The Biodiesel Project

Andrew ChoChristiaan Khurana

Xingkai LiWilliam MavrodeApurva Pradhan

Jingting WuJay Yostanto

March 10, 2015

Contents

1 Objective 1

2 Needs Statement 1

3 Community Partners 23.1 University Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.2 Cal Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.3 Filta Cleaning Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.4 Bauers IT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33.5 Other Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4 Similar Projects Undertaken in the Past 4

5 Project Summary 55.1 Bench Scale Research Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

5.1.1 Research Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.1.2 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55.1.3 Proposed Bench Scale Effort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

5.2 Scaling Up the Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75.3 Facilities, Product Validation, and Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

6 Timeline 10

7 Measuring Impact and Success 117.1 Benchtop Research Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117.2 Pilot Plant Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

8 Team Bios 12

9 Budget 13

10 References 16

11 Appendix A: Requirements for Biodiesel Blend Stocks 19

12 Appendix B: Quantitative Milliliter Scale Biodiesel Production Analysis 2012.1 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With Methanol 2012.2 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With Propanol 2112.3 Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With Propanol 2112.4 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1 Objective

Our goal is to provide UC Berkeley with a sustainable means of acquiring biodiesel as acleaner, cost-effective, alternative energy source for use in campus vehicles and equipment.This will be accomplished through recycling of waste cooking oil (WCO) from local campusdining facilities. This self-sustaining initiative will provide a fulfilling hands-on experiencefor Berkeley engineers, educate Berkeley students about renewable energy resources, andreduce the consumption of fossil fuels. The process involves filtering the recycled oil andproducing biodiesel product through chemical reaction. Our biodiesel product will then bestored and made ready for campus distribution.

2 Needs Statement

The Berkeley dining commons currently use university funding to dispose of their wastecooking oil (WCO). Instead, WCO can be used to create biodiesel, thereby eliminating wasteand turning it into profit. Since the Industrial Revolution, the release of greenhouse gaseshave increased, leading to the rise of global temperature and its subsequent consequencessuch as the melting of the icecaps and the raising of ocean levels1. Supplemental to theneeds, the team performed a lifetime greenhouse gas analysis to measure the environmentalbenefits of redefining where and which products waste cooking oil goes into. We utilized theArgonne National Laboratorys Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use inTransportation (GREET) simulation model to track the carbon dioxide output. This modelwas normalized on the basis of one gallon of fuel. Changes in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG)emissions were compared between the reprocessing of waste cooking oil to disposing of theoil in landfill. Based on the model, the baseline emissions are 7706 grams of GHGs while therecycling process reduces that figure to 1358 grams. This is an 82% reduction in greenhousegas emissions for the environment.

With these advantages in mind, we hope to pioneer a cost-effective method for biodiesel pro-duction on a small-scale academic setting that improves efficiency over conventional biodieselproduction, and sets a precedent for raising awareness in green energy. Just like we haveeconomically refined the production of gasoline, there is potential, given an increase in mo-tivation and awareness, to do the same with renewable energy. This sustainability must bewidespread to be effective. If people, especially students, see what we are doing, they arelikely to become involved, donate, or bring a similar initiative to a new location. People willbe able to witness the functionality of renewable energy in daily campus transportation. Toimagine that this transportation was made possible from using a byproduct of their dailyfood consumption will inspire a mindset of sustainability to the next generation of students.Witnessing this functionality garners the support and ingenuity of future scientists, engi-neers, and politicians. And although it may begin with biodiesel from waste cooking oil, theawareness of any renewable energy will inevitably thrive. We can jumpstart this process bypromoting our environmentally benign initiative to other universities through news articles,a live blog, and keynote presentations.

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3 Community Partners

3.1 University Partners

The faculty and staff amongst the UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering department have beenintegral to the teams progress and development. The faculty advisor for the InnovationIncubator space is Dr. Shannon Ciston, who also serves as the Director of UndergraduateEducation. With her support, we have secured lab space and time for bench scale operationsin the Innovation Incubator as well as received advice on leads to our pilot plant locationfor February 2016.

Professor Jeffrey Reimer, the Chair of the Chemical Engineering department, was one of thefirst mentors in the faculty that we reached out to for initial support, and his involvementin the Innovation Incubator committee has helped us tremendously with approvals for workin the Incubator. Colin Cerretani is a lecturer in the Chemical Engineering department whowill serve as a lab advisor for us while we work in the Incubator. His expertise in supervisingthe Unit Operations course, a chemical engineering lab that employs many different benchand pilot scale experiments for chemical and mechanical processes in the curriculum, will bevital in troubleshooting our lab related obstacles. Esayas Kelkie is the manager of lab spaceand equipment in the Chemical Engineering Department at UC Berkeley, and his thoughtfulobservation of our Standard Operating Procedure has allowed him to graciously provide uswith the standard PPE and basic equipment detailed in section 5.3.

Paul Bryan, a lecturer in the Chemical Engineering department and former VP of BiofuelsTechnology at Chevron, has been our technical advisor for our research methods and safetyconcerns. He has helped us find and evaluate a myriad of existing and new possible conversionroutes of waste cooking oil to biodiesel, from solid catalysts to ion exchange membranes andmore. His invaluable experience at Chevron has inspired an emphasis on safety that hasgiven us the foresight into searching for pilot plant locations with access to appropriatePPE, fume hoods, and proper waste disposal abilities. He has also helped us consider thedemand side of biodiesel, possible sources of biodiesel use on campus besides transportation(such as backup generators), and current research being conducted on biodiesel productionfrom natural resources in developing countries.

Additionally, in an effort to make our progress and accomplishments transparent and ac-cessible, we have several partners to help us publicize our work: Mindy Rex, the AssistantDean of the College of Chemistry, Karen Lin, an author of the Daily Californian, and AnanthKumar and Nikos Zarikos, the president and chief editor of Berkeley Technology Review,respectively.

3.2 Cal Dining

The main source of our waste cooking oil feed stock will be from Cal Dining. Cal Diningof Cal Dining manages all the restaurants located on campus including the major diningcommons, Crossroads and Cafe 3. As a part of our project, we arranged meetings with

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Shawn Lapean, the Executive Director of Cal Dining to determine how much oil Cal Diningproduces annually and whether they would be willing to sell us the waste cooking oil. CalDining has informed us that their facilities produce a total of 94,000 pounds of waste cookingoil per year.

We then met with Shawn Lapean and Sunil Chacko, the purchasing manager of Cal Dining,in person to learn more about what Cal Dining does with its waste cooking oil and determinehow much it would cost to acquire the cooking oil. We found that Cal Dining currently paysa third party called Filta Cleaning Services to collect waste cooking oil directly from CalDining fryers and dispose of it. Cal Dining agreed to give us as large a volume of wastecooking oil as we desire free of charge and gave us contact information for Filta CleaningServices.

