Comparing Energy Content of Single State and Two Stage
Biodiesel Fuels

Nickolas S.
11th Grade, Astronaut High, Titusville Florida
Teacher: Scott McCord

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Abstract: The reason for this project is to compare the production costs of single stage and two stage biodiesels to determine which would be a more economically viable alternative to petroleum diesel and gasoline.

For this project two 1 liter batches of oil were transesterified using 200 mL of methanol and 3.7 gr of sodium hydroxide in a single stage process to form methyl ester biodiesel. The single stage process involves mixing the aforementioned amounts of methanol and sodium hydroxide to form a solution of sodium methoxide which is then added to preheated vegetable oil and maintained at 48oC for 45 minutes. The resulting products are methyl ester biodiesel and solid glycerine.

Two 1 liter batches of oil were transesterified by means of a two stage process. This process involved preheating oil to 35oC and adding 80mL of methanol and mixing for 5 minutes. After methanol was added and stirred 1mL of 18M sulphuric acid was added and stirred for one hour while still heated. The mixture was stirred for an additional hour unheated. After settling for 8 hours, 60mL of prepared sodium methoxide was added and stirred for 5 minutes. The mixture was then heated to 55oC then 60 mL of prepared sodium methoxide was added and the mixture was stirred with heat for 1.5 hours.

Both types of fuels were washed using a bubble wash method to remove contaminants and then a bomb calorimeter was used to test energy output. Calculations were then made to determine the total net energy output of the two fuels.

Hypothesis:
Null Hypothesis: There is no difference in net energy content of single stage and two-stage methyl-ester biodiesels.

Conclusion: According to the statistical test, T test, the samples were not significantly different (on a .07 alpha level). The null hypothesis is accepted. There is no difference in the net energy outputs of single stage and two stage biodiesel fuels.