Pagaduan, Janna Mae A. 2020.

THE USE OF WASTE VEGETABLE OIL AS A

SUBSTITUTE FOR DIESEL FUEL. Mariano Marcos State University, Laboratory High
School. City of Batac 2906 Ilocos Norte, Philippines.

THE USE OF WASTE VEGETABLE OIL AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR DIESEL FUEL

JANNA MAE A. PAGADUAN

Researcher

A Thesis Proposal:
MS. MIGNON CECILIA S. DIEGO, Research Adviser

MARIANO MARCOS STATE UNIVERSITY

LABORATORY HIGH SCHOOL
City of Batac, Ilocos Norte

January 2020
 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

For the past decades, environmental pollution and the depletion of fossil fuels have

triggered an unprecedented search for alternative sources of energy. According to Dorian et. al.,

(2006) as cited by Ahmad, et. al. (2011), 86 % of the world energy consumption and almost 100

% of the energy needed in the transportation sector today is met by fossil fuels. However, fossil

fuels are declining and worse, have been implicated in the destruction of the environment caused

by increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, which is brought about, mainly, by vehicular

emissions. Since the world’s accessible oil reservoirs are gradually depleting, it is important to

develop strategies based on the utilization of renewable fuel production.

One effective strategy is the use of biodiesel or blending vegetable oils with diesel fuel to

be used for diesel engines. Vegetable oils are increasingly used as a substitute for fossil fuels and

are the basis of biodiesel, which can be used like conventional diesel (Wikipedia.org). Biodiesel

is a liquid fuel produced from a variety of natural oils, such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or even

waste cooking oils.

Used cooking oil or waste vegetable oil can be used to make diesel. However, these oils

present special challenges for biodiesel production because they contain contaminants such as

water, meat scraps, and breading that must be filtered out before the oil is converted to biodiesel.

Moreover, it is important to realize that unmodified vegetable oil, sometimes called straight

vegetable oil (SVO) or waste vegetable oil (WVO), is not biodiesel. Some people have used SVO

or WVO in diesel engines with varying degrees of success. The primary problem is the high
viscosity and low volatility of the unmodified vegetable oils. Hence, this study will be conducted

to investigate the effectiveness of used or discarded vegetable oil as a substitute for diesel fuel.

Statement of the Problem

The study on the recycling of used vegetable oil as biodiesel is very timely because of

arising problems such as the rising cost of fuel, global warming, and health problems such as

respiratory diseases caused by harmful products of burning petroleum-based fuels. As a result of

burned fuels, greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere. This is due to high emission of carbon

dioxide coming from vehicles. The reason why people are developing respiratory disease is

because of the combustion of burning fuels. Thus, it is imperative to promote an ecofriendly, safe,

and economical biodiesel and to influence individuals to be more mindful of the environment.

Generally, the study will investigate the use of waste vegetable oil as a substitute for diesel

fuel.

Specifically, the study aims to:

1. Determine the feasibility of waste vegetable oil as a source to produce biodiesel;

2. Compare the effects of bio-diesel from waste vegetable oil and diesel fuel; and

3. Test the efficiency of bio-diesel from waste vegetable oil for diesel fuel engines.

Significance of the Study

Results of the study will confirm that waste vegetable oil may be used as a resource to

obtain biodiesel. As waste vegetable oils are one of the most promising potential sources to
produce biodiesel, it could offer opportunities for generation of rural employment and increasing

household income. In addition, biodiesel is bio-degradable, non-toxic, non-polluting, and safe to

handle. Specifically, biodiesel does not generate SO2 emissions, its combustion is more effective

because of its higher oxygen content, particulate matter and CO emissions are lower, and emissions

of hydrocarbon compounds are also reduced, therefore its contribution to the greenhouse effect is

negligible.

Likewise, due to its better lubricating properties, the use of biodiesel is important in

extending engine life and reducing noise level. Finally, with the mushrooming of fast food centers

and restaurants which constantly use vegetable oils, it is expected that considerable amounts of

used vegetable oils will be discarded which can be diverted for biodiesel production, and thus may

help reduce the cost of water treatment in the sewerage system and assisting in the recycling of

resources.

