UIUC Biodiesel

Introduction The UIUC Biodiesel Initiative is a student run project that is working to convert Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) from all of the UIUC campus dining halls to biodiesel (BD) for use by the campus fleet. The university dining halls currently produce about 250 gal. of WVO each week during the school year while the campus fleet uses roughly 7,000 gal. of diesel fuel every month. The UIUC Biodiesel Initiative is a brand new project that began in the Spring of '06 and hopes to begin full production by the end of the '06-'07 school year. Funding for the BD reactor will come primarily from the 2$ per semester Student Clean Energy Technology Fee paid by all university students each semester. If all goes well, this project could save the university over $8,000 each yr. Project Status (as of 8/17/06): The funding application for $10,000 to the Clean Energy Technology Fee has been submitted. If approved, the funding will be awarded in early October. The team is currently working on finalizing the reactor design, establishing a devoted project team, and finalizing standard operating procedures for all aspects of the BD production. The BD reactor will be located in small garage (around 22 x 8 ft) at the Campus Garage & Motor Pool (Oak & Kirby). Project Timeline: - Aug to Oct '06: BD team will finalize reactor component list, and processes for acquiring/transporting WVO as well as reacting/producing/storing final BD product - 1st week of Oct '06: Clean Energy Tech. Fee funding will be awarded (this will likely be our main source of funding) - Oct-Dec '06: BD team will purchase and construct reactor, begin test batches - Jan - March '07: BD Team will finalize all processes regarding BD production - March - May '07: Full scale production of BD will begin. Officers Needed!!!! The biodiesel team is currently is great need of devoted students to help design and construct the reactor as well as aid in the production of BD. There is currently only one official officer (the project leader) and the following positions are open to anyone (no previous experience required & all majors welcome!): - a 2nd in command (or even co-project leader!) - secretary - treasurer - committee/task leaders for: 1. acquiring/transport of WVO 2. reacting WVO to BD 3. storage/transport/making sure the final BD gets used Questions? Contact Joe Teng - teng [at] uiuc [dot] edu Some Interesting Facts About Biodiesel Biodiesel fuel burns up to 75% cleaner than conventional diesel fuel made from fossil fuels Biodiesel is environmentally friendly: it is renewable, "more biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt" (US National Biodiesel Board) Fuel economy is the same to that of conventional diesel. Biodiesel can be produced from any fat or vegetable oil, including waste cooking oil. Biodiesel is a much better lubricant than conventional diesel fuel and extends engine life. For additional information, check out these websites: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel.html http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/main_sections/tech_assist/biodiesel.cfm http://www.biodiesel.org/