3.3 Filta Cleaning Services

With the help of Cal Dining, we arranged a meeting with Adel Moradi, vice president ofFilta Cleaning Services. Filta Cleaning Services collects waste cooking oil from all CalDining Facilities on campus and pretreats the waste cooking oil to remove any residual foodparticles and uses a proprietary technique to reduce the concentration of free fatty acids inthe waste cooking oil. The company then sells the filtered waste cooking oil to local biodieselrefineries.

As the company has a very good relationship with the University and Cal Dining, theyhave agreed to deliver up to 200 gallons of waste cooking oil per year to any location oncampus, free of charge, in hopes that we will begin purchasing the waste cooking oil fromthem once we scale up to demo scale. Additionally, they have given us access to a 250 gallonstorage container and a small pump to store the biodiesel and pump it into the reactor.Once we purchase our pilot scale reactor and begin producing biodiesel on the gallon scale,our relationship with Filta Cleaning Services will become very important.

3.4 Bauers IT

Our team has been in touch with Bauers Intelligent Transportation (Bauers IT), UC Berke-leys transportation company, to negotiate a way to sell our fuel to them after we scale-upour process. We have learned that all the buses used by Bauerss IT run diesel fuel and havethe capability of running with a blend of up to 20:80 biodiesel to diesel. Bauers IT is onlyone of the many avenues we may explore to satisfy the demand aspect of our projects, as weare well aware that even Berkeleys generators use diesel to operate.

3.5 Other Partners

Our mentor through Big Ideas has been Bill Buchan. Bill is the CEO of Market Potential,where he leads a consulting practice that specializes in helping young firms commercialize

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their technology or services in the clean tech arena. He has 27 years of experience in cleantechnology commercialization, with a focus on alternative fuels such as biodiesel, biofuels,and bioproducts. His experience includes founding two biofuel start-ups using feedstocks suchas yard waste and municipal waste. He is a Cal Alum with degrees chemical engineeringand civil environmental engineering, as well as an MBA. Through our weekly skype phonecalls, we have communicated with him about our progress, troubleshooting problems in everyaspect of the project, and seeking advice on plans for one year from now and even beyondthat. His insightful comments developed from past industry experience and mentorship ofother Big Ideas groups has surely been an immense contributor to our progress.

4 Similar Projects Undertaken in the Past

In 2007, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology made a similar proposal to build a wastecooking oil to biofuel processor on campus. Lorna J. Gibson, Chairman of MITs Committeefor the Review of Space Planning (CRSP) Program, assessed the project, and realized thatproposal costs had been largely underestimated. This miscalculation was because [T]heywerent aware of all of the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) issues regarding a fuelprocessor. Key issues include fire suppression and spill mitigation 11. With MITs unfortu-nate roadblocks in mind, our budget incorporates extensive safety equipment. Additionally,the prospective sites for our pilot scale facility, Berkeley Biolabs and the Richmond Fuel Sta-tion, are both equipt with safety systems including sprinkler systems and fire alarms.

MIT also faced the challenge of safe disposal. Although glycerol by itself is fairly innocuous,it contains excess catalyst, methanol, and water. Since glycerol is unprofitable and notparticularly toxic, it is not cost effective to sell it after isolation. Therefore, we must collectthe byproduct stream of catalyst, water, and glycerol, and dispose of it properly due to itspotentially hazardous nature. The UC Berkeley Guidelines for Drain Disposal states thatmethanol and glycerol can be poured down the drain as long as they do not exceed 100gper drain per day. As our pilot scale facility will exceed these restrictions, we will need tocontact the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) to discuss what precautions willneed to be taken and whether we will need to acquire a permit. Additionally, MIT failed toproperly document and publicize their methods of biodiesel production and the steps theytook to scale up their process. We hope to make the work we do, both in the bench scaleas well as in the pilot scale, as transparent as possible in hopes of educating others aboutrenewable energy resources. We hope to achieve this goal by working with the UC Berkeleycommunity as discussed in sections 3.1 and 7.2.

We may also donate the waste glycerol to a potential sub-group of student researchers in-terested in the development of soap, candle, and cosmetic technology. They can utilize thisglycerol in their experiments since it is a large component of their finished products.

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Figure 1: Transesterification of Triglycerides to Biodiesel

5 Project Summary

5.1 Bench Scale Research Procedure

5.1.1 Research Objective

The objective of our bench-scale research is to determine methods to reduce cost and increaseefficiency of biodiesel production on larger scales. Various heterogeneous and homogeneouscatalysts will be studied in respect to efficiency, reusability, cost, and safety. Further re-search will focus on optimizing conditions for conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel bytesting various temperatures and reagent compositions. The results from these preliminaryexperiments shall be further optimized on the pilot scale.

5.1.2 Background

The ultimate goal of this project is to create a clean, cost-effective, and self-sufficient uni-versity that can take its waste cooking oil and produce biodiesel for use in campus vehiclesand back-up power generators that utilize diesel. In order to accomplish this in a cleanand sustainable manner, it is imperative to perform small scale testing to determine howcomposition, temperature, catalyst, and reagent purity affect biodiesel quality, productionof byproducts, reaction time, and conversion.

Vegetable oils and animal fats are comprised of a mixture of triglycerides, free fatty acids,gums, waxes, and other aliphatic compounds. Biodiesel is usually produced through a chem-ical process called transesterification in which triglycerides react with an alcohol in the pres-ence of a catalyst to produce glycerol and a mixture of fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel)26.Figure 1 above shows the chemical process by which biodiesel is produced.

The majority of commercial biodiesel is currently produced through the transesterificationof soybean oil using a homogeneous base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.Although the base catalyzed process is less corrosive, the acid catalyzed process, utilizingsulfuric acid, is faster. Though homogeneous catalyzed biodiesel processes demonstratehigh conversion rates with minimal side reactions, they are not very cost competitive withconventional diesel fuel because the homogeneous catalyst cannot be recovered and additionalefforts must be made to neutralize the acid or base in the final product and the process cannotbe made continuous. Preliminary studies were done on the homogeneous catalysts sodium

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hydroxide and acid hydrogen sulfate, and our results can be seen in Appendix B. We hopeto begin research on heterogeneous catalysts and compare their yields with those alreadyobtained. The use of heterogeneous catalysts may result in a more cost effective process,primarily due to the ability to reuse heterogeneous catalysts and the prospective of creatinga continuous process.

Heterogeneous catalysts are categorized as solid acid and solid base. Solid base catalystsinclude several compounds containing alkaline earth metal hydroxides, alumina loaded withvarious compounds, and zeolites. Solid base catalysts have been successful with high con-version and yield of biodiesel, but are sensitive to the presence of free fatty acids. Solid acidcatalysts do not have this issue. Additionally, heterogeneous solid acid catalysts can simul-taneously catalyze esterification and transesterification. Esterification can be used to reactwith free fatty acids to produce additional biodiesel and increase purity of the product9.

