Grantee Research Project Results
2014 Progress Report: Community Based Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease: The Evaluation of Technical and Economic Feasibilities
EPA Grant Number: SU835291Title: Community Based Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease: The Evaluation of Technical and Economic Feasibilities
Investigators: Lu, Mingming , Tu, Qingshi , Liu, Jason , Gillespie, Ron , Jacobs, Ethan , Noronha Silva, Aklecio de , Rocha, Lohayne Vilela
Current Investigators: Lu, Mingming , Tu, Qingshi , Zhang, Junsong , Liu, Jason , Wang, Jingjing , Xi, Ru , Waterman, Logan , Williams, Daniel , McNeeley, Adam , Luan, Ruiyuan , Vutai, Vincent , Holliday, Nathan , Greve, Anna , Pocker, Kathe , Gillespie, Ron , Jacobs, Ethan , Noronha Silva, Aklecio de , Rocha, Lohayne Vilela
Institution: University of Cincinnati
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: II
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2014 (Extended to August 14, 2016)
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 15, 2013 through August 14,2014
Project Amount: $90,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2012) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The objective remains unchanged.
The goal of the Phase II project is to continue (the Phase I effort) to evaluate potential technologies to convert both trap and sewer grease to biodiesel, to evaluate the impacts of the technologies (cost and environmental impacts), and to educate the community.
In addition to technology development, the team has been actively involved in various commercialization, student education and outreach activities.
Progress Summary:
- The project received a no-cost extension to Aug. 14, 2015. During the research, we found that another process (the in-situ process) may also have the potential to convert sewer grease into biodiesel. If this process works, it will reduce the need for pretreatment. We’ve done detailed literature review, and a few tries, and think it is worthwhile to pursue further. Also, as the graduate student does not have expertise in reactor design, our pilot scale reactor design is slower than expected. Given the time needed for material acquisition and manufacturing, another year will be very helpful.
- A better classification of the fat, oil and grease (FOG) to clearly label different types of FOGs. The first type istrap grease, and it refers to the oil containing waste (a mixture of liquid and solid) generated in the grease inceptors of commercial food service facilities. Most communities in the US have FOG ordinance to prevent illegal dumping of FOGs by commercial entities. The grease traps are pumped by professional grease haulers regularly and discharged to a waste water treatment plant in most US communities. The second type is calledsewer grease, and it is obtained from the oil skimmer, as a combination of the FOG from sewer pipes, with the trap grease from haulers like out local waste water treatment plant did. The sewer grease sample we received also went through a simple drying process.
- More tests for the 2012 patent application (patent publication no.: US20130239467 A1) on oil extraction. The patent application is current under review. We also evaluated a few other related patents, and we have until Dec. 26 to provide additional information requested by the patent examiner. Several more tests have been run to further support the patent application. Final result will be available in 2015.
- Exploring business opportunities with local commercial food processors. Trap grease samples were obtained from them, performed elemental analysis and oil extraction. One of them has the potential for oil extraction and we plan to follow up soon, while the other has low oil extraction potential.
- For commercialization: Team Effuelent consists of three students: Ronald Gillespie, CoB; Ethan Jacobs, CoB; and Qingshi Tu. Since 2012, the team has been actively involved in various business case contests to promote the patented trap grease to biodiesel technology, and has been one of the most successful student commercialization teams (in alternative energy area) at UC:
Ø The Effuelent team was one of the 7 finalists at the Midwest Clean Energy Challenge (April 3, Chicago IL), under “student companies” category. http://www.cleanenergytrust.org/challenge/competitors/
Ø They won the second place in the 2014 Ohio Clean Energy Challenge, a “clean energy student business plan competition”, in Cleveland OH during Feb. 2014.
Ø The interdisciplinary group applied for the NCIIA Stage Two E-team grant in summer 2014, but did not win.
- Qingshi Tu, the graduate student funded under this project, defended his PhD proposal on Sept. 26, and is expected to graduate Aug. 2015. He worked on the glycerolysis process and an in-situ process. Glycerolysis is a reaction between free fatty acids (FFA) and glycerol to form monoglycerides. The advantage of this process: reuse the surplus glycerin from biodiesel production. A parametric study for glycerolysis is underway to investigate the impacts of temperature, reaction time, and chemical dosages. The preliminary result shows that waste glycerine is as effective as pure, and the catalyst made from the waste trap grease solids had comparable performance with pure chemical catalysts (e.g. 90% reduction of FFA concentration in 3hr). The in-situ process has the potential of eliminating the oil extraction process. In-situ conversion is especially effective for sewer grease because it is contaminated with significant amount of solids and scum which makes it difficult to separate FOG by using the conventional extraction methods. Tests are currently underway.
- In education and outreach: The biodiesel from waste work will be presented in the following courses taught by other colleagues. Graduate student safety seminar, Nov. 2014, talk and laboratory visit.
- Training of undergraduate student with this project.
Ø Two Brazil exchange students: Aklecio de Noronha Silva (a third year Chemical Engineering major) worked on oil extraction from the concentrated trap grease; Lohayne Vilela Rocha (a senor in Mechanical Engineering) worked on pilot scale reactor design. She will use this project as her thesis, and is still in contact withthe group.
- Exploring the NSF I-corps program: the project team tried to recruit a mentor to form an I-team. Two candidates were contacted but were unsuccessful. The main obstacle is that the potential mentors do not want to attend the 3-day workshop to learn what they have already learned.
- The PI travelled to San Jose, CA to attend the NCIIA conference, to learn how to develop this experience into a course on Engineering Entrepreneurship.
- During the NCIIA conference, the PI also met with colleagues from East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), to learn from them the issues and needs for the sewer grease /trap grease to biodiesel process.The meeting actually supported the pending patent: if the trap grease is used alone as a feedstock for biodiesel, it may have difficulties meeting the 15ppm sulfur standard requirement (something new came up this year). But with the dilution of WCO, the S content is not an issue. The real market of the sewer grease /trap grease maybe to sell the extracted intermediate to a biodiesel producer, to be mixed with their oil feedstock. This sulfur content issue warrants further study.
Future Activities:
The project has met the objectives of the P3 program. Expected results and next steps:
- The technology development part: a doctorial dissertation will be expected focusing on trap and sewer grease to biodiesel technologies. More journal publications will be expected. By this time next year, we will have a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the different oil extraction processes explored.
- We will continue to work with JTM, a commercial food processor to have grease capture and a small scale processing operation on their site.
- We will further investigate/track the sulfur concentrations from the raw grease to biodiesel.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 17 publications for this projectProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractP3 Phase I:
Community Based Biodiesel Production from Trap Grease: The Evaluation of Technical and Economic Feasibilities | Final ReportThe 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.