Penn Manor students make french-fried fuel

Penn Manor students make french-fried fuel
Lancaster Newspapers - Lancaster,PA,USA
... The Penn Manor High School technology education teacher can thank a handful of his students for manufacturing cheap biodiesel fuel that can run his diesel ...
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LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Despite the recent surge in fuel prices, Sean McKnight has no worries as he gets ready to buy a car this summer and looks ahead to the winter heating season.

The Penn Manor High School technology education teacher can thank a handful of his students for manufacturing cheap biodiesel fuel that can run his diesel-fueled car and heat his home.

About four students and McKnight recently carted tubs of used fryer oil from the school cafeteria to use in an experiment as they tried to convert it into viable biodiesel fuel.

"With gas prices the way they are, I thought, 'Let's try something to get the kids excited,' " McKnight said. "How hard would it be to do this?"

With the right equipment, they discovered it was not difficult at all.

They boiled out all the impurities from the oil used to make french fries, and added sulfuric acid, sodium methoxide and methanol.

The chemical process takes about two days and the oil turns a straw-yellow hue when completed.

They then wanted to test their home-brewed fuel because they were not sure it would power an engine.

Stauffer Diesel Inc. of Ephrata let them use a $10,000 700-pound engine for their experiment.

When they first filled the engine's fuel tank about two weeks ago, it ran on the first try.

"It's pretty cool," Matt Loy, a 15-year-old sophomore, said. "At first I was a bit skeptical, but it turned out great."

McKnight said no other high school in the state has been able to effectively produce its own working biodiesel fuel. McKnight also said a professor at Penn State University told him that his college chemistry students were not able to get their oil to turn as light a yellow as the Penn Manor high school students.

"It's something you can really make work," McKnight said. "This is not beyond a high school education. You don't have to be a mastermind."

He said he suspects the high quality of the fryer oil has helped make the process easier. Others convert pure vegetable or soy oil, which don't always work as well.

With an almost unlimited supply of fryer oil from the cafeteria, the students have been making the biodiesel fuel for about 50 cents a gallon.

People who sell biodiesel oil on a large scale charge about $3 a gallon, McKnight said.

"We're staying ahead of the fuel crisis," McKnight said. "It's legal until you try to sell it."

He said he wants to build a refinery next year and give the oil to the school district to use in its lawn mowers and any other diesel-run equipment.

They're also saving the district about $400 a month on hauler fees by taking the fryer oil off its hands.

McKnight hopes to take the students' successful oil around the fair circuits this summer.

And he just might use his new diesel car to prove how well it works.

IMAGE: http://images.lancasteronline.com/local/friesfuel_ful.jpg   275

(BW) Research Update Issued on Imperial Petroleum, Inc. Regarding ...
Houston Chronicle - United States
... provides an update on the recent agreement by Imperial Petroleum with Domestic Energy Partners (http://www.BetterBiodiesel.com) to distribute biodiesel products ...
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