Figure 2: Relative Activities of Solid Acid Catalysts with a 0.25 wt%Concentration26

The primary qualities for asolid acid catalyst are selectiv-ity, stability, numerous strongacid sites, large pores, a hy-drophobic surface, and eco-nomically viability. The Fig-ure 2 shows the relative ac-tivities for the transesterifi-cation of triacetin, a triglyc-eride, with methanol using a6:1 methanol to triacetin ra-tio and 60C with a solid acidweight percent of 0.25wt%.We will determine which cata-lysts to test in our bench scaleresearch by using kinetic infor-

mation shown by Figure 2 and other similar papers.

5.1.3 Proposed Bench Scale Effort

We will be carrying out our bench scale testing in the Chemical and Bimolecular Engineeringincubator space in 307 Gilman. The primary experiments we plan to conduct on a benchscale involve optimizing the biodiesel conversion process. Temperature, reagent composition,and catalyst type shall be optimized to maximize biodiesel conversion and minimize theproduction of byproducts. Intertek has agreed to run ASTM testing on our biodiesel samplesto determine the purity of our compound, and cetane testing to determine the quality ofour product. Our techniques for quality control is discussed in section 5.3. Additionally,gravimetric analysis and chromatography tests will be run to determine the concentrationof water and search for undesired byproducts.

Temperature shall be varied from 30C to 80C. This is the range of temperatures than can

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safely be attained in the reactor we plan to use. Reagent compositions shall be varied basedon ranges used in literature. The primary catalysts that will be studied include tungstamodified zirconia, Amberlyst-15, supported phosphoric acid, and sulfate modified zirconia,sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide. Deactivation studies on the most active solid catalystsshall be carried out to determine the number of reaction cycles that can be run on eachcatalyst before it needs to be regenerated or replaced. The bench scale chemicals for thisproject shall be purchased through the UC Berkeley Department of Chemical Engineeringusing funds earned through Big Ideas and other grant sources.

Experiments shall also be run on pretreatment of the waste cooking oil. Various techniquesof filtering the oil will be examined including the use of various filter paper porosity. Studieswill also be done on acid pretreatment to determine whether it increases yield or plays amajor role in reaction time. Other processing including straining the used cooking oil shallalso be reviewed.

The glycerol byproduct will primarily be removed from our biodiesel product through sep-aration by density. Two methods shall be tested to wash the biodiesel and remove andresidual methanol or glycerol present in the product. Wet washing with water is the mostwidely used method to remove any glycerol from the biodiesel product. Water washing willbe studied to determine whether it can be done without forming emulsions and underminingthe quality of the biodiesel product. Ion exchange resins for dry-washing the biodiesel shallalso be studied to determine product quality and economic viability. Although ion exchangeresins will produce a biodiesel product with a lower glycerol product than through wet wash-ing alone, they are more expensive and are prone to fouling, in which the top layer of resinbecomes coated with contaminants, and compaction, in which resin beads grow in size andcompact themselves within the tube. Though most ion-exchange resins can be regeneratedby washing with methanol, they do have a limited life and are designated as hazardouschemical material that will need to be disposed of safely.27

Drying salts shall be used as desiccants to dry the biodiesel and reduce the water content ofthe final product. Three salts will be studied to determine their ability to dry the biodiesel:calcium chloride, sodium sulfate, and calcium sulfate. The resulting biodiesel shall be testedfor water content and purity to determine if any undesired reactions with the salt tookplace28.

Throughout the course of our bench scale investigation, Professor Jeffery Reimer, an experton heterogeneous catalysis, and Dr. Paul Bryan, the former vice-president of Chevronsbiofuels division, shall advise us. Their specific involvement is discussed in section 3.1. Oncethe ideal conditions for conversion are determined, we shall scale up the process to the pilotscale and determine whether the same conditions produce the same level of purity and qualityas on the bench scale.

5.2 Scaling Up the Process

For the scale up portion of our proposal, the team has chosen to pursue the 55 gallon capacityFuelMeisterII, where most of the funds will go. A specialized system capable of turning heav-

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ily used cooking oil into clean, burning, biodegradable biodiesel, the FuelMeisterII providesexactly what the team needs in order to scale up biodiesel production. Relevant featuresinclude the production of two 40 gallon batches of biodiesel in 24 hours while only requiring45 minutes per batch of hands-on operating time25. As such, the operation typically requires40 gallons of vegetable oil and 8 gallons of methanol catalyst for every 40 gallon batch ofbiodiesel; however, the team plans to modify the reaction in the event that a more optimalreaction or reactant concentration ratio is found.

Figure 3: A Photographof the FuelmeisterII25

The FuelMeisterII was selected specifically for its ability to directlyinject catalyst into a safe, closed system without requiring to pouror stir any liquids. In the event that further scale up is viable,the quick disconnect fittings on the FuelMeisterII allow for futureexpansion and more convenient connection to tanks and lids. TheFuelMeisterII Dual will then be purchased to double up productionwhile only requiring similar operating times. The Figure 3 shows aphotograph of the FuelMeisterII.

Another advantage of the FuelMeisterII is its simple design. Thoughthe plastic reactor is designed for use with a homogeneous base cat-alyst, it can be easily modified to accommodate the use of hetero-geneous catalyst pellets. A grating will be added to the bottom ofthe reactor to separate the catalyst pellets from the pump. Oncethe reactor is drained, the catalyst pellets can easily be removedand cleaned as necessary. Additionally, the design of the pump system on the tank allow forus to change the feed as necessary so that reagents can be pumped directly into the tankwithout need for an external pump.

5.3 Facilities, Product Validation, and Future

The facilities that the Biodiesel project group will be utilizing for the first year of imple-mentation have been secured in a safe and economic manner. The bench scale researchand development will be nurtured on the UC Berkeley campus, conveniently located in 307Gilman, a lab space hosted by the Chemical Engineering department in the College of Chem-istry, free of charge to our student group. This lab in Gilman Hall is better known as theCBE Innovation Incubator and is a renovation of the former laboratory space where Pluto-nium was discovered. To achieve access to this space, our group submitted a written proposalto the Innovation Incubator committee with sections similar to those of Big Ideas proposalsand impressed them with the rigor of our proposed procedure, safety considerations, andmerit of project goals. We have been graciously granted access to the lab space in concisionwith our submission of necessary safety training documentation (referred to as EHS101) andStandard Operation Procedures (SOPs) to the committee. The Innovation Incubator hasbeen kind enough to provide us with standard Personal Protective Equipment or PPE (labcoats, powder free nitrile gloves, safety glasses), small beakers, flasks, pipettes, stirring bars,stirring and hot plates, syringes, access to air, water, vacuum, and a fume hood at theirown expense. They have also agreed to remove our glycerol waste produced in the lab on

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this small bench scale (< 500ml) responsibly and free of charge to us. A Graduate StudentInstructor (GSI) will provided for us to supervise our work and impart technical advice andmentorship when generally applicable to basic lab research techniques and principles.

