Green Chemistry Science Classroom Kit Production of Biodiesel

In this activity,  up to 30  students (working in pairs) will be performing a two-phase process to produce small batches of crude biodie­sel. The crude biodiesel produced is of sufficient quality for use in the demonstration of the burning qualities of both biodiesel and vegetable oil. Included is an optional small-scale exercise where the students will use a washing procedure for the crude biodiesel if you wish to have the students experience the full process of producing biodiesel to meet quality levels necessary for use in ve­hicles.

Materials Included

4 X 500ml Vegetable oil

15 X 25ml Methyl alcohol

1 X 20g Potassium hydroxide

2 Microburners

Materials Needed But Not Supplied

Beakers, 250ml

Graduated cylinders, 25ml

Graduated cylinders, 250ml

Thermometers

Hot plate/stirrers

Electronic balance

Parafilm® (or similar)

Large pipettes and bulbs OR separatory funnels OR wash bottles