MSSM Ignites!

Students in the MSSM Engineering class SCI 411 designed and tested a biodiesel reactor project that converts used grease and oil into biodiesel through a chemical process called transesterification. Vegetable oil, used cooking grease, or animal fat is made of thick molecules called triglycerides. During transesterification, those triglycerides react with an alcohol, usually methanol, and a catalyst, often potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide. The project began with students mapping out the reactor setup and dividing responsibilities among materials, chemistry, and design teams. 

The group conducted titrations to assess oil quality, measured free fatty acids, and used potassium hydroxide in the reactions. The students tested both old and new oils and watched the biodiesel separate from the glycerin. Titrations were continued to improve biodiesel quality.

The materials and design teams focused on the physical system needed to process the oil. They created and revised plans for an oil filtration system, used a 10-micron filter to remove sediment, heated oil for processing, tested a centrifuge, and worked on CAD measurements and calculations. Students also studied motors and tested whether a motor would continue working as the oil cooled and thickened.

The class also visited Pineland Farms Potato Company to learn more about large-scale production processes and how industrial systems are designed and managed.

A key test came during a burn comparison on February 24. Students coated one Q-tip with the biodiesel they produced, another with regular oil, and left the third uncoated. The biodiesel-coated Q-tip burned with a consistent, intense flame, while the regular oil did not ignite. The test gave students evidence that their biodiesel reaction had worked.

Throughout the project, students combined chemistry, engineering design, filtration, heating, motor testing, CAD work, and real-world problem-solving. Their goal was to build a reactor that could eventually create usable biodiesel for a teacher’s tractor while also exploring possible heating applications for homes on Trafton Road. It was later determined that heating houses would not be viable because the biodiesel gels in cold climates. 

On May 28th, the students gave a final presentation, and then everyone went to the parking lot to see a small engine running on a 60/40 biodiesel-to-diesel mix. Mr. Katsman noted that if it were 100% biodiesel, it would eat away at the rubber gaskets in the engine.

 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WUWnpHpEn9Y