Biodiesel is produced in a series of process steps, and data is collected at each step. Data is processed to 1) ensure the quality of the biodiesel produced and 2) quantify the overall energy and water use to produce 20L of biodiesel. Links to relevent SOPs are available in the tables below and full descriptions of analytical SOPs can be found on the SOP page. Also, individual batch data (e.g. Batch # 2024_001) appears at the bottom of this page.
Biodiesel Production Steps
Process Step
Type of Data Collected (Units)
Method of Data Collection/SOP
Grease collection
Volume collected (L)
Free fatty acid %
Graduated cylinder
FFA Titration
Course filtration (1 mm)
Rendering
Time (min)
Temperature (‘C)
Pressure (torr)
Transesterification
Stage 1
Reaction monitoring
Reaction time
Reaction temperature
IR
Separation
Stage 1
Volume of biodiesel
Volume of glycerol
Volume of ethanol
Transesterification Stage 2
Reaction monitoring
Reaction time
Reaction temperature
IR
Separation
Stage 2
Volume of biodiesel
Volume of glycerol
Volume of ethanol
Acid Wash
Water consumption (L)
Acid consumption
Water Wash
Water consumption (L)
Aeration time (hr)
Final Rendering
Heating time (hr)
Final Filtration (0.1 mm)
Biodiesel Product Analysis SOPs
IR for reaction completion
GC-MS for ethanol analysis
GC-MS for free glycerol derivitization and analysis
NMR for total glycerol analysis
Bomb calorimetry for energy content
These SOP files live on OneDrive and can be edited.
Batch 001
05/30/2024
Volume Produced
21.4 L
Energy content (bomb calorimetry)
Ethanol content (GC-MS)
Glycerol content (GC-MS)
Reaction notes
Batch 002
06/03/2024
Volume Produced
21.4 L
Energy content (bomb calorimetry)
Ethanol content (GC-MS)
Glycerol content (GC-MS)
Reaction notes
Batch 003
07/25/2024
Volume Produced
24.8 L
Energy content (bomb calorimetry)
7.3 x 10^7 J
Ethanol content (GC-MS)
Glycerol content (GC-MS)
Reaction notes
Batch 004
12/23/2024
Volume Produced
19.0 L
Energy content (bomb calorimetry)
Ethanol content (GC-MS)
Glycerol content (GC-MS)
Reaction notes