While working in small scale in the Innovation Incubator lab space, we will be conductingtests on the < 500ml scale to collect enough fuel for ASTM and cetane testing. With 6batches of fuel around the 500 ml scale combined, we can produce enough fuel to performthe necessary ASTM and cetane testing to validate the quality and safety of our fuel. Wehave secured relations with Chevron Corporation, one of the largest oil companies in theworld, for the full subsidization of the cost of this ASTM and cetane testing at their thirdparty affiliate Intertek, located in Benecia, California. Intertek will perform ASTM standardtests to ensure our fuel is passing the following standards: Sulfur, % mass (ppm), max; coldsoak filterability, monoglyceride content, % mass, max; flash point, water and sediment, %volume, max; kinematic viscosity, sulfated ash, % mass, max; copper strip corrosion, max;Cetane number, cloud point, carbon residue, % mass, max; acid number, free glycerin, %mass, max; total glycerin, % mass, max; phosphorous content, % mass, max, and distillationtemperature. See the attached Table in the Appendix for a full list of potential tests andASTM Test Method numbers.

Figure 4: Photographs of CBE Innovation Incubator Space in Gilman Hallfor Bench-Scale Testing. There is enough room for 6 undergraduate studentsto work simultaneously with ample storage space and a walk-in fume hood.

The aforementioned benchscale operation is to con-tinue from its start inearly March 2015 un-til the end of January2016. During the remain-ing duration of this springsemester (March to mid-May 2015), the originalteam as listed on this pro-posal will meet in theInnovation Incubator labspace to perform benchscale procedures. Afterthis period, the summersession of the project willoccur from mid-May until about September 2015 where a new group of Chemical Engineeringundergraduates will continue bench scale research with the opportunity to study their ownnovel biodiesel synthesis routes as well as optimize the original teams work, still derivingfrom waste cooking oil conversion. As the original team will be serving in digital guidanceduring physical hiatus due to summer internships and other commitments, a new and fullytrained additional group will be given the opportunity to conduct independent bench scaleresearch utilizing our secured lab space and materials. This kind of open environment withthe supervising Graduate Student Instructor is vital to the optimization of pilot plant scaleexperiments to occur later in our timeline. Again, the purpose of these bench scale operationsare to ultimately determine the conditions and synthesis route best suited for converting thewaste cooking oil we receive as feedstock into certified usable biodiesel products at the pilot

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plant scale.

Beginning in February 2016, the team aims to have collected enough data to implement anoptimal pilot plant on a larger scale in a safe space, preferably on Campus. Currently, wehave no guarantee to be secured a space on the UC Berkeley campus for our intended pilotreactor and barrels for feedstock, materials, and finished fuel products; however, we have anumber of leads to off campus opportunities within distance by bus from campus. The mostpromising is Berkeley Biolabs. The rough estimate for rent of the space accommodating thepilot reactor, necessary barrels, and for 2 members of the team to work at once is about $400per month. This includes necessary waste disposal and guidance from Berkeley Biolabs staffand personnel with experience in biofuels operations. The other option, which is currentlyin progress of gathering information for, is the Richmond Fuel Station (RFS) and possiblecollaboration with the College of Engineering and Zero Waste Research Center. The RFSworks with the formula one car team at Cal and could possibly support our efforts for a pilotplant due to their affiliation with vehicles that require similar fuel to operate. It is to beemphasized that prior to February 2016 we will be actively searching for cheaper alternativeson the UC Berkeley campus to house these pilot plant operations and these aforementionedleads are backup options that would require additional funding from Big Ideas next yearor other grant funds. After the 4 months of pilot plant operation from February to June2016, we aim to be able to produce 40-gallon batches of useable biodiesel from our pilotplant.

Once we have ensured that we can reliably produce ASTM certified batches of biodiesel, wewill finalize sales negotiations with our community partners mentioned in section 3.1. Ourprices are incredibly flexible as our feedstock is free; we aim to be highly competitive withthe price of diesel (last quoted at $2.57 per gallon in March 201520) to motivate demand.The Department of Chemical Engineering at Berkeley has also expressed interest in fundingthe project for educational purposes even if we initially operate at a loss. These educationaldemonstrations could be used as a part of the curriculum and bolster the initial mission ofthe team to inspire students towards renewable and sustainable energy research.

Even further down the road into the second year of our project we aim to further scale upour operations in terms of volume. We will recruit new, younger UC Berkeley students tomaintain the project and establish continuity.

6 Timeline

The Biodiesel Project has already received approval from the Chair of the Department ofChemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley and has been approved to use theInnovation Incubator described in section 5.3 beginning in March 2015. After discussingideas with Professor Reimer and Professor Mulvihill at the end of last spring, we began smallscale research under the supervision of Assistant Professor Cerretani during the summer todetermine ideal conditions for biodiesel production. In February 2015, we spoke with ShawnLaPean, the executive director of Cal Dining and Adel Moradi, the VP of Filta who have bothagreed to work with us in acquiring pre-filtered waste cooking oil as our feedstock for biodiesel

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Figure 5: Future Plans for the Biodiesel Project

Dec-14 Apr-15 Jul-15 Oct-15 Jan-16 May-16 Aug-16

Acquire Pre-Filtered Waste Cooking Oil

Access Obtained to CBE Innovation

Bench Scale Research & Production Begins

Additional Research For Biodiesel Market

Bench Scale ASTM Testing

Organize Biodiesel Club for Future

Summer Bench Scale Research &

Grant from Big Ideas @ Berkeley

Bench Scale Research & Production

Set Up of Biodiesel Pilot Facility

Biodiesel Pilot Production Begins

First Batch of Biodiesel Ready for Sale

conversion. Starting in February 2016, we hope to begin purchasing components to constructa 40 gallon biodiesel reactor and begin the production of biodiesel. Additionally, we havedrawn interest and plan to start an official Biodiesel Club in the upcoming summer in order tocontinue research throughout the summer months on the bench scale while simultaneouslystimulating interest and providing education of biofuels to those who desire a hands onapproach to biofuel production before entering industry. Once our pilot facility is set upnext year, we plan to have our first batch of biodiesel ready for sale by March 2016.

7 Measuring Impact and Success

7.1 Benchtop Research Phase

In the spirit of any rigorous scientific development, our studies over the course of this projecton small scale biodiesel production processes will undoubtedly make novel contributions tothis field of research. We will conduct systematic and well-documented studies of our exper-iments, which will be publicized to the general and scientific community through publicitypartners denoted in Section 3.1. This expansion of knowledge guarantees success of ourproject: even if our methods of biodiesel production are physically unsuccessful, the analysisof methods that did not work will drive the community closer to a better process.

The success of each experiment in the 307 Gilman facility will be evaluated based uponthe following variables: cost-effectiveness, produced biodiesel quality, shelf-life of necessarychemicals, and scale up feasibility. We will measure the quality of our biodiesel against theASTM standards (see Appendix A).

