This week, in lab, Professor Lau guided the class through the biodiesel production process. First, he went through the theoretical component of the process. Lau explained the importance of stoichiometric ratios and pretreatment of the feedstock. Then, he titrated the sample (soybean oil in this case) with sodium hydroxide and phenolpthalein indicator to determine the pH and free fatty acid content of the feedstock.
The reaction to produce biodiesel was conducted, using the calculated stoichiometric ratios. The methoxide solution was weighed and mixed in a small Erlenmeyer flask. The soybean oil feedstock was weighed out and transferred to another flask. A larger flask was used as the reaction vessel.
The reaction vessel was placed into a water bath shaker that agitated the mixture and kept it warm. After being left for several hours, it was poured into a separation flask. This allowed the mixture to settle into glycerin and crude biodiesel. The separation flask had a valve at the bottom that allowed the glycerin to flow out.
Group 1 has made significant progress on a timeline for this project.
The group has split up responsibilities for Phases A and B. This week will be dedicated to obtaining oil feedstock and materials for the electrolysis rig.
Group 1 has also corresponded with Emilie Siochi, a NASA scientist. In 2010, she was involved with a patent on biodiesel purification using electrolysis. She gave Group 1 more information on replicating the results of NASA's experiments. For more information about Siochi's experiment, visit the research page.
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