SPEAR Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Responsibility

SPEAR

Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and

Responsibility

Biodiesel at Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative:A Visual Tour

How did it get started?

Fall 2006

Spring 2007

Fall 2007

Wilderness Skills instructors wanted to travel more green

Top ten finalist for Eco-Magination

Construct and test a pilot system

Began the construction of the biodiesel shed

Summer 2007

Finished construction… Began production!

Biodiesel Shed

Located at the intersection of Vanderbilt Place and 24th Avenue South inside the gate of the Power Plant

Biodiesel Shed

The Process

Starting Materials

Vegetable OilMethanol

Base Catalyst

Vegetable Oil

• Collected from– Rand– Commons– Jackson’s Bar and Bistro– And others

• VBI registered as a 501.c3 non-profit organization so any oil donations are also tax deductible.

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable Oil

Filter Wand

Used Window Screen to filter chunks

The Process

Methanol

Glycerin

Biodiesel

Powder +

Biodiesel

Synthetic talc powder

KOH: Potassium Hydroxide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Potassium_hydroxide.jpg

System

Separation

Glycerin Soap

To date VBI has produced over 1,300 gallons of

biodiesel and 100 gallons of soap for Vanderbilt.

Production Capacity

• Running a batch (~120 gallons) about every other week.

• Operating at full capacity, in theory 360 gallons per week.

• Currently limited by the amount of waste oil collected and personnel to run the system.

Cost

~$1 per gallon

Who is involved?

Biodiesel in Use

Biodiesel in Use

Who can buy the fuel?

Not the general public, due to regulatory issues

Summary

Getting Involved

For More Information