Based upon the results we will develop a highly optimized production procedure scaled to 40gallons per batch. We will measure the success of our procedure by the cost per gallon of highquality biodiesel produced and by the amount of waste produced. We aim to beat traditionalmethods of biodiesel production at 55 cents per gallon (not including feedstock price) with

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about 8 gallons of waste produced per 40-gallon biodiesel batch. Upon a successful researchphase, we can publish our findings and pave the way for small backyard operations, smallbusinesses, and especially other college campuses. It will help raise awareness for clean,alternative energy, particularly biodiesel. We strongly hope that after successful operationat UC Berkeley we can stand as a model to other college campuses across the nation andpromote the development of similar projects.

7.2 Pilot Plant Phase

Success of the pilot plant will be based upon the quality and quantity of biodiesel we canreliably produce and our overall production cost with respect to the price of diesel. Ourinitial goal will be to produce 15-20 gallons of ASTM certified biodiesel per month. The USEnergy Information Administration puts the price of diesel at $2.47 per gallon as of March,2015. Considering that as the minimum cost of diesel for quite some time, we aim to beatthat price with our biodiesel to provide a competitive alternative20.

Completion of the secondary stage of our project provides engineering students at Berkeleywith a rewarding, educational, hands-on experience. Furthermore, it establishes Berkeley asa green, self-sustaining campus that recycles its own waste cooking oil into clean, renewablebiodiesel. Finally, we hope to integrate our project into UC Berkeleys Chemical Engineeringcurriculum as a way to introduce students to pilot scale reactor engineering and encouragethem to pursue green energy related research.

8 Team Bios

With seven dedicated undergraduate chemical engineers, the group represents focused re-searchers, student leaders, and curious minds.

Andrew Cho - A third year Chemical Engineering major at UC Berkeley, Andrew has beeninvolved in research for over three years, beginning with characterizing hierarchical struc-tures at the nano- and micro-scale to pattern the biomimetics of gecko feet under ProfessorChar at Seoul National University. Andrews work experience also extends as far as BASF,where he synthesized catalysts to eliminate pollutants in gas streams. Now, he works at theEnergy Biosciences Institute with the Balsara lab, characterizing the enzymatic degradationof polysaccharides from non-edible feedstocks to enable continuous biofuel production.

Christiaan Khurana - Mr. Khurana is a third year student pursuing a Bachelors of Sciencein Chemical Engineering. Outside of his coursework, he does electronic structure calcula-tions, giving his a strong background not only in quantum mechanics, but also proficiency inMatlab, Python, and the Unix command line. Mr. Khurana specializes in design and practi-cality as he works to create a versatile and sustainable exhaust system for an Homogeneouscharge compression ignition (HCCI) engine.

Kai Li A third year Chemical Engineering/Computer Science major at UC Berkeley,Kai has been involved in biofuel research for two years. He currently works for the Joint

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Bioscience Energy Institute (JBEI) under Jay Keasling, developing genetically modified yeastcells for the production of biofuels. Hes worked to optimize the purity, efficiency, andthroughput of biofuel production. Hes extremely familiar with the chemistry involved inproducing biofuels and biodiesel as well as the industry standards in terms of quality andprice.

William Mavrode - a third year Chemical Engineering student at UC Berkeley, he isinvolved in microfluidic channel construction and particle imaging experimentation. Histechnical skills in the lab involving extraction, isolation, and purification of compoundsmake him an important asset to this team. Outside of the lab, he is proficient in MATLABcoding and has experience with molecular dynamics simulation software. In recent years,his work has included assisting in a consulting project for irrigating Dows Wetlands. Inaddition, his strong leadership and communication skills are invaluable to the success of theproject.

Apurva Pradhan - Apurva Pradhan is a third year Chemical Engineering and MaterialsScience and Engineering student at UC Berkeley. Apurva has a large amount of technicalbackground through his research on high valence cobalt based catalysts for use in wateroxidation in the Tilley Group. He is well versed in analytical chemistry including in theinterpretation of NMR, Spectroscopy, and Spectrometry data. He is also experienced in theuse of LaTeX, and can use MATLAB to model processes and interpret data. These skillswill allow Apurva to analyze the purity and composition of the produced biodiesel to ensureit meets standards.

Jingting Wu - Currently a third year Chemical Engineering major, Jingting is an aspiringleader, holding officer positions in ChemE Car, AIChE, and ESC. As VP of ESC, he handledthe annual Engineers Week, which was publicized on the Daily Californian, the BerkeleyTechnology Review, and the Berkeley Engineering website. Additionally, he helped fundraise$18,400 for the week, which spent $12,000. He is more than familiar with campus resourcessuch as funding and facilities, a valuable asset to reducing cost for this project.

Jay Yostanto - is a third year chemical engineering undergraduate at UC Berkeley. Heis currently the President of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as well as thePresident and Founder of Cals first Food Science and Technology club. In the Reimer Groupand at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Jay is conducting research on Artificial Car-boxysomes for the sequestration and conversion of carbon dioxide into useful hydrocarbonfuels. Jay has worked for Procter and Gamble as a manufacturing intern, improving supplychain, manufacturing practices, and chemical optimization of the papermaking process inCharmin and Bounty products. Jays strong networking and leadership skills have cham-pioned his success in connecting the group to resources both within Berkeley, particularlythe faculty in the Chemical Engineering department, and outside with relevant industryrelations.

9 Budget

13

SECTION 1. PROJECTED EXPENSES

I. Supplies Cost Supplies Cost Details Total

FuelMeister II from U-DoBiodiesel

This all-in-one reactor can produce 40 gallon batches of biodiesel in 12 hours and handles most waste cooking oils (WCOs). The system has a steel methanol pump to add reagent to our WCO solutions. The system has a turbine pump for mixing and allows for modular upgrades as well.

$2,295.00

Waste Cooking Oil

Pre-filtered waste cooking oil (WCO) will be provided by Cal Dining facilities in conjunction with the Filta Group at no cost to us. We have spoken with Shawn LaPean, the executive director of Cal Dining and Adel Moradi, the VP of Filta who have both agreed to work with us. We plan to use about 5 Gallons of WCO from Cal Dining over the first year and plan to scale up to a pilot plant (200 gallon production)as production becomes reliable and buyers for the biodiesel are found.

$0.00

Methanol

In order to convert 200 gallons of WCO to Biodiesel, we will require 32 gallons of methanol for the transesterification reaction. A 55 gallon drum

of pure methanol can be bought from Duda Energy for $209.24 $209.00

Lined 55-gallon Closed Top Steel Drum

Four of these drums will be acquired through the Filta Group who have agreed to lend us these materials at no cost at all.

$0.00

95-Gal AIRE Industrial Spill Kit

This spill kit can be used to clean up after an accidental spill of cooking

oil or biodiesel.13 $430.60

Bench & Pilot Scale Supplies (Lab Equipment, glassware, etc.)

