hydroxide, 250mL methanol, and 1L used cooking oil. Today was successful, and we accomplished a lot. The dissolving the hydroxide was time consuming though.

The process for creating the bio diesel was: First, we poured the wvo into the 2 liter bottles. After 12 grams of sodium hydroxide was measured it was poured in with the methanol to create the methoxide. The pellets of sodium hydroxide had to be dissolved into the methanol. That took about 20 minutes. Next, the methoxide was poured into the wvo. Then we inverted the bottle 8 times, and put the bottle upside down in a beaker. After completion I learned the basic make up of bio diesel. Bio diesel is made up vegetable oil turned into fuel by the process of transesterification leaving bio diesel and glycerin. A methoxide needs to be created to separate the two. A methoxide can be created from methanol and sodium hydroxide.

Diagram of Diesel Engine

The diesel engine efficiently converts chemical energy into mechanical energy more so than a regular gasoline engine. This is because the compression concentrates the air in the cylinder.  Diesel fuel reacts more with the oxygen because of the concentration. The concentration means improved efficiency. Explosions in the cylinders happen after the air is injected and then fuel is ignited because of the heated compressed air.

The diesel engine has a four stroke combustion cycle:

1. Intake stroke:  Intake valve opens, letting air in and moving the piston down
2. Compression stroke: The piston come back up and compresses the air
3. Combustion stroke: While the piston reaches the top fuel is injected and ignited making the piston go down.
4. Exhaust stroke: The piston moves up pushing the exhaust out of the exhaust valve.

May 5th, 2011

Today, we worked on filtering the oil and heated up the oil separated from the water.

What worked
Oil was separated from the oil and rose to the top. Impurities that were left in the oil were evaporated while heating in the pot.

What didn't work
 The heated oil  from the 1st time wasn't fully separated and was wasted.

Tomorrow
I think we should let the clean oil set and pour out anymore thats water.

May 4th, 2011

Today in class we filtered the vegetable oil using paint strainers into buckets. We did that more than once. We also heated up the clean oil on hot plates to remove water. However, when it came time to transfer the beakers to the back corner; the beaker slipped and broke. It would probably be a lot better to an ove glove to transfer the beakers safely because you can get a better grip on the slippery beakers.

What worked
The oil was a lot cleaner than before because of the filtering. I think we should wait after the oil is heated up to let the denser substances settle (water). Then we can try to separate them and filter again.

Tomorrow I think we should skim and check how clean the beakers are with clean oil. If the oil has other substances the bio diesel won't turn out right and could also clog fuel lines.

Hypothesis, Materials & Procedures For Cleaning WVO

Hypothesis
If waste vegetable oil is first cleaned by filtering it, next let it settle, and heated up to remove the water; then the oil will be clean because the substances have been separated from it.
Also oil should not be heated up before filtering because fats will go through clogging fuel lines.

Materials
Bar/broom handle
paint strainer
filter (5 gallon)
Large funnels
Hot plates
5 gallon buckets

Procedures

1. First, filter the oil through the paint strainer into the bucket. The strainer can be held up by a person or by a broom handle/bar, etc.
2. Second, let the oil that was passed through settle and go through again if its too cloudy. Maybe get a finer filter.
3. Third, Heat up the oil to remove the water from it.
4. Pour the oil back into the bucket and let it settle out to be a clear liquid on the surface, and the bottom little bit cloudy.
5. Repeat any above steps more than once if the desired effects are not reached.

Notes
I found out that wvo (waste vegetable oil) that is hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, or shortening based will be harder to work with and probably won't make good bio diesel.

http://www.lovecraftbiofuels.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=28
This was one site I used as a guide, and its helpful because it talks about what can go wrong if you do a step incorrectly.

2 liter Soda Bottle Method/Cleaning Oil Method & Research

First, heat the waste oil up to 120 degrees Celsius to remove water. Let oil cool. Mix methanol (250mL) and NaOH (One slightly rounded teaspoon of Lye) to make the methoxide. DO NOT MIX THE METHOXIDE IN PLASTIC BOTTLES IT WILL CREATE HOLES! Mixing may take up to 10 minutes, and temperature may increase. After all the NaOH is dissolved, add 250mL of new methanol, due to evaporation when mixing. When the oil is 55 degrees C use a funnel to pour the liter of oil into a two liter bottle. The take the mixture of methanol and NaOH and pour it on top. Screw the bottle tight, and mix vigorously for 10 seconds, or 40 shakes. Set the bottle down. The color will change from light brown to a rich, darker brown. At the bottom glycerine will start to settle. Most will settle in an hour. Let the bottle sit for a couple of days to turn clear.

Ingredients                                                                                               

• 1 liter oil (used)
• NaOH (lye/caustic soda) 1 rounded teaspoon
• Methanol (at least 250mL or more)

Materials

• 2 liter soda bottle
• 1 measuring cup
• 1 teaspoon
• container to mix methanol and NaOH (NOT plastic)
• 1 Funnel

 Research

How to make Bio diesel sites
http://www.make-biodiesel.org/Ingredients/ has different processes for making biodiesel and emplains how each component works.

http://www.make-biodiesel.org/Biodiesel-Recipes/two-stage-base-recipes.html high quality biodiesel using two stage base process
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html a good step describing the process in making your own bio diesel.

http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/agengin/g01991.pdf informative pdf outlining the basics of bio diesel

http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/fuelfactsheets/Production.PDF
PDF showing a chart of the process and BASIC steps.

How to purify oils
http://www.ehow.com/how_5948902_purify-waste-vegetable-oil.html
ehow on purifying vegetable oil and required materials

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=447609751&f=719605551&m=857600061 a site explaining the Dr. Pepper technique for making biodiesel. I like this link becasue it provides an easy and a safer alternative to it. It also provides the most information in general about what to do and what not to do.

How diesel engines work
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/diesel.htm/printable

A site that includes a diesel engine diagram and comparison between different types of engines.

First Impressions of Biodiesel Project

This could be the future of energy 

On April 25th, Mr. Ham challenged Ms. Rioux's class to make a school bus run successfully on biodiesel. The thing is is that Ms. Rioux won't be a teacher during the project; only the facilitator. The students have to come up with a method to fuel the bus on their own. We have to do the research and collaborate among peers to figure out the best method to make the fuel.
I am very surprised how we were chosen to do this. This is a challenging project to accomplish in the few short weeks left of school. Also Bio diesel can probably be easy to screw up and end up wrecking someone's engine. After I finish this project I will know me a lot more about bio diesel and even about green tech. I will learn how alternate fuel sources work and how they can be a viable option. I can't wait until May 23rd to start the bus. Start the bus!!

Initial Questions:
What are the similarities in biodiesel and regular diesel that allow biodiesel to function properly in an engine?
Will biodiesel work in a standard bus engine?
What components are in a good biodiesel?