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Creating Biofuel and Mitigating Waste
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/education/pdfs/acts_brown_biofuel_309.pdf

Matthew A. Brown and Raymond I. Quintana, ACTS, US Department Of Energy, Energy Education and Workforce Development

In this activity students make biodiesel from waste vegetable oil and develop a presentation based on their lab experience. Parts of the activity include creation of bio-diesel from clean vegetable oil, creation of bio-diesel from waste vegetable oil, chemical analysis of biodiesel, purification of biodiesel, and creation of soap from glycerin.

Activity takes time allotment of two weeks, which includes extended time in a chemistry lab.

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Climate Literacy

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Energy Literacy

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Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials
Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy | Technical Details

Teaching Tips

  • Extensions could be done on this by altering ingredients for fuel generation.
  • Good analysis component for linking lab to current real world industrial processes associated with the creation of bio-fuels.

About the Content

  • Clearly ideal for chemistry class.
  • Biofuels are a complex topic, and they have both benefits and drawbacks. For example, emissions from biodiesel combustion may be more toxic than those from from conventional diesel combustion. This article from UCLA steps through some of the pros and cons, Biodiesel fuels.
  • Emerging science is questioning whether biofuels can truly be considered carbon neutral. Educators are advised to seek current information on this topic. Here is one article from 2016, Biofuels increase, rather than decrease, heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions. However, this point is moot when burning waste vegetable oil, as in this particular activity.
  • Comments from expert scientist: The brief discussion that compares the chemical properties of vegetable-based diesel fuel to petroleum-based diesel fuel is informative. The figure that shows how a triglyceride can be transformed into
glycerol and methyl esters of fatty acids is very useful.

About the Pedagogy

  • Grades 9 and 10 would require substantial scaffolding and lab support with some components pre-prepared by teacher.

Technical Details/Ease of Use

  • Requires a fume hood for in-class preparation.
Entered the Collection: January 2013 Last Reviewed: November 2016

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