Subdued Crude Paving the Way for Less-Lewd Renewed Car Food
Team Members Heading link
- Kellen Krupa
- Milos Markovic
- Jake Proctor
- Cheryl Slykas
Advisors: Jerome Palmer, Betul Bilgin, PhD
Project Description Heading link
Biodiesel is an essential product used in the fuel industry. It is typically blended with petroleum-diesel fuel for use in vehicles and is available nationwide in the U.S. It is also available as 100% biodiesel at many fueling stations across the country. The goal of this project is to design a chemical plant that produces biodiesel from used cooking oil via the supercritical processing method and to ensure cost effectiveness and energy efficiency. Traditionally, biodiesel is produced from vegetable oil using a catalyst to facilitate the reaction. By changing the process to the supercritical process, biodiesel can be produced without the need of a catalyst. This reduces the need for extra separation equipment and allows the production of technical grade glycerol as a byproduct. Market research indicates approximately a 7% growth of the biodiesel market in the U.S. over the next 6 years. It is estimated that this project fulfills approximately 1.5% of the available market which equates to 9.5 million gallons (226,190 barrels) of biodiesel per year.
See supporting documentation in the team’s Box drive.