Scope and Limitation

The study titled “The use of waste vegetable oil as a substitute for diesel fuel” will be

conducted at Mariano Marcos State University, Laboratory High School, City of Batac, Ilocos

Norte. Used vegetable oils will be collected from fast food centers or restaurants located in the

community and will be investigated as to their feasibility as biodiesel. The study will be

conducted from February-April, 2020. One limitation of the study will be the availability of

chemicals and equipment to be used in the process of transesterification. The produced biodiesel

will be tested on diesel engines.

 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Helmenstine (2019), stated that biodiesel is a diesel fuel that is made by reacting vegetable

oil (cooking oil) with other common chemicals. It may be used in any diesel automotive engine in

its pure form or blended with petroleum-based diesel. No modifications are required, and the result

is a less-expensive, renewable, clean-burning fuel.

Likewise, Tech (2019) reported that biodiesel can be made from any plant or animal-

derived oil. However, some oils are better than others for making biodiesel. Cooking oils make

some of the best biodiesel. These are unsaturated oils with a single or double bond per fatty acid.

Canola is probably the best oil for making biodiesel, since it ages slowly, remains liquid at low

temperatures, and has a high energy content. Olive oil is another good oil for making biodiesel. It

has a slightly higher gel point, is slightly less stable, and has about the same energy content as

canola oil due to its slightly increased polyunsaturated and saturated content.

Used cooking oil or waste oil can be used to make diesel, as informed by Farm Energy

(2019). However, these oils present special challenges for biodiesel production because they

contain contaminants such as water, meat scraps, and breading that must be filtered out before the

oil is converted to biodiesel. Moreover, it clarified that it is important to realize that unmodified

vegetable oil, sometimes called straight vegetable oil (SVO) or waste vegetable oil (WVO), is not

biodiesel. Some people have used SVO or WVO in diesel engines with varying degrees of success.

The primary problem is the high viscosity and low volatility of the unmodified vegetable oils.

Thus, biodiesel is usually preferred over SVO and WVO because the chemical reaction converts

the oil or fat into compounds that are closer to the hydrocarbons found in regular diesel fuel.
 It further explained that the chemical reaction that converts a vegetable oil or animal fat to

biodiesel is called transesterification, which is just a simple process of combining a chemical

compound called an ester and an alcohol to make another ester and another alcohol. Oils and fats

are included in the ester family. When they react with methanol or ethanol, they make methyl or

ethyl esters and a new alcohol called glycerol or, more commonly, glycerin.

Based on the research entitled “Biodiesel from vegetable oils” conducted by Issariyakul

and Dalai (2014), it was validated that biodiesel is gaining acceptance in the market as fuel and

lubricant. It is expected that biodiesel industries will rapidly grow worldwide in the coming years

and information on biodiesel feedstock, production, and characteristics will be crucial than ever

especially for those using vegetable oils as feedstock as these are currently the major sources for

making biodiesel.

Biodiesel is a liquid fuel produced from a variety of natural oils, such as vegetable oils,

animal fats, or even waste cooking oils. It contains monoalkylic esters with hydrocarbon chains in

the range of 14-22 carbon atoms, capable of combusting properly in conventional diesel engines

(Vicente Crespo e. al., 2001 as cited by Cervero et. al., 2008).

Meanwhile, Shereena and Thangaraj (2019), explained that biodiesel is named as such

because it is derived from biological products and matches petrodiesel in performance. The

biodiesel so produced has lesser exhaust emissions in terms of unburnt hydrocarbon, carbon

monoxide and particulate matter. Biodiesel can be termed clean as it does not contain carcinogens

and its Sulphur content is also lesser than the mineral diesel. It possesses high biodegradability

and lubricating property which makes it even better fuel. Hence, being a renewable fuel and with

characteristics similar to petrodiesel, it has the potential to be an alternate for petrodiesel in the

long run.
 In a study entitled “Production of biodiesel from vegetable oils” conducted by Cervero et.

al. (2008), it was reported that although most commonly used oils are soybean, rapeseed, and palm

or sunflower, biodiesel can be produced from more than 300 vegetable species, depending on their

availability in the biodiesel production area. The use of waste cooking oils has the advantage that

they are recycled, avoiding a significant environmental problem.