Lab officials in the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley have already agreed to purchase much of our needed equipment to conduct small scale bench experiments. However, there may be a need to purchase special sized beakers, stir bars, funnels, and any additional equipment we may require. $500.00

Additional Chemicals

During our research, we may discover new experimentation methods that require use of chemicals we did not consider beforehand. Because of this, we have incorporated an additional cost for any chemicals that become necessary in the future. $200.00

Subtotal Supplies $3,634.60

II. Travel & Transportation Costs Travel Cost Details Total

UVO TransportationFilta has agreed to pump the WCO out of Cal Dining facilities and drive

it to our campus lab facility at no cost to us. $0.00Subtotal Travel $0.00

III. Other Project Costs Other Cost Details Total

Disposal of GlycerolThough small amounts of glycerol can usually be washed down the sink (100g/L concentration). For large volumes of glycerol, special disposal procedures need to be followed. $200.00

ASTM Testing at Chevron

In order to ensure quality of our biofuel product, we must send our product out to a Chevron facility for testing to make sure it meets standard biofuel usage criteria. A close partnership between Chevron and Berkeley's Chemical and Biomolecular (CBE) department has allowed us to send out for these tests at no cost.

$0.00

Big Ideas@Berkeley 2015-16 Contest Budget

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Pilot Scale Space Rent (Richmond Fuel Station or Berkeley Biolabs location to be determined)

In efforts to scale up our process to the pilot level, we have contacted Richmond Fuel Station and Berkeley Biolabs, both of which have available space for us to store our biodiesel reactor. In order to keep the space, we must pay either company roughly $400.00 per month.

$1,600.00Subtotal Other Costs $1,800.00

TOTAL PROJECTED EXPENSES $5,434.60SECTION 2. PROJECTED INCOME

Revenue and In-kind Contribution Sources Revenue/ In-kind Contribution Details Total

Biodiesel Sales

Though buyers have not yet been secured, we will assume that we will be able to sell biodiesel at market price. The current market price for B20 biodiesel is $2.98 per gallon. We will assume we will have an annual production of 100 gallons of biodiesel

$298.00Subtotal Income $298.00

Additional Grant or Prize Money Additional Grant or Prize Money Details Total

Grant from UC Berkeley Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers

The UC Berkeley chapter of AIChE has promised to partially fund us in our endeavor. $200.00

The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF Grant)

TGIF grant is allocated to projects whose main purpose is to promote green and sustainable projects to better the environment. $1,000.00

Subtotal additional grant or prize money $1,200.00

TOTAL PROJECTED INCOME $1,498.00SECTION 3.FUNDING GAP

PROJECTED FUNDING GAP 3,936.60$

15

10 References

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mesh+drainer (Accessed April 15th, 2014).

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9. Sharma, Yogesh C.; Singh, Bhaskar. Advancements in solid acid catalysts for ecofriendlyand economically viable synthesis of biodiesel. Biofuels, Bioproducts, and Biorefining. 5:69-92 (2011).

10. BP-6, BP-12 Biodiesel Purification Systems. http://www.doctordiesel.com/DryWashFlyer.pdf (Accessed April 10, 2014).

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12. Methanol Regeneration Procedure for Amberlite B10 Dry Resin. Rohm and Hass. http://www.amberlyst.com/literature/a4/BD10DRY_MethanolRegeneration.pdf (Accessed April10, 2014).

13. Spill Kits. AIRE Industrial. http://www.aireindustrial.net/spill-kits/universal-spill-kits-chemical-spill-kits-oil-only-spill-kits.asp. (Accessed October 15th, 2014).

14. Five Pound Fire Extinguisher. ULINE Products. http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-9873/Fire-Protection/5-lb-ABC-Fire-Extinguisher?pricode=WY604&gadtype=

pla&id=73106877082&gclid=CKP-vaDz9b0CFZNqfgod1T4AXw. (Accessed April 15th, 2014).

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http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htmhttp://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htmhttp://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/prices.htmlhttp://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/diesels-emissions.htmlhttp://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/diesels-emissions.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/opinion/methanol-as-an-alternative-to-gasoline.html.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/opinion/methanol-as-an-alternative-to-gasoline.html.http://www.biodieseloflasvegas.com/biodiesel-process.aspx.http://www.biodieseloflasvegas.com/biodiesel-process.aspx.https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal/site/4cc7b769-c78a- 4044-9771-d138014adc8d/page/1372e1f0-21bb-4310-96ec-548bddfd205d.https://bspace.berkeley.edu/portal/site/4cc7b769-c78a- 4044-9771-d138014adc8d/page/1372e1f0-21bb-4310-96ec-548bddfd205d.http://www.amazon.com/Winco-Stainless-Reinforced- Bouillon- Strainer/dp/B001L68ARC/ref=sr_1_sc_5?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1398227261&sr= 1-5-spell&keywords=mesh+drainerhttp://www.amazon.com/Winco-Stainless-Reinforced- Bouillon- Strainer/dp/B001L68ARC/ref=sr_1_sc_5?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1398227261&sr= 1-5-spell&keywords=mesh+drainerhttp://www.amazon.com/Winco-Stainless-Reinforced- Bouillon- Strainer/dp/B001L68ARC/ref=sr_1_sc_5?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1398227261&sr= 1-5-spell&keywords=mesh+drainerhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/residents/congrease.shtmlhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/residents/congrease.shtmlhttp://www.doctordiesel.com/DryWashFlyer.pdfhttp://www.doctordiesel.com/DryWashFlyer.pdfhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N26/biodiesel.htmlhttp://tech.mit.edu/V128/N26/biodiesel.htmlhttp://www.amberlyst.com/literature/a4/BD10DRY_MethanolRegeneration.pdfhttp://www.amberlyst.com/literature/a4/BD10DRY_MethanolRegeneration.pdfhttp://www.aireindustrial.net/spill-kits/universal-spill-kits- chemical-spill-kits-oil-only-spill-kits.asphttp://www.aireindustrial.net/spill-kits/universal-spill-kits- chemical-spill-kits-oil-only-spill-kits.asphttp://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S- 9873/Fire-Protection/5-lb-ABC-Fire- Extinguisher?pricode=WY604&gadtype=pla&id=73106877082&gclid=CKP- vaDz9b0CFZNqfgod1T4AXwhttp://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S- 9873/Fire-Protection/5-lb-ABC-Fire- Extinguisher?pricode=WY604&gadtype=pla&id=73106877082&gclid=CKP- vaDz9b0CFZNqfgod1T4AXwhttp://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S- 9873/Fire-Protection/5-lb-ABC-Fire- Extinguisher?pricode=WY604&gadtype=pla&id=73106877082&gclid=CKP- vaDz9b0CFZNqfgod1T4AXw

15. Unlined 55 Gallon Open Top Steel Drum with Lid. ULINE Products. http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10758/Drums/Unlined-55-Gallon-Open-Top-Steel-Drum-with-Lid?

pricode=WY582&gadtype=pla&id=72162813802&gclid=CKbwqfLz9b0CFVBgfgodQzIABA. (Ac-cessed April 15th, 2014).

16. Alternative Energy News. New Way to Convert CO2 into Methanol. http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/new-way-to-convert-co2-into-methanol (Accessed March29, 2014).

17. Waste and Recycling Facts. http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html (Ac-cessed April 10, 2014), Clean Air Council.

