Synthesis of Biodiesel and Testing It's Freezing Point

Max Ickes
Abstract:
Biodiesel, A cleaner substance than diesel itself that is better for the environment and can use
old vegetable oil to run your cars. Today that is what will be made and tested. The test being to
see if biodiesel takes longer to freeze compared to diesel. This lab report will run through how
biodiesel is made and how good biodiesel is in the cold. The methods of making biodiesel were
mixing substances like methanol, potassium hydroxide, and vegetable oil than letting it sit and
let the sucrose drain out of the mixture. Than to see how biodiesel does in the cold it was put in
a freezer for a hour and a half while being closely observed. The results being that biodiesel
doesnt hold out during the cold winter months as well as normal diesel. This is important to test
because people need a better energy source and seeing if biodiesel can last longer in the winter
can change how we use our fuel supplies to power our very own cars.
Introduction:
Today the use of gasoline and diesel has become a big part of our lives, but all this use of these
fossil fuels have shown to be bad on the environment by emitting carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gasses. With this evidence people have been looking for a better way to run our
car; like electricity and biodiesel. Electricity is the most common of going green but biodiesel
isnt used as much as electric cars. Mostly because it is more expensive and its a lot easier to
find electric cars than biodiesel cars. Plus you need a special engine to run the biodiesel
through the fuel lines. Still it uses wasted material and can emit way less air pollution.
In this lab I will make biodiesel and testing how fast it freezes compared to regular diesel to see
if biodiesel can really replace diesel and help the environment in the long run. The expectation
for this lab could be that vegetable mixed with methanol potassium hydroxide could alter and
sustain the vegetable oil and keep it from freezing as fast as diesel. Freezing point is very
important when it comes to diesel because unlike gasoline, in the winter to keep from freezing it
needs anti-gel additives. So with a fuel that has a lower freezing temperature there would be
less use for anti-gel additives and would be a great fuel for our cars.
Hazards:
The hazards of making biodiesel were definitely methanol and dealing with the potassium
hydroxide. Methanol is a clear highly flammable liquid. It can be in a form of a gas that can be
explosive in the air. It can cause irritation to skin and the eyes. It is toxic to inhale and to be
swallowed. It can cause blindness, headache and drowsiness. Potassium hydroxide is a formula
compound called KOH. It is a colorless solid and is categorized as a base. It is harmful to ingest
and can cause severe burns. To avoid the hazards of these chemicals you would need to wear
safety goggles, wear safety gloves and if you have long hair, it will need to be pulled back. do
not touch these chemicals with your skin. Wear long pants and closed toe shoes to minimize
your risks.
Methods:

When making the biodiesel there was a certain amount of steps that went into making the
biodiesel. The first step was to first Pour 40 ml of methanol with 1.6 g of potassium methoxide
until it was all the way dissolved. Next 200 ml of vegetable oil was poured into the mixture and
stirred for 20 minutes. After the solution has been mixed, it then goes into separatory funnel
which separated the biodiesel and the glycerin. After the process has been done it is time to
transport it in a mason jar to do the next stage of the lab which is testing the freezing
temperature of biodiesel and regular diesel. To test this, there would need to be biodiesel that
was made and some regular diesel, then these two are put into a freezer and would be closely
monitored to see what is happening.

Results:
With making biodiesel there is also a component to make sure it is good and safe to put in your
car is to see whether it freezes faster than diesel or not. Diesel freezes because at a certain
temperature the hydrocarbons start to freeze and then the wax inside the fuel buildup and clog
the fuel lines. Diesel is different than gasoline because of the longer molecules which have
greater intermolecular attractions making any diesel freeze at high temperatures.
The test shows that biodiesel freezes before actual diesel did. From my observations the
biodiesel froze much more quicker than the diesel and the liquid to liquid/gel process was much
faster than the diesel where it took significantly longer time to fully freeze over. Each substance
was 100 ml and was both in a similar container. This answers the question to why we don't use
biodiesel a lot more than I thought we could. Not only is it hard to get into cars, it also freezes a
lot quicker than normal diesel making it very inefficient in the winter.

Table 1: Freezing Times of Biodiesel and Diesel:

Time

Biodiesel

Diesel

20 min

liquid

liquid

40 min

liquid/gel

liquid

60 min

gel

liquid

80 min

solid

liquid/gel

Table 2: Color of Biodiesel and Diesel while freezing:

Time

Color of Biodiesel

Color of Diesel

20

clear brown

clear whitish blue

40

light grey

clear whitish blue

60

cloudy grey

light greyish blue

80

white

light green

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

In figure 1, it is showing after one hour of freezing, the biodiesel has frozen solid and the diesel
is still a liquid. In figure 1 the diesel on the left is being poured into a plastic bag and the
biodiesel to the right is on its side frozen and not moving.
In figure 2, It is just showing how the fuels were held and showing how they look after 1 hour
and a half of freezing. The biodiesel has turned grayer and the diesel has stayed around the
same color since it still hasn't frozen completely.

Discussion:
This test shows that biodiesel cant withstand the cold better than diesel. Even though it
produces a significant amount less air pollution than diesel; it still isnt innovative enough to be

in the cold and that is why diesel can be used more in the winter than biodiesel. Other scientists
have done research on this and have also found that biodiesel can not hold out in the cold
thanks to temperature to cloud up and freeze the crystals of wax in the biodiesel which is more
common in biodiesel than diesel because of the vegetable oil. This test was very helpful finding
out if biodiesel is better for cars in the cold or not but the test could have been improved. The
freezer should have been see through so that it could be closely monitored without disturbing it
by opening the door and moving it around. The fuels could have been in the same kind of jars
instead of two different ones; one was wider than the other one which could have changed the
results. Still the results that happened during this lab is accurate and can be used to answer the
question that has been asked here.