Biodiesel has gained importance in the recent past for its ability to replace fossil fuels

which is likely to run out within a century. The environmental issues concerned with the exhaust

gases emission by the usage of fossil fuels also encourage the usage of biodiesel which has proved

to be eco-friendly far more than fossil fuels. Biodiesel is known as a carbon neutral fossil because

the carbon present in the exhaust was originally fixed from the atmosphere. It is a mixture of

monoalkylesters obtained from vegetable oils like soybean oil, jatropha oil, rapeseed oil, palm oil,

sunflower oil, corn oil, peanut oil, canola oil and cotton seed oil. Apart from vegetable oils,

biodiesel can be also produced from other sources like animal fat, waste cooking oil, greases and

algae. A method utilizing all the above-mentioned sources was patented by Fogila et. al. (1998)

and claiming process to be a cost effective one as it uses inexpensive feedstock. The direct use of

vegetable oils as a biodiesel is possible by blending with conventional diesel fuels in a suitable

ration and these esters blends are stable for short term usages (Hymavathi et. al., 2014).
 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

The researcher will use the transesterification in making biodiesel fuel efficiently from

waste vegetable oils.

The experimental procedure of making biodiesel from transesterification process adapted

from Saha et. al. (2015) is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Experimental setup for biodiesel production

 The researcher will use the following tools, materials and equipment in the production

of biodiesel:

1. Flask

2. Stirrer

3. Potassium ethoxide (Catalyst)

4. Methanol

5. Temperature controller

6. Waste vegetable oil

7. Heater

8. Separating funnel

9. Glycerol

10. Temperature indicator

11. Glass blender pitcher

12. Safety glasses, gloves, and apron

13. Beaker

14. Widemouthed jar

In the experiment, the researcher will undertake the following steps to produce

biodiesel:

1. Filtering the waste vegetable oil to remove any food scraps or solid particles.

2. Heating the waste vegetable oil to remove any water content.

3. Performing titration to determine how much catalyst is needed.

4. Preparing potassium ethoxide.

5. Settling or removing the glycerin.

6. Washing and drying.

7. Checking the quality of the product using the wash test, ethanol test, and viscosity

test.

8. Comparing the product with standard characteristics.

 LITERATURE CITED

Cervero, J.M.; Coca, J. and Luque, S. (2008). Production of biodiesel from vegetable oils.
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Oviedo.
Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26524146 on December 29,
2019.

Farm Energy (2019). Biodiesel production principles and processes. Retrieved from farm-
enery.extension.org on December 27, 2019.

Helmenstine, A.M. (2019). How to make biodiesel from vegetable oil. Retrieved from
www.thoughtco.com on December 28, 2019.

Hymavathi, D; Prabhakar, G; and Babu, B. S. (2014). Biodiesel production from vegetable oils:
an optimization process. Inernational Journal of Chemical & Petrochemical Technology.
Vol. 4, Issue 2, Apr 2014, 21-30. Retrieved from www.tjprc.org on December 28, 2019.

Issariyakul, T. and Dalai, A.K. 2014. Biodiesel from vegetable oils. Retrieved from https://www.
sciencedirect.com on December 26. 2019.

Saha, S; Ahamed, J.U; Razzaq, M.A; Fahadullah, S.M; Barman, H; and Kumar Bala, S. (2015).
Production of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. International Conference on Mechanical
Engineering and Renewable Energy 2015. (ICMERE2015) 26-29 November, 2015,
Chittaong, Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication.
284170851 on December 30, 2019.

Shereena, K.M. and Thangaraj, T. 2019. Biodiesel: An Alternative fuel produced from vegetable
oils by transesterification. Department of Zoology, Kongunadu Arts and Science College.
Tamil Nadu, India. Retrieved from ejbio.imedpub.com on December 22, 2019.

Tech, R.D. (2019). Biodiesel feedstock oils. Retrieved from make-biodiesel.org on December 27,
2019.