18. Hillion, G; Delfort, B.; le Pennec, D.; Bournay, L.; Chodorge, J. Biodiesel productionby a continuous process using a heterogeneous catalyst. Prepr. Pap.-Am. Chem. Soc., Div.Fuel Chem [Online], 636.

19. Comprehensive Separation and Filtration Technologies for BioDiesel Processes. http://www.pall.com/pdfs/About-Pall/FCBIODEN.pdf (Accessed April 10, 2014).

20. Radich, Anthony. Biodiesel Performance, Cost, and Use. . Energy Information Admin-istration. [Online], 1-7, ftp://ftp.eia.gov/environment/biodiesel.pdf (Accessed April11, 2014).

21. Searchinger, Timothy; Heimlich, Ralph; Houghton, R. A.; Dong, Fengxia; Elobeid,Amani; Fabiosa, Jacinto; Tokgoz, Simla; Hayes, Dermot; Yu, Tun-Hsing. Use of U.S. Crop-lands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change.Science Magazine. [Online] 2008, 319, Abstract http://www.sciencemag.org/content/319/5867/1238.short (Accessed April 1, 2014).

22. Geyer, L. Leon; Phillip Chong; and Hxue, Bill. Ethanol, Biomass, Biofuels and Energy:A Profile and Overview. Drake Journal of Agricultural Law. [Online] 2007, 12, 65 http://nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/bibarticles/geyeretal_biomass.pdf (Accessed April3, 2014).

23. Radich, Anthony. Biodiesel Performance, Cost, and Use. . Energy Information Ad-ministration. [Online], 1-7, ftp://ftp.eia.gov/environment/biodiesel.pdf (AccessedNovember 9, 2014)

24. Duda Energy. Methanol. http://www.dudadiesel.com/choose_item.php?id=methdrum&gclid=CNbn37_N7MECFcNffgodOboAWw (Accessed November 9, 2014)

25. FuelMeister. U-DoBiodiesel. http://www.udobiodiesel.comBiodiesel/FuelMeister.html. (Accessed February 2, 2015).

26. Lopez, Dora; Goodwin, James Jr.; Bruce, David; Lotero, Edgar. Transesterification oftriacetin with methanol on solid acid and base catalysts. Applied Catalysis A: General 295(2005) 97-105.

27. Tech, Rick Da. Ion Exchange Resins for Drywashing Biodiesel. Make Biodiesel. http://www.make-biodiesel.org/Dry-Washing-Biodiesel/ion-exchange-resins-for-drywashing-biodiesel.

html. (Accessed March 1, 2015). 28. Drying Agents UCLA College of Chemistry. http://

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http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10758/Drums/Unlined-55-Gallon-Open-Top- Steel-Drum-with- Lid?pricode=WY582&gadtype=pla&id=72162813802&gclid=CKbwqfLz9b0CFVBgfgo dQzIABAhttp://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10758/Drums/Unlined-55-Gallon-Open-Top- Steel-Drum-with- Lid?pricode=WY582&gadtype=pla&id=72162813802&gclid=CKbwqfLz9b0CFVBgfgo dQzIABAhttp://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-10758/Drums/Unlined-55-Gallon-Open-Top- Steel-Drum-with- Lid?pricode=WY582&gadtype=pla&id=72162813802&gclid=CKbwqfLz9b0CFVBgfgo dQzIABAhttp://www.alternative- energy-news.info/new-way-to-convert-co2-into-methanolhttp://www.alternative- energy-news.info/new-way-to-convert-co2-into-methanolhttp://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.htmlhttp://www.pall.com/pdfs/About-Pall/FCBIODEN.pdfhttp://www.pall.com/pdfs/About-Pall/FCBIODEN.pdfftp://ftp.eia.gov/environment/biodiesel.pdfhttp://www.sciencemag.org/content/319/5867/1238.shorthttp://www.sciencemag.org/content/319/5867/1238.shorthttp://nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/bibarticles/geyeretal_biomass.pdfhttp://nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/bibarticles/geyeretal_biomass.pdfftp://ftp.eia.gov/environment/biodiesel.pdfhttp://www.dudadiesel.com/ choose_item.php?id=methdrum&gclid=CNbn37_N7MECFcNffgodOboAWwhttp://www.dudadiesel.com/ choose_item.php?id=methdrum&gclid=CNbn37_N7MECFcNffgodOboAWwhttp://www.udobiodiesel.com Biodiesel/FuelMeister.htmlhttp://www.udobiodiesel.com Biodiesel/FuelMeister.htmlhttp://www.make-biodiesel.org/Dry-Washing-Biodiesel/ion-exchange-resins-for-drywashing-biodiesel.html.http://www.make-biodiesel.org/Dry-Washing-Biodiesel/ion-exchange-resins-for-drywashing-biodiesel.html.http://www.make-biodiesel.org/Dry-Washing-Biodiesel/ion-exchange-resins-for-drywashing-biodiesel.html.http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.htmlhttp://www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.htmlhttp://www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.html

www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.html.(Accessed March 1,2015).

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http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.htmlhttp://www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.htmlhttp://www.chem.ucla.edu/~bacher/Specialtopics/Drying%20Agents.html

11 Appendix A: Requirements for Biodiesel Blend Stocks

TABLE 1 Detailed Requirements for Biodiesel (B100) Blend Stocks

Property Test MethodA Grade No. 1-BS15Grade No. 1-B

S500Grade No. 2-B

S15Grade No. 2-B

S500

Sulfur,B % mass (ppm), max D5453 0.0015 (15) 0.05 (500) 0.0015 (15) 0.05 (500)Cold soak filterability, seconds, max D7501 200 200 360C 360C

Monoglyceride content, % mass, max D6584 0.40 0.40 ... ...Requirements for All Grades

Calcium and Magnesium, combined, ppm (g/g), max EN 14538 5 5 5 5Flash point (closed cup), C, min D93 93 93 93 93Alcohol control

One of the following shall be met:1. Methanol content, mass %, max EN 14110 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.22. Flash point, C, min D93 130 130 130 130

Water and sediment, % volume, max D2709 0.050 0.050 0.050 0.050Kinematic viscosity,D mm2/s, 40C D445 1.9-6.0 1.9-6.0 1.9-6.0 1.9-6.0Sulfated ash, % mass, max D874 0.020 0.020 0.020 0.020Copper strip corrosion, max D130 No. 3 No. 3 No. 3 No. 3Cetane number, min D613 47 47 47 47Cloud point,E C D2500 Report Report Report ReportCarbon residue,F % mass, max D4530 0.050 0.050 0.050 0.050Acid number, mg KOH/g, max D664 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50Free glycerin, % mass, max D6584 0.020 0.020 0.020 0.020Total glycerin, % mass, max D6584 0.240 0.240 0.240 0.240Phosphorus content, % mass, max D4951 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.001Distillation temperature,

Atmospheric equivalent temperature,90 % recovered, C, max

D1160 360 360 360 360

Sodium and Potassium, combined, ppm (g/g), max EN 14538 5 5 5 5Oxidation stability, hours, min EN 15751 3 3 3 3

A The test methods indicated are the approved referee methods. Other acceptable methods are indicated in 5.1.B Other sulfur limits may apply in selected areas in the United States and in other countries.C B100 intended for blending into diesel fuel that is expected to give satisfactory vehicle performance at fuel temperatures at or below 12C shall comply with a cold soak filterability limit of 200 s maximum.D See X1.3.1. The 6.0 mm2/s upper viscosity limit is higher than petroleum based diesel fuel and should be taken into consideration when blending.E The cloud point of biodiesel is generally higher than petroleum based diesel fuel and should be taken into consideration when blending.F Carbon residue shall be run on the 100 % sample (see 5.1.12).

