RUBIRice University Biodiesel Initiative

Leading By Example:

Turning Used Cooking Oil

into Clean Fuel

What is RUBI?

RUBI is a group of Rice students, faculty and staff who are interested in promoting sustainability and the use of clean alternative fuels. It was started in the summer of 2005 by Matt Yarrison, Christine Robichaud, Guyton Durnin and Lizzi Clark.

Biodiesel Pilot Project: RUBI members are currently building a pilot plant that will process waste cooking oil collected from Housing and Dining's on-campus dining facilities as a feedstock to produce biodiesel.

The biodiesel will then be used in diesel engines belonging to Facilities, Engineering and Planning.

Small Test Facility RUBI has already built a small test

facility in the undergraduate lab of the ChBE department to optimize the process of making fuel-grade biodiesel.

We have run many successful tests with used cooking oil obtained from Rice’s Central Kitchen.

Small batches of our biodiesel have been already tested in lawn mowers of the F&E department.

Currently, we are in the process of developing a mini analytical lab that will allow us to certify that our product meets ASTM specifications for fuel-grade biodiesel.

David Kelvin and Mark Bahorich installing a stirrer in a wash drum.

Jennifer Wang and Matt Yarrison setting up our analytical lab.

David Kelvin

operating the small

test facility.

The Pilot Plant

The 70-gallon, stainless-steel reactor is almost complete (see picture on the right) and has been recently leak-tested.

The pilot plant will be built on a site close to Sid Rich College.

The pilot plant will: produce 50-100 gallons of biodiesel

per week that passes all ASTM standards (BQ9000) as well as the §114.315 procedure, and

help us incorporate sustainability into the educational experience of Rice students.

RUBI Info

To get involved with RUBI or to find more about it, please contact: Guyton Durnin gwdurnin@rice.edu Matt Yarrison yarrison@rice.edu

Faculty Advisor: K. Zygourakis

RUBI Sponsors: Shell Center for Sustainability Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) Center for the Study of Environment and Society (CSES) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering