Grantee Research Project Results
Biodiesel Production from Ethanol and Glycerol: a Living Laboratory for STEM Students
EPA Grant Number: SU840686Title: Biodiesel Production from Ethanol and Glycerol: a Living Laboratory for STEM Students
Investigators: Socha, Aaron
Institution: Queens University of Charlotte
EPA Project Officer: Brooks, Donald
Phase: I
Project Period: January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2025
Project Amount: $75,000
RFA: 20th Annual P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet Request for Applications (RFA) (2023) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , Environment , Land and Waste Management
Description:
Biodiesel is a collective term for compression-ignition fuels produced from the transesterification reaction of triglyceride oils with alcohols. In 2020, the US Energy Information Administration reported nearly 2 billion gallons of domestic biodiesel production. Due to physicochemical differences between ethanol and methanol, biodiesel ethyl ester production from ethanol, a safe renewable alcohol, is more challenging than biodiesel methyl ester production methanol, a toxic non-renewable alcohol. Biphasic liquid partitioning allows separation of biodiesel product from glycerol by-product and is significantly less tolerant of water when using ethanol in the transesterification reaction. Due to this strict requirement for anhydrous conditions, most smallscale biodiesel producers, including college campuses, rely on methanol for the transesterification reaction. Due to the chemical equilibrium of the transesterification, approximately 20% of the 4 reaction volume requires alcohol. Thus, production of 50 gallons of biodiesel requires approximately 10 gallons of alcohol. The following proposal outlines the production and use of biodiesel ethyl esters enabled by a potassium glyceroxide catalyst formulation technology made from the glycerol by-product “waste” stream. The potassium glyceroxide catalyst technology to be further developed in this project represents an on-going collaboration between scientists at Queens University of Charlotte, North Carolina State University, and Carolina Biofuels. Catalyst production utilizes approximately 50% of the biodiesel process waste stream, and its production is safer when compared to the industry standard catalyst, sodium methoxide. Due to large differences in boiling points between water (100o C) and glycerol (290o C), the glyceroxide catalyst formulation can be dried by heating under vacuum (140o C, 0.5 torr). While the Safety Data Sheets classify both ethanol and methanol as highly flammable, the latter is internationally regulated as toxic by inhalation, swallowed, or in contact with skin (McMartin et al., 1980; Pohanka, 2016). The major goals of the project are: 1) Design and engineer a safe and efficient biodiesel reactor system capable of processing 50 gal of used cooking oil per month into biodiesel ethyl esters for use in campus equipment. The unit will include a glycerol recovery and distillation component to repurpose glycerol by-product into potassium glyceroxide catalyst. 2) Develop a summer outreach program designed to educate high school STEM teachers in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School system by leveraging Queens undergraduate student assistants and an established relationship with the Charlotte Teachers Institute.
Objective:
The objective of this project is to design and construct a biodiesel reactor system to convert used cooking oil to ethyl ester biodiesel for use in campus equipment. The process uses a catalyst technology developed at Queens University of Charlotte and aims to increase production scale from 5 to 50 gallons/month. Additionally, the project will leverage an existing relationship with the Charlotte Teachers Institute to implement workshops for local high school STEM teachers. Recruiting undergraduates from diverse backgrounds through collaboration with Queens STEM departments, local chapters of the American Chemical Society, and the Student Veterans of America will ensure long-term sustainability of the scientific and outreach components of the project.
Expected Results:
Goal 1 will be accomplished at Queens University in Rogers Hall Science Building. The Queens team has already designed and constructed a 5 gallon/month reactor system that utilizes potassium glyceroxide catalyst to produce biodiesel ethyl esters for use on campus equipment. Funding for this project will ensure procurement of a larger reactor system capable of producing ASTM-grade biodiesel ethyl esters. Upon completion of the reactor, a complete set of chemical processing and safety instructions, alongside process flow engineering diagrams will be published on the department website. Additionally, Queens will continue to collaborate with Dr. Minliang Yang, an Assistant Professor at NC State University to quantify the glyceroxide process economics and greenhouse gas emissions using the US DoE GREET model. The results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed chemistry and/or engineering journal(s). Goal 2 will be accomplished through development of two summer workshops to train high school STEM teachers on the importance of renewable energy and safe use of chemicals. In June of 2024, Queens will host two teachers through collaboration with CTI to assist with final construction and documentation of the 50-gallon reactor. In June of 2025, the same two teachers will return to Queens to develop a series of lecture and laboratory modules on chemistry, renewable energy, and engineering to be used as CMS curricula. Results will be presented to the greater CMS system at the annual CTI conference.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
biodiesel, glycerol, catalyst, fatty acid ethyl ester, vegetable oil, triglyceride, chemical safety, sustainabilityProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.