D6751

12

4

Copyright by ASTM Int'l (all rights reserved); Wed Oct 16 22:12:33 EDT 2013Downloaded/printed byIntertek (Intertek ) pursuant to License Agreement. No further reproductions authorized.

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12 Appendix B: Quantitative Milliliter Scale Biodiesel Production Analysis

12.1 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste CookingOil With Methanol

The chemical equation for the synthesis for Biodiesel using methanol is as follows:

C55H98O6 + 3 CH3OH + 2 C 3 C19H34O2 + C3H8O3

Based on the volume of waste cooking oil and methanol used to synthesize the biodiesel,the theoretical yield of the biodiesel can be calculated. It is known that 20 mL of Oil wascombined with 0.4 M Sodium Hydroxide in methanol solution and that the density of theoil is 0.895 g/mL, the density of the methanol is 0.7918 g/mL and the density of the SodiumHydroxide is 2.13 g/mL. Additionally, it is known that the molar mass of the oil is 885.43g/mol, that of the methanol is 32.04 g/mol, and that of the NaOH is 39.997 g/mol.

(0.4mol NaOH/L)(39.997g/1mol)(1mL/2.13g) = 7.51mL NaOH/L

1000mL solution/L 7.51mL NaOH/L = 992.489mL Methanol/L(992.489mL Methanol/L)(0.7918 g/mL)(1mol/32.04g)(1L/1000mL)(5mL) = 0.1226 mol methanol

(0.4mol NaOH/L)(1L/1000mL)(5mL) = 0.002mol NaOH

(20mL oil)(0.895 g/mL)(1mol/885.43g) = 0.0202mol Oil

The limiting reagent in this reaction is the waste cooking oil. If the reaction goes to com-pletion and all the waste cooking oil is reacted, 0.0606 mol of Methyl Linoleate (biodiesel)should be synthesized.

(0.0202mol oil)(3mol Biodiesel/1mol oil) = 0.0606 mol Methyl Linoleate

Theoretical Yield : 0.0606 mol Methyl Linoleate (biodiesel)

The experimental yield was found to be 11 mL. Based on the density for methyl linoleatefound on Sigma-Aldrich, 0.889 g/mL at 25C, the mass of the yield was calculated tobe:

m = (11mL)(0.889 g/mL) = 9.779 g Methyl Linoleate

The number of moles of Methyl Linoleate can be calculated based on its molar mass, 294.47g/mol.

(9.779 g)(1mol/294.47 g) = 0.03321 mol Methyl Linoleate

The percentage yield can be calculated as follows:

%Y ield = Actual Y ield/Theoretical Y ield = 0.03321mol/0.0606mol

%Y ield Biodiesel = 54.80%

20

12.2 Base-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste CookingOil With Propanol

The calculations for this biodiesel are the same as those done earlier except the biofuel beingsynthesized is propyl linoleate instead of methyl linoleate and the chemical formula beingused is:

C55H98O6 + 3CH3CH2CH2OH + 2C 3C21H38O2 + C3H8O3

Based on calculations similar to those above, the number of moles of waste oil used wascalculated to be 0.0202 mol. Since there is excess 1-propanol, the oil is once again thelimiting reagent.

(0.0202mol waste oil)(3mol biodiesel/1mol waste oil) = .0606 mol biodiesel

Theoretical Yield : 0.0606 mol Propyl Linoleate (biodiesel)

The experimental yield was found to be 8 mL.

(8mL Biodiesel)(0.86 g/mL)(1mol biodiesel/322.59g) = 0.0213 mol propyl linoleate (biodiesel)

12.3 Acid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste CookingOil With Propanol

The same procedure was done as in section 12.2 except acid hydrogen sulfate was used as thecatalyst instead of the base sodium hydroxide. The same volume of waste cooking oil wasused as in Biodiesel A and B, and as a result, the theoretical yield of the biodiesel, PropylLinoleate will be the same.

Theoretical Yield : 0.0606 mol Propyl Linoleate (biodiesel)

The experimental yield was found to be 5 mL.

(5mL Biodiesel)(0.86 g/mL)(1mol biodiesel/322.59 g) = 0.0133 mol propyl linoleate (biodiesel)

%Y ield = Actual Y ield/Theoretical Y ield = 0.01333mol/0.0606mol

%Y ield Biodiesel = 22.00%

12.4 Conclusions

The theoretical yields of all three biodiesels were the same, 0.0606 mol. This was the casebecause the volume of waste cooking oil added to the synthesis of each biofuel was the same,and in each case, the waste cooking oil was the limiting reactant. However, the experimentalyields and the percent yields were different. It was found that the production of Base

21

catalyzed Biodiesel with methanol was the most efficient with 54.80% yield. The productionof base-catalyzed Biodiesel with propanol was the next most efficient with a 35.19% yield.The least efficient fuel was acid catalyzed biodiesel with propanol with a 22.00% yield.Synthesis with methanol had a better yield than synthesis of biofuel with propanol possiblybecause methanol is a much smaller molecule than propanol and the alcohol functional groupcan be deprotonated easier so the oxygen and remaining R functional groups can bond withthe fatty acids from the triglyceride.

The fact that Methyl Linoleate has such a high yield compared to Propyl Linoleate is anotherreason why base-catalyzed Biodiesel with methanol is the best option for use commerciallyamong the three biofuels tested. Not only does it have a higher heat of combustion, but italso has the highest yield among the three biodiesel processing techniques tested, making itmore economical to produce.

22

ObjectiveNeeds StatementCommunity PartnersUniversity PartnersCal DiningFilta Cleaning ServicesBauer's ITOther Partners

Similar Projects Undertaken in the PastProject SummaryBench Scale Research ProcedureResearch ObjectiveBackgroundProposed Bench Scale Effort

Scaling Up the ProcessFacilities, Product Validation, and Future

TimelineMeasuring Impact and SuccessBenchtop Research PhasePilot Plant Phase

Team BiosBudgetReferencesAppendix A: Requirements for Biodiesel Blend StocksAppendix B: Quantitative Milliliter Scale Biodiesel Production AnalysisBase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With MethanolBase-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With PropanolAcid-Catalyzed Synthesis of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil With PropanolConclusions